Non-profit organisations are facing hard times. Over the past decade, charities have lost £3.8 billion in funding as a result of cut backs by central government. Brexit too is a cloud on the horizon as UK charities stand to lose millions in EU funding.

Investing in digital is a key way to off-set these difficult times. The private sector has been investing in advanced digital technologies for some time now to drive improved operations, profits and value. However for non-profit organisations, investing in digital is often daunting – leaders need to see that the investment will add genuine value to the organisation and their cause or will actively drive more donations.

Digital transformation however enables charities to achieve huge results. It can engage donors and volunteers, empower employees to be more productive and creative, optimise operations and can underpin innovation – something which is important for the growth of the charity and the ability to discover and exploit new donor streams.

So what are some of the things charities need to do drive digital change?

1. Truly understand what digital change means – identify the core benefits such as improving internal processes, finding new ways to fundraise, developing new services.

2. Get buy-in from everyone within the organisation – change can be scary and user adoption is critical.

3. Realise that digital change isn’t just about IT – it affects every aspect of what a non-profit does and how it does it.

4. Keep it factual and real – digital might sound like a brave, shiny new world but it needs to be backed-up with hard facts and data.

5. Take simple steps – rather than going for ‘big bang’ approach, go for a realistic step by step approach.

6. Get feedback – obtain regular feedback from all relevant stakeholders at critical parts of the project.

7. Commit to continual improvement – there isn’t a finite deadline for digital transformation as it is a continually evolving process.

8. Accept that digital is the new normal – everyone talks about digital like it is a separate strategy. It will simply become the way the non-profit works day to day.

Ultimately, a well-implemented digital platform encourages innovation and maximises efficiency by seamlessly bringing together people, processes, insights and technology. In these cash-strapped times, that means being able to do more much more, much faster, with much less.