How to access free and discounted tech on the Charity Digital Exchange

Charity Digital’s mission is to help charities and non-profits maximise their impacts through digital tools.

 

The Charity Digital Exchange is the U.K.’s only platform which provides charitable organisations with access to free and discounted software and hardware offers, digital skills training, and courses. Our catalogue includes products and offers from some of the world’s leading technology brands – and it’s completely free to register.

 

Here we explain how to access these deals, making savings for your charity while embracing the best digital tech to achieve your mission.

 

Skip to: Step one: Get to know your digital needs

Skip to: Step two: Browse our catalogue

Skip to: Step three: Register for the Charity Digital Exchange

Skip to: Step four: Claim your product or offer

 

 

Step one: Get to know your digital needs

 

Maybe you are visiting the Charity Digital Exchange because you already know what you need – or you have a suspicion that you could be paying less for the tech you already use.

 

Or maybe you’re not sure which digital tools are most suited to your charity’s needs. In this case, use our helpful resources to prioritise where digital can be of most use. Our podcast “Making digital transformation less daunting" explores how charities can embark on new digital projects with intention.

 

For personalised guidance, you can also contact our Customer Success Team in a number of ways:

• Asking questions through our live chat (check the bottom right-hand corner of our website)
• Emailing us at customerservice@charitydigital.org.uk
• Attending one of our regular Q&A sessions

Our Customer Success Team are also available to help with any other query you may have about accessing our product offers – be sure to get in touch!  

 

 

Step two: Browse our catalogue

 

Browse our product catalogue here. Using the bar on the left-hand side of the catalogue, you can filter by donor or company, category of tech, media format, and platform.

 

Tip: The “Grow your skills” drop-down on the Exchange will take you to Charity Digital’s upcoming digital skills events, digital skills courses by our partners at Tech Soup, and Charity Digital’s content website, which houses past and present events, articles, podcasts, and videos about using digital technology in the charity sector.

 

 

Check eligibility and restrictions

 

To register for the Charity Digital Exchange and access our offers, organisations must meet our overall eligibility criteria.

 

Some of our products and deals also have specific eligibility requirements, which can be based on charitable status, income, or activities. To access specific product offers, organisations must meet the eligibility criteria of our individual partner associated with that product.

 

Another way of checking if you are eligible for a product offer is to check the “Restrictions” tab of the individual product listing you are interested in.

 

 

Check system requirements

 

If the Exchange product listing has a “System Requirements” tab, be sure to check whether these requirements fit with your devices’ operating systems.

 

 

Understand our deal types

 

Our catalogue offers four different types of deals. Here they are explained:

• Donated products – a product that has been donated by a brand to Charity Digital. For donated products, charities only pay the Charity Digital admin fee stated on the product listing. There are no further fees involved
• Discounted products – a product which charities can buy directly through the Charity Digital Exchange at a reduced cost to what it is usually sold for
• Access to discounted rates – a discount code, link, or voucher, which can be purchased from Charity Digital Exchange to save money on tech products. Some of our discount codes are completely free to obtain, but those that do involve a fee still create fantastic overall savings
• Validation – a validation token or link provided by Charity Digital Exchange which provides access to an offer by one of our tech partners. For validations, there is no Charity Digital admin fee

 

 

Step three: Register for the Charity Digital Exchange

 

Registering for the Charity Digital Exchange gives you access to our offers that are currently available and will continue to give you access to our future offers in our expanding catalogue.

 

Tip: Charity Digital has two separate websites to deliver our services, which you can log into at the same time, switching between both depending on your requirements.

• www.charitydigital.org.uk is our content website dedicated to helpful articles, webinars, podcasts, and events for digital skills in the charity sector. Log in here
• www.charitydigitalexchange.org is our transactional website dedicated to product purchasing, discounts, and validation services. Log in here

You can register for both websites for free here. If you have any issues signing up, email us at customerservice@charitydigital.org.uk.

 

 

Before registering

 

Before registering for the Exchange, it is a great idea to check with our Customer Success Team whether someone from your organisation has already registered. This is because there can only be one account per organisation.

 

Once you have gained access to your organisation’s account, it is possible to change the account email to ensure easy access in the future.

 

Alternatively, you can update the account’s contact details by emailing us a scanned letter confirming the new contact name, email address, and job title on a letterhead signed by a director or trustee of your organisation.

 

Please remember our Customer Success Team are on hand to help as needed.

 

Tip: We recommend that for the Exchange, organisations use a shared inbox which can be accessed by multiple people to ensure that you always have quick and easy access to our products and deals.

 

 

How to register for the Charity Digital Exchange

 

 

1. Create your user account here
2. You will be sent a follow-up email to validate your user account
3.  Once your user account has been activated, log in
4. Click “Add an organisation” to register your organisation to the account
5. Add supporting documents. This is particularly helpful if your organisation has out-of-date information on the charity register or if it is newly registered
6. Within five business days, you will receive a registration confirmation email at your organisational email address

 

Once registered, any applications for our products and services will be processed by our Customer Success team, typically within two working days.

 

 

Step four: Claim your product or offer

 

To obtain an offer or product on our website, you just need to click “Add to cart” and use our online checkout to make your payment.

 

Tip: One exception to this is the dotdigital email marketing service, for which Charity Digital provides personal support in addition to reduced prices. To access this offer, you can enquire with our team, who will be happy to set you up with a free trial account and/or deliver a walk-through of the features.

 

For all products and offers, Charity Digital Exchange accepts PayPal, Stripe, and bank transfer.

 

Within three business days of your payment, you will receive an email with the product code, links, or instructions to access your chosen product. These details will also be added to your Charity Digital Exchange Account within this timeframe.

 

Please note that the average delivery time for products is three business days, however this can vary depending on which of our partners is delivering your product or deal.

 

Finally, enjoy your product! We hope it helps you deliver your impact, along with our many other helpful resources.

 

If you would like to share your experience with Charity Digital, we welcome you to do so here.