Strategy

Overall success will look like:

Charities will be clear about their strategic direction in digital, enabling them to invest time and other resources more effectively. They will be confident about the role digital plays in their value proposition and how this is differentiated from other organisations in the same field, putting the charity in a stronger position for the future.

Organisational strategy

• Charities should use digital tools that support their vision and mission and increase impact, understanding where digital is and isn’t the best channel to achieve their aims.
• Charities could develop a strategy that helps them use digital and data to achieve their charitable purposes, aims and objectives. Ideally, this will be part of the overall organisational strategy, but may be a standalone digital strategy until the leadership team have developed their digital experience and skills. In either case, digital should be embedded in the charity’s goals and ways of working, not an add-on.
• Roles and responsibilities for delivering the strategy should be identified (ideally this should be at a senior level) and the appropriate accountabilities created.
• To increase the chances of success, the plans to deliver the strategy should be practical, manageable and carefully monitored, and the appropriate resources allocated.

Digital inclusion

• The charity should aim to follow digital inclusion principles, i.e. based on an understanding of beneficiaries’, supporters’ and other stakeholders’ digital skills, their ability to access the internet and any specific assistive technology needed. Beneficiaries and donors who aren’t online should be offered alternatives where appropriate.

Approach

• Charities should be ambitious and challenge themselves about what they wish to achieve with digital, whilst being aware of what they can undertake based on capabilities and resources. Partnerships should be considered where appropriate.
• Charity leaders should identify and agree how best to deal with barriers to achieving the strategy. These will be different for every organisation and could range from risk management to how legacy technology systems may be impeding progress.

Overall success will look like:

Charities will be clear about their strategic direction in digital, enabling them to invest time and other resources more effectively. They will be confident about the role digital plays in their value proposition and how this is differentiated from other organisations in the same field, putting the charity in a stronger position for the future.

Organisational strategy

• Charities should develop a strategy that helps them use digital and data to achieve their charitable purposes, aims and objectives. Ideally, this will be part of the overall organisational strategy, but may be a standalone digital strategy until the leadership team have developed their digital experience and skills. In either case, digital should be embedded in the charity’s goals and ways of working, not an add-on.
• The strategy should have a clear owner who is a leader within the charity and who should have the mandate for change. Roles and responsibilities for delivering the strategy should be identified (ideally this should be at a senior level) and the appropriate accountabilities created.
• Charities should develop and deliver their digital strategy in line with their vision and mission, understanding where digital is and isn’t the best channel to achieve their aims.
• Data on how beneficiaries, supporters and other stakeholders use digital should be factored into the creation of the strategy, and assumptions should be tested where required.
• If the charity is large enough to have strategies and plans for different functions (e.g. a fundraising strategy), digital methods and tools should be included in these where relevant.
• To increase the chances of success, the plans to deliver the strategy should be practical, manageable and carefully monitored.
• The appropriate level of resources will need to be allocated to the plan and the budget monitored.

Impact

• Charities should consider ways in which digital could potentially increase their impact, such as reaching and supporting more beneficiaries by using digital channels, where relevant. This should be measured by identifying clear measures of success and using the correct tools for evaluation.

Digital inclusion

• The charity should follow digital inclusion principles, i.e. based on an understanding of beneficiaries’, supporters’ and other stakeholders’ digital skills, their ability to access the internet and any specific assistive technology needed. Beneficiaries and donors who aren’t online should be offered alternatives where necessary.

Approach

• Charities should be ambitious and challenge themselves about what they wish to achieve with digital, whilst being aware of what they can undertake based on capabilities and resources. Partnerships should be considered where appropriate.
• Charity leaders should identify and agree how best to deal with barriers to achieving the strategy. These will be different for every organisation and could range from risk management to how legacy technology systems may be impeding progress.