DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021 - CHARITY
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CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021
Vertigo, Cheese Lane, Bristol, BS2 0JJ
CHARITY T: 0117 910 2288
DIGITAL SKILLS E: info@skillsplatform.org
REPORT 2021 @skillsplatform
skillsplatform
#CharityDigiReport
T: 077 644 98168
E: zoe@zoeamar.com
@zoeamar
zoe-amar-digitalCONTENTS 01 INTRODUCTION 02 BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH 03 KEY FINDINGS 04 DETAILED FINDINGS 05 CALLS TO ACTION 06 ABOUT THE AUTHORS
INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS INTRODUCTION 4 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021
INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
INTRODUCTION
When we went into lockdown in March 2020, Our report aims to help: resource for their work helping civil society rebuild
charities adapted by offering online services, from COVID-19 in a more responsive, sustainable,
nderstand the key trends in how charities’ use
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growing digital fundraising and working remotely. equitable way.
of digital has changed over the last year, so that
We saw some initial promising signs of this in the
you can benchmark your organisation.
2020 report. In this year’s report we wanted to The findings this year do show some positive
answer two big questions: ‘Have charities started L earn how other charities are changing their change in how charities have begun to use digital
to embed digital change for the long term or not, ways of working and developing their plans for during the pandemic.
and if so what does this tell us about the future of digital as we reach the next phase of
the sector?’ and ‘What resources and support do the pandemic. We’ve seen a lot of adaptation and innovation
charities need to better use digital to achieve their from charities over the last year and we hope that
aims as we emerge from the pandemic?’
Track progress made over the last five years and
our findings will help charities to reflect on their
what this means for the sector.
progress and compare this in relation to the sector.
The Charity Digital Skills Report is now in its fifth We also hope that they can better make the case
easure where charities have skills gaps but also
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year and is the annual barometer of digital skills, for where support and funding for digital is most
what they need from forms of support such as
attitudes and support needs across the sector. needed. Most of all, we hope that charities can
funding and learning and development.
We’ve tracked how these have changed year on continue to harness that creative spirit as they
year across the sector and also analysed how develop their new ways of working, building on the
other key building blocks in creating the right We are pleased to be working with Catalyst
skills and confidence they have gained so they can
foundations for digital change are progressing, again on the report. Catalyst is a collective of
reach more of the people they support.
including understanding user needs, leadership, individuals and organisations (like charities,
strategy and governance. funders, agencies and freelancers) helping UK
civil society grow in digital. They are building an
ecology of interconnected support initiatives,
This year, we’ve redeveloped the survey and asked
shared infrastructures, learning networks and
new questions to uncover the trends in these areas
community spaces that help charities and civil
as well as other topics, such as the future of work
society organisations harness the power of digital,
and what charities anticipate doing with digital as
data and design to respond to the changing needs
we come out of the pandemic.
in their communities. The report will be an essential
5 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH 6 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021
INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH
We developed this year’s survey in March–April 2021 as the Organisation income groups to indicate size
UK was beginning to emerge from the latest lockdown. The following income groups are used to indicate organisation size, combining
We knew we had a short window in which to gather data categories from the survey because they show a clear relationship with digital skills.
on charities’ reflections on a year of digital disruption
and their intentions for future models of delivery, ways of
Small: £0 -£100,000 Medium: £100,001 - £999,999 Large: £1 million +
working and income generation.
Between April and June, 365 charity professionals shared Digital maturity stage definitions
their views on how they were using digital, what they’d We use the following classifications of digital maturity stages
done to adapt during the pandemic and where they saw which participants self-selected based on the associated statements.
digital as part of their future plans. We also asked about
the impact this had on where they now need funding and arely online: We’re struggling to use the
B dvancing: Digital is part of our strategy, but
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support and where they saw the barriers to progressing basics and have low digital skills, but we get by we’ve not embedded this yet. We’re investing
with digital. (we’re barely online). in technology and developing our skills
(we’re advancing).
This year, we are pleased to have more responses from urious: We have some digital basics in place,
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small and medium sized organisations. Close to 90% of such as social media or remote working, with dvanced: Digital is integral to our
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respondents were from registered charities and 49% were ambitions to do more (we’re curious). organisational strategy and embedded in
from organisations with turnover under £1 million. Over everything we do (we’re advanced).
tarting Out: We’re developing our use of
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a third of responses (36%) came from CEOs or those in
digital across the organisation but we don’t
leadership teams, closely followed by those in digital roles
have a strategy in place yet (we’re starting out).
(31%). It is helpful to have this breadth of insights in
the report.
For the purposes of this report, we combined the 1% of respondents who selected ‘barely online’
We’ve reported all relevant data from the entire period with the 12% who selected ‘curious’. Overall, we found a clear relationship between digital stage and
the survey was open (26 April–7 June 2021). We have also digital skills responses, showing that the classification is relevant and meaningful to respondents.
shared relevant highlights about what the data reveals on
the key trends for different sizes of charities and stages of NB: All survey data was rounded up to the nearest decimal point.
digital maturity. Throughout this report we have adopted Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
the following definitions and combined survey responses
to aid the analysis.
7 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
SURVEY OVERVIEW
ROLE
365
8% TOP 5 BY REPRESENTATION NUMBER OF STAFF
Worked
remotely
7% No staff
All volunteers
6%
RESPONSES Scotland
5% 36%
CEO or Leadership team
Yorkshire and 1-4 17%
4% Humber
North
East
3% 5-10 16%
4%
Northern East 31%
Ireland Midlands Digital
11-20 12%
9% 5%
East of 21-50 15%
North
West
England 27%
Communications
4%
West 51-100 9%
Midlands 33%
London
23% 101+ 24%
Marketing
9%
Wales Respondents
9% 15% were asked to select 2% didn’t know
South South East all geographies they or preferred not to say
West had a presence in
22%
Fundraising
8 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
LEGAL ENTITY
88%
27%
2%
1% 1% 1%
Co-operatives
Company CIC limited Company
Registered Unincorporated Societies and
limited by by shares or limited
Charity organisation Community
guarantee guarantee by shares
Benefit Societies
0% Sole trader/Freelancer or contractor
CHARITY INCOME
6% 12% 20% 11% 27% 15% 3%
MICRO SMALL SMALL/MEDIUM MEDIUM LARGE MAJOR SUPER-MAJOR
£0 to £10,000 £10,001 to £100,000 £100,001 to £500,000 £500,001 to £1m £1m to £10m £10m to £100m £100m+
6% didn’t know or preferred not to say
9 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS KEY FINDINGS 10 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021
INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
KEY FINDINGS
In last year’s report we shared some THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 COVID-19 CHALLENGES
promising initial findings about how
charities were using digital to respond to T he scale of charities’ adaptation to the pandemic is igital inclusion has proved to be the biggest
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the pandemic. This year we can reveal the clear given that 83% changed their services in response challenge faced this year. Just over half (52%) are
scale of change across the sector. to demand and close to 8 out of 10 (78%) used digital to worried about excluding some people or groups
reach new audiences. and 24% are concerned that their audience is
There have been some very positive not online. 12% of charities themselves have
T he positive signs about how charities were using digital struggled with basic tech access.
developments. Basic digital skills are
to adapt at the start of the crisis are reinforced by our
improving and we are now seeing more
findings about the changes that have embedded over the emote working has been the second greatest
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charities taking a strategic approach.
last year. Just over two thirds (67%) continue to deliver challenge, with 38% saying that they have found
Charities are also making digital more of
all work remotely, whilst 41% are collaborating or sharing remote working challenging, exhausting
a priority generally and are planning to
learnings with others about digital. or isolating.
invest further in the coming year.
owever, digital inclusion has proven a challenge for
H J ust under a third of charities (31%) say their staff
However, digital inclusion, burnout from digital service delivery, with over 1 in 5 (22%) cancelling are burned out from the demands of intense
remote working and poor IT are key services because their users don’t have the skills or remote working. In particular, 35% of staff from
barriers. Furthermore, digital fundraising, tech to use them. That is up from 15% at the start of the large charities say their colleagues are affected
data use, service development and pandemic, showing how digital inclusion is still a pressing by this.
developing an online presence are issue for the sector and a real area of concern when
significant areas for development. Across reaching beneficiaries.
the sector, foundations need to be put in
place, including skills, infrastructure and lmost half (45%) had to provide their users with devices,
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taking an inclusive approach data or support to get online or access services.
to technology. eanwhile, 20% have cancelled services because they
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don’t have the skills or tech needed to deliver them, a
similar figure to the start of the pandemic.
7% have cancelled services because they think they
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would be less valuable online.
11 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
FUTURE OF WORK FUTURE DIGITAL PLANS
J ust over two thirds of charities (68%) are planning
Over two thirds (67%) now see digital as a priority for their organisation, which is encouraging,
a hybrid model for their working arrangements. with a similar number (63%) planning to invest more in digital skills.
Only 7% are planning for everyone to return to
67% are planning to invest more in digital infrastructure and systems and 59% will be investing
their office or usual workplace. more in data skills and infrastructure.
92% say that it is either very important or Half of charities now see digital fundraising as a priority.
important for them to work for an organisation
that is actively developing digital skills and T he majority of charities are now committed to digital service delivery, with 73% planning to
capabilities, a 6% increase from last year, with the continue delivering in this way and 71% offering them within a hybrid delivery model.
number of people saying it is very important rising
from 52% to 65%.
DIGITAL ASPIRATIONS
F or the second year running, charities see improving their digital channels as their top priority
STRATEGY for the next year, with 42% rating it as key.
0% of charities now have a strategy in place for
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sing data more effectively has risen up the table to become the second most important
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digital. This is a very positive increase from 2020,
priority at 30%. This shows how the sector is beginning to value the role of data and
when just under half, or 49% of charities had a
insight further.
digital strategy in place (51% of charities did
not have a digital strategy). F or just under a third of charities there are still vital digital foundations that they need to
get in place, with 29% wanting to take a more strategic approach and 28% keen to improve
infrastructure or systems. Both of these areas have increased in importance over the last year.
Just over 1 in 4 (27%) now see diversity of users as a priority.
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BARRIERS TO DIGITAL DIGITAL FUNDING TOOLS, PRODUCTS
PROGRESS lmost two thirds (62%) say that their need for digital
A AND SERVICES
has risen to be the biggest barrier
IT funding has increased. Last year, just under half (48%) J ust under half of charities (46%) are
facing charities, rising from being had not accessed any digital funding. This suggests that developing their own tools, services
the sixth greatest barrier to the most there is still a significant unmet need. and products for their organisation. It
important one for just under a third I n terms of the most important change that funders is worrying that 44% feel they are poor
(32%) of charities. This is likely to could make, almost half of the charities we spoke at undertaking user research to inform
have come to the fore due to the to (47%) want to include core digital costs in all these.
dependency on remote working applications. This is very similar to the 45% of charities J ust over 1 in 4 (27%) are poor at regularly
There is also an increased appetite to who told us this last year. There is an urgent need for engaging with users to identify service
understand the people that charities funders to better respond to this. design improvements, as opposed to
support, with 32% wanting to know T here is potential for funders to up their game with the 62% who did not do this last year.
how their audience is using digital. a more developed ‘funder plus’ support model. 35% This suggests that some charities are
Compared to last year, this has risen would like training for staff and volunteers and 27% undertaking more user research.
from eighth place at 28% to second would like better digital inclusion support.
place at 32%.
There is scope to share learning more,
ore than a quarter of charities (26%) would like
M with 48% saying they are fair at this.
kills are still a significant challenge.
S funding to bring in external tech expertise and advice.
In 2020 they accounted for the second
greatest barrier, whilst this year they
took third place at 32%.
13 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ACCESSIBILITY DIGITAL SAFEGUARDING
third (33%) say that they are either poor or don’t know if their products are accessible to users,
A harities have had to review their practice. 51%
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compared to 57% last year who felt they did not ensure products are accessible to all users. This suggests have had to assess whether tools
an improvement in this area and that accessibility has become more of a priority, but it is still an area of are safe and secure, 46% have had to identify
concern, especially as many charities will have developed new digital products, services and tools this year. safeguarding risks as part of a service and 39%
have had to look at their GDPR compliance.
72% think that their design and delivery is inclusive to some extent, which is encouraging.
73% think they are accessible to all users to some degree.
4% think that their products are designed for service users with different accessibility
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needs to some degree.
DIVERSITY
5% think that their design is informed by
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research with diverse users to some
extent, with 58% making some efforts to
TECH ETHICS AND MANAGING RISK monitor diversity of users to some degree.
Just over a third of charities (35%) are looking into the challenge of choosing ethical suppliers. iversity seems to be more of a priority,
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with over half (57%) looking at better
However, more than a half (54%) are looking at platform dependency.
representation amongst decision makers.
Almost 1 in 4 (24%) are looking at how algorithms make decisions.
J ust over 1 in 4 (27%) now see diversity of users
Just under a half are not looking at the impact of the tech they use on their carbon footprint (48%). as a priority.
14 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DIGITAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES BOARDS
2% have someone leading on digital as part of their role
4 nly 1 in 5 (20%) say that skills are low amongst their trustees, compared to
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or in addition to their main work. 31.5% last year. This is very encouraging.
Around a quarter of charities have either an in-house digital team (25%) owever, 38% think there is room for improvement in digital skills at board
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or a dedicated digital lead (23%). level, which has grown from 34.5% last year.
However, 14% don’t have anyone pushing forwards with digital.
Taken together, over half of charities (58%) believe that their board has low
digital skills or room for improvement. This has fallen from 66% in 2020,
which is encouraging, but still indicates a need to increase digital skills at
board level.
hilst there is still a digital skills gap on boards, close to 7 out of 10 charities
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(68%) are unclear on or don’t have a plan for how to grow these skills.
LEADERSHIP
Just under a third (32%) of boards have provided buy-in and support for
s we emerge from the pandemic, charities want stronger digital
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digital, whilst only 14% of organisations have a digital trustee. This indicates
leadership from their CEO and boards. For the third year running, charities
room for improvement.
would like their CEO and board to provide a clear vision of what digital
could help them achieve. This has declined from 66% last year but is still
the most urgent need.
eanwhile, understanding trends and how they affect your organisation
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remains in second place, although it has fallen from 62% last year to 37%.
ore than a third of charities (36%) would like their CEO or board to
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develop or embed a digital strategy, down from 55% last year but rising to
the third most important priority.
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SKILLS DATA
T he amount of charities rating themselves L earning more about users is an area where ata is a big concern for charities this year. Getting more
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as having excellent basic digital skills charities also feel that they have a skills from their data has risen from second to first place this
has almost doubled, with 56% putting gap. 39% think they are fair at this and year, with just under half (47%) seeing it as key.
themselves in this category compared to 43% think they are poor. Last year, 52%
29% last year. said they were fair and 39% said they were sing, managing and analysing data is still a skills gap.
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poor at understanding how their audience 49% rate themselves as fair and 36% as poor this year,
T he lowest five skills overall are digital uses digital, so there is further room for which is significant and, taken together, has not changed
fundraising, user research to inform new improvement here. greatly from 46% and 42% in these two categories last year.
services, advanced data use (such as using
web data or statistics to plan services), SEO eeping up to date with trends is still a
K
(Search Engine Optimisation) and use of challenge. This year, 47% say they are fair at
digital in service delivery. this (compared to 44% last year) and 39%
say that they are poor.
sing managing and analysing data is still
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a skills gap. 49% rate themselves as fair and F or every single skill, those at the earliest
36% as poor this year, which is significant stages of digital (we described this as
DIGITAL FUNDRAISING
and, taken together, has not changed ‘curious’) rated their skills lower than those igital fundraising skills also haven’t changed much since
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greatly from 46% and 42% in these two who were at all other stages. In turn, those last year, which is surprising as it’s an area where more
categories last year. who were starting out rated their skills charities have had to up their game during the pandemic.
lower than those who described themselves 31% rate themselves as fair and 44% as poor, which has
n a related note, there is also potential
O as advancing. Charities who described barely changed from 33% and 45% in these areas in 2020.
for charities to improve their advanced data themselves as advanced rated their skills the
use. 35% see themselves as either fair or highest across every area. harities are also struggling with a shortage of digital
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poor (50%) at this, compared to 8% and fundraising skills. Just under a third (32%) have limited
60% respectively last year. skills in this area, citing this as the third biggest challenge
with digital during the pandemic.
16 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DIGITAL SERVICE DELIVERY DIGITAL MARKETING
There have been some improvements in Charities rated themselves as having very similar levels of skills to last year.
digital service delivery although there is still
some way to go. 47% rate themselves as fair harities feel confident about their use of social media, with 31% rating themselves as excellent, similar to
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and 28% as poor, compared to 43% and 40% 32% last year. However, there is still room for development, with 55% only rating themselves as fair.
for these categories last year. It is a concern
ocial media as a skill is directly linked to the stage of digital maturity as well. Those charities who gave
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that this hasn’t improved further during a
themselves the highest rating for excellence in this category were those in the advancing category (34%)
year when the sector has greatly expanded its
or advanced category (51%).
online service offering.
There is still a lack of confidence around digital marketing. In terms of email marketing, 50% rate
F or the first time this year, we asked about
themselves as fair and 26% as poor. 36% said they are fair and 39% told us they are poor at SEO and ads,
safeguarding. 48% see themselves as fair at
which represents a significant skills gap. This could have an impact on the take up of digital services and
this, with almost 1 in 4 (23%) rating themselves
support from charities. Charities also think they have a skills gap in making the most of their website and
as poor. This is worrying.
analytics, with 43% seeing themselves as fair and 41% as poor. This has barely shifted since 2020.
UNDERSTANDING USERS
nderstanding how audiences use digital is still a skills gap in the sector. 57% see themselves as fair and
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26% as poor. Last year, 52% said they were fair and 39% poor at understanding how their audience uses
digital, so there is still plenty of room for improvement here.
4% think they are poor at user research to inform new services, which is a similar rating to 2020.
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This is a worry as understanding user needs is essential to developing good digital services.
17 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS CALLS TO ACTION 18 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021
INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
TEN CALLS TO ACTION
1 2 3 4 5
Charities have shown Digital inclusion has Look at how you can 60% of charities now have It’s encouraging to see
innovation and adaptability become a major issue for improve remote working a strategy in place for that over two thirds of
during the pandemic, with the sector during the so that your colleagues’ digital, which is a positive charities (67%) now see
83% changing their services pandemic, with just over wellbeing is a priority. improvement on last digital as a priority for
in response to demand and half (52%) of charities Just under a third of year. We believe charities their organisation, with
close to 8 out of 10 (78%) worried charities (31%) say their need to approach digital similar numbers planning
using digital to reach new about excluding some staff are burned out from strategically and that they investment in digital
audiences. We encourage people or groups. the demands of intense need support from their infrastructure. As charities
charities to reflect, evaluate Organisations such as remote working. Whether board to do this. Those who look to ramp up their
and learn from what has The Good Things Foundation it’s limiting the amount of don’t have this in place may use of digital further, we
worked and what could and FutureDotNow can time staff spend on video benefit from support so encourage you to develop
have been developed from help charities, but further calls, mandating time off or they can develop their post clear criteria for making
the last year and factor this investment is also needed changing your expectations pandemic digital decisions for prioritisation
into your digital plans. by funders so that charities of colleagues, review how game plans. in order to make the
can continue supporting you work and plan how right choices that
their communities with to make it more effective, ensure sustainability.
training, devices productive and motivating
and data. for everyone.
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6 7 8 9 10
Using data more IT is now the biggest Funders need to up their For the third year running, There’s further
effectively is now a key barrier for charities’ game with digital funding. charities have told us that work to be done on
priority for charities. digital progress and we Almost half (47%) of their most important need understanding user needs.
Charities can grow recommend that charities charities want to include from their leadership team 44% of charities think they
their skills in this area tap into the support and core digital costs in all is a clear vision for digital. are poor at user research
by connecting with communities offered by applications and there is a Leaders either need to to inform new services,
organisations such as Catalyst and Charity Digital clear need from charities provide this or they must which hasn’t changed since
Datakind UK and the to help. This requires in this year’s report for seek out training and 2020, whilst a third (33%)
Data Collective. significant investment and additional support from support to help them say that they are either
funders have a vital role funders, such as guidance develop this. poor at knowing or don’t
to play here. and training. Funders know if their products are
should step up to meet accessible to users. There
these demands. are resources available on
Catalyst to help charities
develop their work so that it
meets user needs.
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INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
OVERALL TRENDS
1%
1 WHAT STAGE IS YOUR CHARITY AT WITH DIGITAL?
60% of charities now have a strategy in place for digital. This is a very
positive increase from 2020, when 51% of charities did not have a
16% 12%
digital strategy.
We use the following classifications of digital maturity stages which
participants self-selected based on the associated statements.
Barely
online: We’re struggling to use the basics and have low digital
skills, but we get by (we’re barely online)
28%
Curious:
We have some digital basics in place, such as social media or
remote working, with ambitions to do more (we’re curious).
44%
Starting
Out: We’re developing our use of digital across the
organisation but we don’t have a strategy in place yet
(we’re starting out).
Advancing:
Digital is part of our strategy, but we’ve not embedded this
yet. We’re investing in technology and developing our skills
(we’re advancing).
Advanced:
Digital is integral to our organisational strategy and
embedded in everything we do (we’re advanced).
Barely online Curious Starting Out Advancing Advanced
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1 WHAT STAGE IS YOUR CHARITY AT WITH DIGITAL?
DIGITAL STRATEGY INSIGHTS DIGITAL STAGES INSIGHTS SIZE AND STAGE
This year, 41% of organisations do not have a Barely
online: The proportion of organisations analysed the relationship between the size
We
digital strategy in place, compared to 51% last struggling with the basics has fallen from of charity and their stage of digital. The picture
year. They feel they are barely online, curious 2% to 1%. is mixed and organisations of different sizes
or starting out. are all at different stages. However, there is
Curious:
This year, 12% specified that they are clearly a relationship. 64% of micro and small
This means that 60% of those surveyed curious, the same as last year. charities (with an income of under £100k)
now have a strategy in place and describe describe themselves as curious or starting out,
themselves as advancing or advanced, Starting
out: 28% of organisations are starting
compared to 42% of medium sized charities
compared to 49% last year. out and don’t have a strategy yet, compared to
(income between £100k and £1 million) and
37% last year. The fact that less organisations
40% of large charities (annual income
This is a very positive indication of change, now see themselves in this category is also an
over £1 million).
especially as this finding has been fairly encouraging development.
static for the last two years. It is the biggest
This shows that small charities would benefit
improvement we have seen in this area since Advancing:
This year 44% say that they are
from funding or support specifically to help
the report began in 2017. advancing and that digital is part of their
them progress with digital.
strategy, compared to 39% last year who told
us that their organisational strategy includes
Charities also vary in their likelihood of having
digital (or they have a digital strategy). a strategy depending on size. Only 36% of
micro and small organisations have a digital
Advanced:
There are signs that more charities
strategy, whilst 57% of medium (£100k to £1
are confident that they have advanced with
million turnover) have a digital strategy and
digital. 16% told us that digital is integral to
69% of large charities (over £1m turnover)
their organisational strategy and embedded
have a strategy.
in everything they do. This is a noticeable
increase from 10% last year.
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2 WHAT IS YOUR SET-UP IN TERMS OF DIGITAL 50
RESPONSIBILITY IN YOUR ORGANISATION, 42%
INCLUDING STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS? 40
42% of charities have someone leading on digital as part of or 32%
in addition to their work, and just under a third have support for 30
digital at board level. 25%
23%
20%
For the first time we asked charities about their
20
digital responsibilities.
14% 14%
12%
42% have someone leading on digital as part of their role or in
addition to their main work. 10
5% 5%
Just under a third (32%) of boards have provided buy-in and 0%
support for digital, whilst 14% of organisations have a digital 0
trustee. This indicates room for improvement.
Around a quarter of charities have either an in-house digital
e have someone leading on digital as
W We have a digital trustee
team (25%) or a dedicated digital lead (23%).
part of or in addition to their main work
We don’t have anyone pushing forward with digital
However, 14% don’t have anyone pushing forwards with digital. e have buy-in and support for digital
W
at board level We have digital champions
Overall, these results show how some charities now have
leadership and clear roles and responsibilities for digital, whilst We have an in-house digital team I don’t know
others have yet to put this place.
We have a dedicated digital lead Other
We all have digital responsibilities We have someone leading on digital
24 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
56% 42% 1%
Basic digital skills
3 OW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR
H (such as email, video calling)
ORGANISATION’S SKILLS IN THE 41% 46% 12% 2%
FOLLOWING AREAS INTERNALLY? Using digital for
internal communication
The amount of charities rating themselves 15% 69% 15% 1%
Understanding of digital
as having excellent basic digital skills has and how to apply it
almost doubled, with 56% putting themselves
in this category compared to 29% last year. 25% 50% 20% 6%
However, there is still room for significant Cybersecurity
improvement in most areas, such as using
and managing data and cybersecurity, 12% 49% 36% 3%
demonstrating that the sector still needs Using, managing,
and analysing data
support with skills development.
12% 47% 39% 2%
Keeping up to date
with digital trends
13% 39% 43% 5%
Learning about our users from
website and analytics data
10% 35% 50% 5%
Advanced data use (such as using
web data or statistics to plan service)
Excellent Fair Poor Don’t know/Not applicable
25 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
3 OW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR
H
Using managing and analysing data is still a
The survey definitively shows that more resources
skills gap. 49% rate themselves as fair and 36% and capacity is equivalent to better digital skills.
ORGANISATION’S SKILLS IN THE as poor this year, which is significant and, taken For every single skill we asked about, there is a
FOLLOWING AREAS INTERNALLY? together, has not changed greatly from 46% clear relationship between size and skills ratings
and 42% respectively in these two categories across the respondents.
last year.
ANALYSIS
Overall, 1 in 3 charities (over 33%) feel they have
a related note, there is also potential for
On poor skills in digital fundraising (44%), user
The amount of charities rating themselves as
charities to improve their advanced data use. research to inform new services (44%), making
having excellent basic digital skills has almost
35% see themselves as fair or 50% as poor at the most of their website (41%), search engine
doubled, with 56% putting themselves in this
this, compared to 8% and 60% respectively optimisation (39%), data use (36%) and keeping
category compared to 29% last year.
last year. up to date with digital trends (39%).
Similarly, 41% rate themselves as excellent
Keeping up to date with trends is still a
Basic digital skills have vastly improved. Last year
at using digital for internal communications,
challenge. This year 47% say they are fair at this just under 1 in 5 (18%) rated themselves as poor.
compared to 23% last year. However, there
(compared to 44% last year) and 39% say that This year, only 1% gave themselves this rating.
is still room for improvement as 46% rate
they are poor.
themselves as fair in this area and good internal
Overall, the skills are very similar by size of
communications are even more essential for
Learning more about users is an area where charity. However, small charities rate their skills
remote working. charities also feel that they have a skills gap. 39% lower overall for every skill.
think they are fair at this, whilst 43% think they
Defining what digital is and how to apply it is
The lowest five skills overall are digital
are poor.
still an area that needs to be clarified. 69% rate fundraising, user research to inform new
themselves as fair at this, which hasn’t changed every single skill, those at the earliest stages
For services, advanced data use (such as using web
much from 65% in 2020, despite adoption of of digital (we described this as ‘curious’) rated data or statistics to plan services), SEO
tech over the last year. their skills lower than those who were at all other (Search Engine Optimisation) and use of digital
stages. In turn, those who were starting out in service delivery.
There have also been some improvements in
rated their skills lower than those who described
charities’ cybersecurity skills, with 25% rating
themselves as advancing. Charities who
themselves as excellent, compared to 18% last
described themselves as advanced rated their
year. However, 50% see themselves as fair at this,
skills the highest across every area.
compared to 54% last year, so there is further
potential for improvement.
26 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
31% 55% 13% 1%
Social media
14% 57% 26% 3%
Understanding how your
4 OW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR
H audience uses digital
ORGANISATION’S SKILLS IN 17% 50% 26% 7%
TERMS OF ENGAGING WITH YOUR Email marketing
AUDIENCES, CLIENTS, BENEFICIARIES
17% 47% 28% 8%
OR CUSTOMERS? Use of digital in
service delivery
Charities feel confident about their use of social
17% 48% 23% 12%
media, with 31% rating themselves as excellent,
but there are significant skills gaps in email Digital safeguarding
marketing, online service delivery and
user research. 11% 43% 41% 5%
Making the most of our
website and analytics
12% 36% 44% 8%
User research to
inform new services
12% 36% 40% 13%
SEO (Search engine
optimisation) and ads
9% 31% 44% 16%
Digital fundraising
Excellent Fair Poor Don’t know/Not applicable
27 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
4 OW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR
H
However there is still a lack of confidence around
Understanding how your audience uses digital is
digital marketing. In terms of email marketing, still a skills gap in the sector. 57% see themselves
ORGANISATION’S SKILLS IN 50% and 26% rate themselves as fair and poor as fair and 26% as poor. Last year, 52% said they
TERMS OF ENGAGING WITH YOUR at this, which is similar to last year. 36% and were fair and 39% poor at understanding how
AUDIENCES, CLIENTS, BENEFICIARIES 39% told us they are fair and poor at SEO and their audience uses digital, so there is still plenty
OR CUSTOMERS? ads, which has fallen slightly since last year of room for improvement here.
but nevertheless represents a significant skills
gap. This could have an impact on the take up
There have been some improvements in digital
ANALYSIS service delivery although there is still some
of digital services and support from charities.
Charities also think they have a skills gap in way to go. 47% rate themselves as fair and 28%
Similar to last year, charities feel confident
making the most of their website and analytics, as poor, compared to 43% and 40% for these
about their use of social media, with 31% rating
with 43% seeing themselves as fair and 41% as categories last year. It is a concern that this hasn’t
themselves as excellent, similar to 32% last year.
poor. This has barely shifted since 2020. This is improved further during a year when the sector
However, there is still room for development with
a particular concern for medium size charities has greatly expanded its online service offering.
55% only rating themselves as fair. It has been
(£100k– £1m) where 58% feel this is poor, whilst For the first time this year we asked about
overtaken by basic digital skills and using digital
being relatively consistent for other sizes. safeguarding and 48% see themselves as fair at
for internal communications though as the
this with almost 1 in 4 (23%) rating themselves as
highest rated skill in the survey.
Digital fundraising skills also haven’t changed poor. This is worrying.
Social media as a skill is directly linked to the much since last year, which is surprising as it’s an
area where more charities have had to up their
44% think they are poor at user research to
stage of digital maturity as well. Those charities
game during the pandemic. 31% rate themselves inform new services, which is a similar rating to
who gave themselves the highest rating for
as fair and 44% as poor, which has barely 2020. This is a worry as understanding user needs
excellence in this category were those in the
changed from 33% and 45% in these areas is essential to developing good digital services.
advancing category (34%) or advanced
category (51%). in 2020.
28 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
0 10 20 30 40 50
Get more from our data 47%
5 HAT ARE THE KEY THINGS YOUR
W
ORGANISATION COULD DO IF IT Grow our reach 38%
INCREASED ITS DIGITAL SKILLS? Deliver our strategy more effectively 37%
Charities think that getting more from their data
Spend less time on administrative tasks 36%
is the number one thing they could achieve if
they grew their digital skills.
Deliver better services 35%
Support more people 34%
Attract more donations 33%
Improve our brand and reputation 32%
Attract more funding 27%
Engage and support volunteers more effectively 25%
Develop more digital services 23%
Develop our staff and retain talent 21%
Influence policy makers and the media 15%
Other 2%
29 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
5 HAT ARE THE KEY THINGS YOUR
W
ORGANISATION COULD DO IF IT
INCREASED ITS DIGITAL SKILLS?
ANALYSIS
Getting more from data has risen from second T here is a connection between digital skills,
to first place this year, with just under half (47%) donations and funding. A third (33%) think that
seeing it as key. increased skills will equate to more donations
and 27% to more funding. Strangely, the former
rowing reach has fallen to second place,
G represents a decline since 2020, when 59%
decreasing from 66% to 38%. wanted to grow skills with the aim of improving
online fundraising.
elivering strategy more effectively holds steady
D
as the third most important area of potential. 2% want to increase skills with the aim of
3
improving brand and reputation, whilst 15%
fficiency and productivity remain important.
E
want to influence policy makers and the media.
Spending less time on administration and
The latter compares to 36% last year, which is
the efficiencies that follow is the fourth most
surprising, and indicates charities may need
important priority at 37%.
more support in this area.
J ust over a third (35%) think increasing skills will
1% want to develop staff, which has fallen
2
help them deliver better services. 23% think it
hugely from 49% last year. Just 1 in 4 (25%) think
will help them develop more digital services.
they need to grow skills so they can manage
volunteers, decreasing from 39% last year.
30 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
6 HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR BOARD’S DIGITAL SKILLS? 40 38%
58% of charity boards’ digital skills are low or have room for improvement.
This has declined since last year and there has been a small improvement
in charities rating their trustees as good or excellent. These are positive 30
signs but boards still need to upskill significantly if they are to help their
charities plan effectively for a digital future. 24%
20%
ANALYSIS 20
There have been some improvements in boards’ digital skills this year, which
isn’t surprising given that boards will have had a steep learning curve during 12%
the pandemic.
10 7%
1 in 5 (20%) say that skills are low amongst their trustees, compared to
31.5% last year. 38% think there is room for improvement in digital skills at
board level, which has grown from 34.5% last year. However, taken together,
the amount of boards with low digital skills and room for improvement has 0
fallen to 58% compared to 66% in 2020, which is encouraging.
There has been a corresponding small increase in boards who have
good digital skills (24%), up from 19% last year, and those in the excellent
Excellent Good Could improve Low I don’t know
category, rising from 4% to 7%.
They are They are engaging They have There is little what digital
Whilst these are encouraging signs, we would urge caution in seeing digitally savvy with digital more some digital digital expertise on skills they have
skills but need to our board
them as indicative of significant improvement. There is still further develop more
potential for boards to grow their digital skills.
There is no difference between the strength of digital skills on the board
and the stage digital organisations are at.
31 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
2%
7 ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO INCREASE
DIGITAL SKILLS ON THE BOARD? 6%
Whilst there is still a digital skills gap on boards, close to 7 out of 10 8%
charities (68%) are unclear on or don’t have a plan for how to grow
these skills.
9%
ANALYSIS 37%
Despite the digital skills gap on boards shown in the previous
question, some charities still haven’t made progress in this area.
11%
The most common responses to this question were ‘don’t know’ at 37%
and ‘no plans’ at 31%, attracting a very similar response rate to last year.
11% are upskilling their trustees and just 2% are investing in training,
compared to 4% doing the latter last year. It’s a surprise that more 31%
charities are not doing this given the skills gap.
Surprisingly, there has been little fluctuation in recruitment for digital
trustees, with only 8% planning to do this. The fact that this has barely
shifted despite the digital disruption triggered by the pandemic is a
concern in itself.
of boards have good digital skills, a very small increase from
9% Our board Yes, we are Yes, we are Yes, we are No, we don’t Don’t know Other
already has investing in upskilling our recruiting a have any plans
7% last year. strong digital digital training trustees in how digital trustee in this area
skills for trustees we use digital
Overall, this paints a picture of a sector that is aware of a digital
skills gap on boards but is struggling to close it.
32 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
8 IN ORDER TO PROGRESS
0 20 40
WITH DIGITAL, WHAT
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE A clear vision of what digital could help them achieve 52%
OR BEHAVIOUR WOULD Understanding digital trends and how they affect your organisation 37%
YOU MOST LIKE TO
IMPROVE AT CEO OR Ability to develop or embed a good digital strategy 36%
BOARD LEVEL? Confidence to move the organisation forward with digital 33%
Charities want to see better Understanding of data 29%
digital leadership from their
CEO and board. Despite the Understanding of the costs of digital 28%
digital disruption caused by
the pandemic, charity leaders Understanding of digital tools 24%
still need to offer a clear vision,
understanding of trends and Digital leadership skills (e.g. being more collaborative) 23%
strategic thinking about digital.
Personal digital knowledge 20%
Understanding of service design 19%
Ability to adapt quickly to change 18%
Consideration of the unintended consequences of digital 14%
Other 3%
33 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
8 IN ORDER TO PROGRESS WITH 1 in 3 charities would also like to see their
23% would like to see better digital leadership
CEO or board being more confident moving skills from their CEO or board, although this has
DIGITAL, WHAT SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE their organisation forward with digital, falling fallen by 10% from last year.
OR BEHAVIOUR WOULD YOU MOST from 57% to 33%. This may indicate increased
LIKE TO IMPROVE AT CEO OR confidence with digital during the pandemic, a positive note, the number of charities
On
but there is obviously still room for improvement who would like to see their CEO or board adapt
BOARD LEVEL? quickly to change has dropped from 41% to 18%.
given that strategy is the key priority that
charities would like to see from their CEO Again, this is likely to be a positive by-product of
ANALYSIS or board. the pandemic.
the third year running, charities would like
For
Just under a third of charities would like their
There are still gaps in the understanding
their CEO and board to provide a clear vision of CEO and board to have a better understanding of more advanced areas of digital such as
what digital could help them achieve (52%). This of data (29%) and the costs of digital (28%). service design (19%) and consideration of the
has declined from 67% last year, but is still the These have fallen from 42% and 39% unintended consequences of digital (14%).
most urgent need. respectively last year, but are nevertheless a Whilst both of these have declined markedly
skills gap in a fundamental part of the digital since last year, there is still room
Meanwhile, understanding trends and how they for development.
affect the organisation remains in second place, leadership toolkit.
although this has fallen from 62% last year to
Close to 1 in 4 (24%) would like their CEO or
37% this year. board to have an understanding of digital
More than a third of charities (36%) would like tools, falling from 41% last year. 20% would like
their CEO or board to develop or embed a digital their CEO or board to have personal digital
strategy, down from 55% last year but rising to knowledge, falling from 37% last year. This could
the third most important priority. be because more CEOs and boards have had to
use digital during the pandemic.
34 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19
9 HAS THE PANDEMIC CHANGED
YOUR ORGANISATION’S SERVICES 70% 30%
We’ve seen demand
for our services increase
IN TERMS OF DIGITAL IN ANY OF THE
FOLLOWING WAYS? 83% 17% We started offering online services
Charities have adapted hugely during the
pandemic, with 83% changing their services in 20% 80%
We cancelled services because we haven’t
had the skills, staff or tech to deliver them online
response to demand. However, reaching digitally
excluded beneficiaries is challenging.
78% We cancelled services because our users
22% lacked the tech or skills to access them online
We cancelled services because we felt
27% 73% they would be less valuable online
83% 17% We changed our services in response to demand
78% 22% We used digital to reach new audiences
We are developing joint digital products, services
36% 64% or projects with other not for profit organisations
We provided our users with devices, data or
45% 55% support to get online or access services
Yes No
35 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
9 HAS THE PANDEMIC CHANGED eanwhile, 20% have cancelled services because
M T here is no significant relationship between
they don’t have the skills or tech needed to the size of the organisation and response to
YOUR ORGANISATION’S SERVICES deliver them, a similar figure to the start of the pandemic.
IN TERMS OF DIGITAL IN ANY OF THE the pandemic.
FOLLOWING WAYS? verall, the scale of charities’ adaptation to the
O
7% have cancelled services because they think
2 pandemic is made clear in our finding that 83%
they would be less valuable online, which may changed their services in response to demand
ANALYSIS
be due to the skills factors for staff or users, or and close to 8 out of 10 (78%) used digital to
this question we wanted to revisit our findings
In simply the nature of the intervention. reach new audiences.
from the early stages of the pandemic about
T hose most likely to cancel services because
how digital has changed charities’ services.
users lacked the skills or tech or because they felt
7 0% have seen an increased demand for their that their services would be less valuable were
services and 83% started offering online services, those in the curious or starting out categories.
which supports the anecdotal evidence we’ve
T here is scope for charities to partner more on
heard from charities over the last year.
joint digital products, services and projects.
T he greatest increases in demand were seen by 64% still aren’t doing this.
those in the advanced and advancing categories.
owever, digital inclusion has proven a challenge
H
for digital service delivery, with over 1 in 5 (22%)
cancelling services because their users don’t
have the skills or tech to use them. That is up
from 15% at the start of the pandemic, showing
how digital inclusion is still a pressing challenge
for the sector and a real area of concern when
reaching beneficiaries. Almost half (45%) had to
provide their users with devices, data or support
to get online or access services.
36 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
67%
10 HAS THE PANDEMIC CHANGED YOUR 70
ORGANISATION’S OPERATIONS IN TERMS OF
60
DIGITAL IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WAYS? 54%
50
The positive signs about how charities were using digital to
adapt at the start of the crisis are reinforced by our findings 41%
about the changes that have embedded over the last year. Just 40
over two thirds (67%) continue to deliver all work remotely, 30% 30%
whilst 41% are collaborating or sharing learnings with others 30
about digital.
20
8% 8%
10
0
e have been delivering all of
W e have changed or recruited roles
W
our work remotely to accommodate new responsibilities
e needed to train and support our
W Other
staff and volunteers to use digital tools
The pandemic has not changed our
We are collaborating/sharing learning operations
with others around digital
We have increased our digital fundraising
37 THE CHARITY DIGITAL SKILLS REPORT 2021INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH KEY FINDINGS CALLS TO ACTION DETAILED FINDINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORS
10 HAS THE PANDEMIC CHANGED YOUR
ORGANISATION’S OPERATIONS IN TERMS OF
DIGITAL IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WAYS?
ANALYSIS
Just over two thirds (67%) are delivering all T he findings from last year’s report about
work remotely, which is consistent with the 66% changes to charities’ operations were indicative CHARITIES ALSO TOLD US THAT:
operating this way at the start of the pandemic. of the longer term findings we have seen over
the last year about how charities have adapted. “We have extended and at times replaced
ore than half (54%) needed to train their staff
M our in-person services with digital services;
to support staff and volunteers, compared to T hose advancing were more likely to need to we have moved to a more localised model
61% at the start of the pandemic. train their staff and volunteers. for digital, e.g. we had to close our national
T hose advancing and advanced were better able online community because of staff cuts/
It is positive to see that 41% of charities are
to fundraise online and were more likely restructuring caused by the pandemic but
continuing to collaborate and share learnings
to be collaborating and sharing learning were able to offer some equivalent and
around digital, not far off the 47% doing this at
around digital. additional support services via social media
the beginning of the pandemic.
through our local centres’ accounts instead.”
J ust under a third (30%) have grown their mall charities were less likely to have
S
been delivering all work remotely and to “Had to offer virtual service delivery when
digital fundraising, following on from the third
collaborate/share learning with others we couldn’t see clients face-to-face, some
planning virtual fundraising events at the start of
around digital. of this has continued post pandemic e.g.
the pandemic.
blended delivery.”
0% have changed or recruited roles to
3
accommodate new responsibilities, which is
broadly consistent with the data we saw at the
start of the pandemic.
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