Tech Review: Key to a charity’s digital success
Introduction: The Digital Imperative for Charities
The digital landscape in the UK is undergoing a rapid and transformative evolution, profoundly impacting various sectors, including charities and others in the not-for-profit sector. This transformation is driven by the accelerated adoption of digital technologies, hastened by the changes we all had to make during COVID-19.
Charities face an imperative to embrace digital technologies to enhance their impact and reach. A comprehensive digital strategy can streamline operations, improve communication, and expand fundraising opportunities. However, many charities struggle to realise the full potential of digital transformation due to disparate technology systems and under-utilised resources.
Digital Strategy
The Charity Digital Skills Report 2023 found that 52% of charities say that digital is more of priority this year than it was last year, yet almost one third of charities don’t have anyone in charge of leading their digital progress. Many charities face a digital divide, grappling with limited resources and expertise to fully leverage the potential of digital technologies. This is where the importance of a robust digital strategy becomes critical.
A well-crafted digital strategy is not just about adopting the latest technologies; it's about aligning these tools with the organisation’s mission and goals. It's a roadmap to navigate the complexities of the digital world effectively, ensuring that technology adoption is strategic, targeted, and impactful. A comprehensive digital strategy enables charities to expand their reach, engage more meaningfully with their stakeholders, and operate more efficiently, ultimately magnifying their social impact to help more beneficiaries, or help beneficiaries more, in a rapidly changing world.
What is a Tech Review?
A thorough technology review serves as a critical foundation for developing an effective digital strategy. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of an organisation's existing technology landscape, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. It would generally involve:
Assessing Current Software
Evaluating the software and to a lesser extent, the hardware currently in use. It is crucial to determine if these tools are up-to-date, efficient, and suitable for the organisation’s needs. This assessment covers everything from basic office software to specialised tools unique to the charity’s operations.
Evaluating Data Security Measures
Given the importance of data protection, especially with regulations like GDPR in the UK, a technology review must scrutinise the organisation's data security protocols. This includes checking for vulnerabilities in data storage and transfer, as well as ensuring compliance with legal standards.
Analysing Staff Tech Skills
The review evaluates a charity’s technological capabilities, including the digital literacy and technical skills of the staff. This helps in understanding training needs, the feasibility of integrating more advanced technologies and processes that need to be addressed in the feasibility strategy.
Identifying Disparate Systems and Underutilised Resources
The review should identify any gaps, disparate technology systems or underutilised aspects of the current technology setup that hinder effective operation, communication and collaboration. This might include unused, features of existing software, or the need for new technology solutions that could enhance further efficiencies within the charity or support new digital initiatives.
Informing Strategic Decision-Making
The findings of the technology review inform strategic decision-making related to technology investments, resource allocation, and partnerships. It helps organisations prioritise technology initiatives that align with their overall mission and objectives.
Benefits of Conducting a Technology Review
Improved Communication and Collaboration
A technology review can lead to the implementation of integrated technology systems that facilitate seamless communication and collaboration among staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries.
Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity
By identifying and addressing inefficiencies in existing technology systems, organisations can streamline operations and improve productivity. This can lead to cost savings and increased capacity for primary purpose activities.
Expanded Reach and Impact
A well-executed digital strategy, informed by a technology review, can help charities expand their reach and impact by connecting with a broader audience, delivering services more effectively, and attracting new donors and volunteers.
Undertaking a Tech Review and Developing your Digital Strategy
As the importance of this area increases for charities, there are resources out there to help charities undertake this themselves.
The NCVO have a digital maturity matrix which help charities with a starting point of where they are now and where they would like to be. It doesn’t investigate the intricacies and relationships between the various software that a charity has, but it’s an excellent starting point.
Similarly the SCVO have a digital checkup which guides you through easy to navigate questions which enable you to rank yourself against various statements to see how you compare to other organisations.
Once you’ve done the above, you’ll need to address each of the categories above to create your initial technology review. The answers from the digital maturity matrix and/or the digital check-up will help you answer some elements and help determine your digital strategy. Chairty-Digital have a webinar to help you write your digital strategy, which may be useful for those choosing to do this themselves.
Rascal Ventures
For those who would like some professional support with the review, Rascal Ventures is ideally placed to offer support. With the CEO a leader in digital transformation and the Product Director a former charity CEO and strategic advisor, they have an excellent understanding of the requirements for a charity.
Rascal Ventures, a leading provider of digital transformation services for charities, offers comprehensive technology reviews as part of its consulting services. Rascal Ventures' team of experts works closely with charities to assess undertake a technology review, understanding their needs, identify opportunities for improvement, and can help develop tailored digital strategies.
Rascal Ventures takes a holistic approach to digital transformation, considering not only technology but also organisational culture, processes, and people. This comprehensive approach ensures that technology investments are aligned with a charity’s overall mission and values.
Undertaking a Tech Review and Developing your Digital Strategy
In conclusion, a technology review is an essential step for charities embarking on a digital strategy. By identifying and addressing technology gaps and inefficiencies, organisations can lay the foundation for a successful digital transformation. Rascal Ventures' expertise in charity and technology alongside a holistic approach to digital transformation make the company an ideal partner for charities seeking to leverage technology to achieve their mission.
