3 Reasons a Small Charity Should Embrace Digital – Fundraising promise

More and more brands are embracing the digital world, particularly when it comes to their marketing efforts. The majority of consumers are spending a lot of time online, and this is arguably the best place to raise awareness. Larger charities are also starting to embrace the digital world, and we think more smaller charities should follow.

Below are three great reasons why we would recommend a small charity to embrace digital.

  1. It’s a cost-effective and simple to navigate world, with plenty of free tools that are easy to use

Though the thought of entering the digital world may feel daunting at first, you’d be surprised to learn just how many free tools are available to help you get started. There is no need to embark upon costly and time-consuming courses. The tools available online for a free or low price have simple and clear instructions that are easy for anyone to follow. Platform such as WhatsApp, JustGiving and Facebook are extremely simple to download and setup even for those who are completely new to the digital world. The kind of value that they can bring to your charity is incredible, both in terms of fundraising and awareness raising.

If your charity setup includes employees and volunteers based in different regions, then platforms such as Google Docs and Skype are invaluable in helping with communication. If you’d like to set up an online crowdfunding campaign, then JustGiving and Facebook are brilliant and easy to work with. Get started with these relatively simple tools before embarking upon anything that is more technically complicated. Once you see the impact that embracing digital can have on your charity, you can move onto more advanced platforms as needed.

  1. Digital can help your charity be more informed and well-organised

Starting from May next year, there are new GDPR regulations in place. These state that if you don’t have a firm grasp around how your charity is gaining consent from your databases, then you may have to face certain consequences. In order to ensure that your charity is fully prepared for such changes, you can access all the various resources available online, such as this helpful guide that Clearcomm has created on the topic.

According to this report put together by The Skills Platform, it is worrying to see that more than 50% of the charities that were surveyed did not have a digital strategy already. It also found that only 27% of those surveyed were integrating digital into their organisational practices. This is a concern as communication with donors are beneficiaries is considerably strengthened by adopting more digital platforms.

Not only that but there are so many tools and platforms available to help keep your charity organised with regards to their fundraising plans and finances. If you integrate digital practices, you’ll quickly find yourself spending less time and money on administrative tasks as well. Leaving you with more time to spend on crucial fundraising efforts.

  1. Embracing the digital world can be fun and social

Working in smaller charitable organisations can sometimes be a little lonely. Once you get online though, you’ll find that there are hundreds of online communities that you can easily connect with. Not only can this be great for social purposes, but you can also learn a lot by connecting with other similar organisations. They may be willing to share resources and lessons that they have learnt over time.  Some of the networks that we would recommend joining include Charity Connect and Third Sector PR and Comms Network.

If you join all the primary social media networks (which is super-easy and free to do) you’ll also be able to find Facebook groups and Twitter feeds that can provide you with some great knowledge and contacts.

Where to go if you want help with increasing your knowledge on digital

If you’d like to get started with embracing the digital world, it might be a good idea to take on a volunteer or recruit a trustee who already has digital experience. You can search for one online using the digital board on Reach.

If you’d like to improve your own digital skills, then there are plenty of online courses available that are really quick to complete. Best of all, many of them are completely free.

The good news is that embracing digital is not going to take a huge amount of financial or time investment. And you’ll find that the benefits for your charity will far outweigh any investments that you make. Embracing digital is not only recommended for small charities, it is now pretty much a requirement in order to stay relevant and connected in the modern world.