Like all non-profits, charities need to get their IT setup right, though what they require can vary depending on the work the carry out and the specific needs of the causes they champion. That may sound like a daunting task, but in actual fact it is simply a case of the getting the fundamentals and basic in place and building from there.
Here’s where we recommend you begin:
Data Management:
Charities tend to hold a lot of information – whether that be about donors, volunteers or the programs they run. Using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to keep track of and manage interactions with supporters is vital to the smooth running of your operations. All to often we see data managed across multiple platforms; in that instance it becomes siloed, outdated and hard to manage. Remember, data is only useful if you can a) access it and b) make sense of it. Keeping it all in one place achieves that.
Security and data privacy:
This is an obvious one, although you’d be surprised how often it’s overlooked, even by larger organisations. Measures to protect sensitive data about donors, volunteers and initiatives aren’t optional and so should be treated as an ongoing priority. They’re also a matter of law and as such, compliance is wholly necessary. Cybersecurity hygiene, therefore, should be endemic in the culture of the company or at the very least in your IT environment – if you don’t know where to begin with this the Government’s Cyber Essentials is an excellent place to start.
Cloud Infrastructure:
Cloud-based services offer flexible and scalable solutions for organisations of all kinds and charities are no exception to that. They offer remote access to storage, software suites and management systems, allowing execs to work effectively and efficiently from anywhere. They’re also adept at fostering collaboration across projects with key stakeholders and third parties which forms a vital part of the any modern organisation’s operations.
Analytics and Reporting:
The third sector is among the most competitive, and as such organisations within it are under pressure to report on performance and impact to stakeholders. Having the ability to track and analyse that performance, to measure and monitor transparency and accountability is crucial, and made that bit easier by data visualisation and reporting tools. These can’t be overlooked in any modern business environment.
The set of priorities we’ve recommend having a uniting theme – data. It’s essential to the smooth running of your operations and as such needs to be managed, stored and protected in a way that allows you to use if effectively. It is the springboard to your future success.
If you need help with establishing your priorities or mobilising the ones you’ve set, please get in touch – we’d be happy to have a chat.