Charities require robust technology solutions just like for-profit businesses. There may be a tendency for people to look at charities as distinctly different than other business models – possibly even antiquated due to a lack of funding. The reality is that charities are just as modern, diverse – and complex – as any for-profit organisation, and therefore require modern tech solutions just the same. We discussed the matter with TechQuarters, a provider of outsourced IT support London charities have been known to use in the past. TechQuarters stated that it is just as important for charities to have modern IT solutions – in fact, it might be more important for charities.
Technology for Charities
Charitable organisations have been transforming the way they raise money, and organise their operations, with the use of modern technology. Given that charity is all about making a difference in the world, and the world is increasingly influenced by technology, these organisations are coming round to the idea that technology is an essential part of their work. For example, the managed IT services London charities use is often in aid of helping them operate more efficiently, and improve their impact by leveraging new digital solutions.
Below is a list of some of the solutions modern charities are adopting…
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Digital Fundraising Solution
Fundraising is obviously an integral part of charities’ work. Nowadays, the internet can connect organisations with a vast demographic of people who may wish to donate to their cause. This is why digital fundraising solutions are incredibly important for modern charities. These solutions allow charities to accept donates via online / digital transactions; and these solutions can reach a huge number of people online, thus increasing the number of donations a charity receives.
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Cyber Security Solution
Cybercrime is a threat for every single type of business that operates today. More and more charities are reporting attempting and successful cyber attacks every year, thus is it important that any charity ensure they have a robust cyber security solution in place. This is even more important if a business is looking to radically transform their operations with tech solutions – every layer of their technology infrastructure should have security baked into it. Robust security solutions can be implemented via IT support for charities, where the IT provider can help the client implement cutting edge solutions.
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Impact Reporting Tool
Charities measure their success based on the impact they are able to have on their chosen cause. With modern-day technology, it is much easier to measure this kind of impact, because of the amount of data that is generated online, or collected and stored online. This data can be accessed if an organisation has the right tools on hand. This is where Impact Reporting comes in; it allows charities to analyse data relating to their work, and measure that specific impact it has had.
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Social Media Management Tool
Social media is a powerful tool for charities to use nowadays. There are 3.96 billion people – that’s more than half of the global population – that are using some form of social media today. Charities can tap into their audiences via social media, and use it as an effective marketing tool to raise awareness of their work. To do this in the best way possible, a social media management tool is necessary. These services help organisations create and schedule posts for social media, and provide useful analytics on the effectiveness of their activity.
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Customer Relationship Management Tool
Someone who donates to a charity is a customer in the same way that some who pays for a product or service from a for-profit business. The relationship a customer has with a business is very important – a good relationship means the customer is more likely to use the business again. In the context of charity, a good relationship with the donors will make them more likely to donate again.
This is where customer relationship management (CRM) comes in. CRM software makes it easy for businesses to communicate with customers/donors, and nurture the relationship.