Using tech

Tips, advice and stories of how charities are embracing digital, and suggestions for how funders can support them.

What does ‘tech’ mean?

If you’re a charity, digital can be a daunting challenge. Here’s what ‘tech’ and ‘digital’ mean in practice:

  • Basic access to hardware and infrastructure: broadband, smartphones, laptops
  • Internal systems and processes to increase organisational efficiency: accounting systems, documenting sharing, etc.
  • Flexible communication tools for service users and other stakeholders: e-newsletters, social media, video conferencing, online design tools
  • Tech to support service delivery: databases, case management, web-based forms and surveys for data
  • Digital-first products and services: mobile apps, virtual reality apps, medical devices

Where to start

With funds and time tight, don’t reinvent the wheel, use the experiments of other small charities and experts to guide decisions and involve service users in testing.

Helping charities with tech

Responding to change

We believe these granular insights into how small charities have embraced digital tech over the pandemic complement broader work around how digital tools and approaches are used by the sector. We hope this supports both charities’ and funders’ thinking about the role of tech – for their own organisations and the sector as a whole.

Annie Caffyn, Researcher at IVAR and Ellie Hale, Catalyst Producer at CAST

Ellie Hale from CAST.

Case studies

In partnership with

Read more

A woman looks at a app on her phone.
Response to change

How small voluntary organisations are using tech

Read more Publication
A person typing on a laptop.
Start somewhere

Key findings from an exploratory study into making technology imaginable and usable for small voluntary organisations

Read more Publication
Profile picture of Zoe Amar, digital and communications consultant for charities.
What the key findings from The Charity Digital Skills Report mean for charities and funders
Read more Blog

Many thanks to Justlife and Integrate UK for the photos used on this page.

whois: Andy White Freelance WordPress Developer London