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When Charity Digital began its journey in 2001, our mission was to help other charities accelerate their missions using digital technology. Two decades later, that mission remains the same – though our name has changed (we used to be called Tech Trust!).
To date, Charity Digital has helped more than 400,000 charity professionals learn about digital transformation through our media platform and saved thousands of charities more than £260 million on their technology.
We work closely with big technology partners such as Microsoft, Avast, and Amazon, providing discounted and donated technology to eligible charities, while our payment processing and fundraising services have brought in more than £300 million for our charity customers since 2002.
Whether you’re an organisation at the start of your digital journey or one well on the way to putting digital at the heart of your operations, Charity Digital can help you achieve your mission.
Here are seven ways we are already doing just that.
Donated technology
As the UK partner of international non-profit network TechSoup, Charity Digital provides registered charities with technology donated by some of the world’s biggest tech companies at a much cheaper rate than usual.
For example, Adobe Acrobat Pro is available for both Windows and Mac at a price of £56 (including VAT), saving charities £279 off its original price. Microsoft Office Standard can be purchased for £34 (including VAT) through the donation programme – a whopping saving of 90%!
Top tip: the Microsoft donation programme on Techsoup coming to end on 25 March 2022. On-premises software (standalone licenses that users install on specific computers and can be used even without an internet connection) will no longer be part of the donation programme. While they will still be available at a discount on the Charity Digital Exchange after 4 April 2022, there will be a price increase of about 3 to 5 times more than the donation programme pricing.
So, if you’re in the market for Microsoft on-premises licenses, make the most of the donation programme before it changes. (This video outlines the process.)
All charities need to do is register on the Charity Digital Exchange and once you’ve received confirmation – usually within five working days – you will be able to save money on more than 250 digital tools and platforms available.
Discounted technology
Discounted tech is like donated tech, but instead of only paying only administrative fees on your new tech, the software is available at a discount. There is lots of great tech available to charities in this way. Charities can get a one-year subscription to Zoom Meetings for £54 (including VAT), a saving of 50% off Zoom’s rates. No more 40-minute limits – unlimited chats for all!
There’s also the Dell discount programme, through which charities can get up to 20% off on all Dell laptops, desktops, monitors, and accessories. And Fiverr, a service that gives you access to a marketplace of vetted freelancers and collaboration tools, which you can subscribe to for free (usual price $149 per year). Once you’ve found your freelancer, you pay them individually for their services – if you purchase Fiverr through Exchange, you’ll also get a 20% discount on the first service you go for.
There’s lots more discounted technology you can access through the Charity Digital Exchange – so have a browse and see what you need!
Content
Charity Digital publishes content daily. Recent articles that have proved particularly helpful include our report on cyber security in the charity sector, our exploration of the best bank accounts for charities, our introduction to NFTs for fundraising, and our in-depth analysis of the latest digital trends for 2022.
Check our home page every day for more information on everything you could ever need to know about digital transformation.
On top of articles, we also publish webinars twice a month on a variety of topics, ranging from how to build a digital strategy to how to use data to inform your planning. And, on top of webinars, we publish our very Charity Digital podcast twice a month. Recent episodes have included one on social media best practice and another on the top fundraising trends of 2022.
You can listen to the podcast on the usual apps (Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.), as well as play each episode on our site when it’s published.
Make sure you subscribe to the series so you never miss an episode.
On top of all that, we also publish several educational and hopefully entertaining videos each month on topics ranging from effective cash management to animal fundraising ideas to how trustees can champion cyber security. Check out one of our more popular videos below:
Whatever your digital issue, Charity Digital has a piece of content that can help you out.
Events
Just as we regularly refresh our content, we also regularly hold events where charity professionals can learn practical steps on how to digitally transform. All of our events are intended to remove any fear or other barriers for charities embracing digital and share vital expertise from the sector to get them started.
We hold big, multi-session events annually, such as our Digital Fundraising Day and #BeMoreDigital Conference, the latter of which was held on the 30 June 2022 in-person. You can sign up to our events mailing list to stay abreast of the events on the horizon or check out our events listings routinely for the upcoming roster of webinars that can help you on your digital journey.
Emails
Charity Digital’s email service makes email marketing easy. Using the dotdigital cloudbase platform, Charity Digital Mail offers personalised support tailored to your email marketing needs, whether you need custom design work for your templates or individual training.
An average of six million emails per month are sent through our bespoke charity email service. It’s quick to set up and the service can help you automate campaigns and test your messaging so your emails resonate with your supporter base.
One organisation that has benefitted from our email service is the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Heather Hitchins, Communications and Digital Co-ordinator, said: “Charity Digital gives me all the tools I need to send out regular newsletters, one-off mailings, and create ongoing journeys to keep supporters engaged. It also allows me to tailor sign-up forms and keep track of where new supporters come from.
“The biggest benefit is that our communication process is becoming more streamlined, more efficient and we are saving time!”
Support
With Charity Digital, you are never alone. As well as offering discounts on your technology, we also have a dedicated customer service team on hand to help you install and use it.
Whether you’re struggling with your cyber security software or simply want to know more about your new Microsoft package, our team can support you on the phone or via email and talk you through it.
Our phone lines are open from 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. You can call 020 7324 3390 or email us at customerservice@charitydigital.org.uk.
Our customer service team has a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, with reviews praising the quick response and kind support. So, if you’re struggling with anything on our Exchange, make sure get in touch. The team are here to help.
Direct Debit processing
Charity Digital offers a service whereby we collect direct debit transactions for charities, handling all payments to your charity from donations to lottery entries.
Around a third of donations to charities come through Direct Debit, according to the Charities Aid Foundation. They offer donors more control over their giving (they can cancel a Direct Debit at any time) and charities can build a deeper relationship with their most committed supporters. It also ensures charities have a pot of funds that is continually contributed to regularly.
These payments need to be collected by a person or organisation authorised to do so through the Financial Conduct Authority, HMRC, and BACS. For some charities, with limited resources, this can be a painful process.
That’s where Charity Digital comes in. We are fully accredited in BACS Facilities Management, so that we can collect or administer direct debits on behalf of other organisations. With our help, many smaller charities who would otherwise not have the capacity to receive direct debit payments can benefit from them.
The cost of the service is determined on an individual basis, so whatever your needs or budget, Charity Digital can help you find the best payment option for your organisation.
You can find out more here.
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