It might feel intimidating to invest in digital transformation as a small- or moderate-sized charity. After all, there are undoubtedly essential and immediate needs that most of your finances must go towards.
We understand that, and you’re absolutely right. As a charity, we’d encourage you to consider a modest budget for digital investment, building your cloud resources up over time. However, at the same time, we’re confident that, in the long run, creating a cloud-based system will increase efficiency and decrease costs, meaning more of your income can go towards what matters most. Here are a few suggestions for investing in digital on a budget as a charity.
The benefits of digital investment for charities
If you’re exploring digital transformation for your organisation, you’re probably aware of some of the main benefits.
Nowadays, most of the world is heading towards cloud-based resources and systems. These solutions enable all businesses to have a global reach, empower employees to work from anywhere, streamline supply chains, and much more.
As a charity, some of the main benefits of well-thought-out digital investment include:
- Potential for marketing to a worldwide audience
- Easier fundraising (again, on a global scale)
- Simplified resources (supply chain, accounting, reports, etc.)
- Quick, efficient communication, both internally and externally
- Reduced costs
- More efficient processes (approving documents, compiling ideas and strategies, etc.)
How to allocate the money required for digital
IT is expensive, so putting the money aside to invest in digital might not seem feasible. However, we’re sure everyone can implement a strategy to get the ball rolling, regardless of their current financial situation.
We know it’s challenging to get the money together as a charity. Most of the world believes your finances simply make themselves or that a quick social media campaign means you can sit back and watch the cash pour in. It’s not true.
The specific strategy for each individual charity will differ depending on your immediate circumstances. If you have some money that could be put aside, reserving it for digital is a good idea. Of course, not necessarily all of it; you have many other costs to keep on top of. However, a well-designed digital pathway will help reduce these costs in the long run, making it a worthwhile investment.
One potential option for charities is to collaborate with other organisations that need similar solutions. For example, two charities who both run shops in different cities will have similar needs but aren’t competing. Individually, neither might want the expense of hiring a external consultant, but together the might be able to do this – and it becomes even more affordable if they could find a few more similar organisations, too.
For more information on specific money-allocation ideas for your charity, get in touch with us for a confidential budget discussion. We’re always happy to tell you how much money you’ll need or how far your current resources could go.
Using an external consultant
When you begin thinking about digital investment, the first (and most important) thing you need is a plan. A strategy. If you follow a framework like this, you can ensure you’re investing your hard-earned money in a cloud-based approach that will genuinely drive productivity, improve processes, reduce costs, and increase the amount of money you can send to those who need it most.
Hiring an external consultant is the most cost-efficient way for most small- or medium-sized charities to go. If you have an in-house ICT department, it’s probably already working its socks off to maintain your pre-existing systems.
External consultants bring with them a niche range of specialised expertise. As temporary team members, it’s much cheaper than hiring a dedicated employee (plus all the expenses anyway). Plus, these specialists can train existing team members to reduce your ongoing costs even further.
Ask AMDH to help
Interested in engaging an IT consultant to help with your cloud-system needs? We’d love to hear from you!
Here at AMDH Services, we regularly work with charities of all sizes. We’re especially motivated by helping small organisations embrace digital transformation, demonstrating the numerous benefits you’ll receive from doing so.
After creating a digital strategy, our attention will turn to implementing it. Once we’ve done so, we’ll start organising training and ongoing maintenance for these networks and software programs. This provides immediate and future benefits.
Get in touch with us by filling out the contact form below. Or, if you prefer a more direct approach, email us (info@amdhservicesltd.com) or call us on 01332 322 588. We look forward to hearing from you and helping your charity invest in and embrace digital solutions.
