The 2024 Charity Digital Skills Report reveals some promising data showing the digital ambitions of charities, whilst also finding that economic challenges are stalling progress.
The Charity Digital Skills Report, co-authored by Zoe Amar and Nissa Ramsay, is the annual barometer of digital adoption, skills, attitudes, funding and support needs across the sector.
Every year since 2017, charities have been asked to share their experiences and insights on digital and this year 635 charities, including CFG, contributed to the survey.
The 2024 report examines charities' evolving digital landscape, including skills, AI adoption, and the needs of smaller charities and those led by marginalised groups. It also identifies the support required for digital development and the specific challenges these charities face.
Some key findings include that 50% of charities are approaching digital strategically, whilst 80% of charities see digital as an organisational priority. Additionally, 76% of charities say they have made progress with digital in the past year.
In terms of AI, the report notes that 61% of charities are currently using AI in their day-to-day work or operations. The most common uses of AI for charities have been for developing online content, basic administrative tasks, drafting reports, generating ideas and information gathering.
The authors suggest that charities need support, guidance and capacity to explore how they adopt AI responsibly, as many charities currently hold concerns around AI regarding biases, environmental impact and potential GDPR and data security issues.
On this topic, co-author Zoe Amar notes that AI: “can lift the lid on old digital challenges and shine a light on the skeletons in the closet”. She added that: “you need the right infrastructure and governance in place, otherwise the sector runs the risk of being left behind in the AI revolution.”
As with previous years, the report also stresses how charities need time, support and funding to develop their digital and data skills, leadership and use of digital tools and infrastructure. Almost 7 out of 10 charities (68%) say they are struggling to progress digitally due to their finances, headspace and capacity.
The report concludes with some calls to action, both to charities themselves as well as to charity funders. The authors stress the need to invest in data capabilities, and skills development in digital, and highlight a need for dedicated support and funding specifically for small charities.
Furthermore, the authors encourage funders to review the needs of charities led by marginalised groups and create inclusive access to funding with co-author Nissa Ramsey commenting that: “funders can make a radical difference by developing more inclusive funding practices”.
These charities are often struggling to prioritise organisational development due to the cost of living crisis and meeting demand, as the report finds that 41% of black led groups cannot identify funders who will support their digital projects.
For more information and advice regarding digital skills for charities, read the full report.
Further resources
Listen to CFG's podcast on AI with the report's author Zoe Amar and Rhodri Davies.