Driven by the pandemic, we’ve seen a fantastic rise in charities creating a digital strategy. According to the Charity Digital Skills Report, 60% now have a digital strategy in place, which is great to see. But this also means that 40% don’t have anything, which is concerning as digital skills are becoming more and more important to the sector.

Part of this is going to be down to not knowing where to start. You might know you need to create a strategy, but not know what you need. So today, we’re going to give you three questions you can ask yourself to get your digital strategy started. Each one will help you analyse where you are now, what you want to achieve, and where you need to be. Let’s dive right in…

What do you already have?

The first step of any digital strategy is to assess where you are right now. This can be quite literal, with you determining what technology you already use. This will include your EPoS you use in your shops, any management tools for office staff, anything that keeps track of stock, digital shop fronts – that kind of thing. You’ll want to include details for each one, such as how long you’ve been using it, how effective it is, and general cost.

The reason you do this is to figure out what you’ll need for your digital strategy. For example, you might decide that your CRM is perfectly fine. Your team finds it easy to use and it’s an effective tool. But you might come to the conclusion that your EPoS is in need of an update, and that to save costs you should shift to a SaaS model.

When you answer this question and can tell what digital tools are currently useful, it makes the next one that much easier.

What do your users want?

Now, “users” in this context could refer to a couple of groups. First is your customers. What digital tools would make their lives simpler? It might mean upgrading your online store fronts so navigation is quick. Or bringing in new tech to your shops to help beat any queues.

Then you have your volunteers and staff who will be using these tools on a day-to-day basis. What would make their work easier? How can you help them do their job better? Any upgrades or new tools you need should take your volunteers and staff into consideration as they’ll be the ones grappling with it.

What digital skills do you have?

It’s all well and good saying you need these digital upgrades, but you also need the skills to manage them. Something else the pandemic has led to is a shift in volunteering. Many people are now offering their unique professional skills to help charities. This includes the likes of graphic design, copywriting, and programming.

So ask yourself what you currently have and which of these you might need. If you’re due a rebrand, you could consider what volunteers with artistic skills could contribute. More than volunteers, it will also help you fill in gaps in your staff. Do you have the technical knowhow available to get any new systems up and running? If not, could this be handled by the people providing the service?

Once you answer these three questions, you’ll be in a much better position than you were before. Now you’ll have a starting point for your digital strategy and can build it around the goals you’ve outlined. Take it one step at a time, and soon enough you’ll join the other 60% of charities and can head into the future more confidently.

Don’t feel you have to go it alone. When you invest in CHARiotWeb, you don’t just get a SaaS built for the charity sector. You also get our expertise, guidance, and support. To find out more, get in touch on 01204 706000 or book a demo today.