The six key ways tech is making charities more resilient

Digital technology has been a vital safety net for so many organisations during the pandemic.

But looking ahead, it’s become clear that digital tech and the skills gained during the outbreak have the potential to help the charity sector stay resilient over the much longer term. Digital can help charities adapt more quickly to challenges, bounce back from setbacks and make the most of resources during times of financial hardship.

What exactly does a resilient charity look like? The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) defines a resilient charity by six characteristics:

• They understand what their purpose is, and just as importantly what it isn’t.
• They are financially and operationally fit with sufficient income from a diverse range of sources.
• They are able to identify and communicate the need that they meet and the impact that they have.
• They have effective leadership with trustees and executives who take time to talk about the bigger picture rather than focus solely on day to day matters.
• They are well networked and able to get support from and work in partnership with others.
• They have an awareness of the political, economic, local and national context they work in, regularly horizon scanning for challenges, threats and opportunities.

So why is digital tech so key in these areas of resilience?

1. Understanding purpose and communicating impact

Charities that can effectively articulate their goals and communicate the impact their work is having gain more support, recognition and funding over time.

What’s the best way to do this? By communicating on digital platforms and using data as a storytelling tool. As we’ve shown time and time again, you don’t need a huge budget to do this well, though having a central CRM system for data with reporting capabilities certainly helps charities create accurate and effective reports on their impact for stakeholders and funders.

In our recent podcast from #BeMoreDigital2020, Kate Rees, Impact Manager at NSPCC shared her ‘5 steps to better impact reporting’ and how the children’s charity uses data to bring its hard work to life for a range of stakeholders.

2. Operating well

By evidencing that they can continue to deliver services safely and effectively through digital, charities can secure the vital funding they need to run now and in the future.

Remote service delivery through online channels and apps is helping charities not only carry on their services, but reach more people in hard to reach groups or locations, and meet unexpected demand. We recently looked at a few charities who have discovered demand they never knew existed online. Charities embracing tech are able to keep up with their service users where they are and have the edge on competing organisations who aren’t on those platforms.

Hosting their own webinars can be an ideal way for charities to extend their digital reach and create a lively interactive platform for service users and donors - some great tips here from Charity Digital’s Marketing Manager Chris Hall.

The ability to shift how they operate internally is also a key way charities stay resilient. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this has meant embracing virtual meetings and video conferencing like never before, where cloud-based tools facilitate easy collaboration from anywhere. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development have said that “Quality flexible working can help organisations attract talent, improve employee job satisfaction and loyalty, reduce absenteeism, and improve well-being; it can also make businesses more responsive to change.”