In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, digital literacy has become crucial for nonprofit organizations and many are facing significant challenges in this area.
Digital literacy encompasses the ability to effectively use digital tools and platforms, which is essential for efficient marketing communications, fundraising and overall operations. Unfortunately, varying levels of digital skills among staff and volunteers can hinder a nonprofit’s ability to leverage rapidly evolving technology fully.
1. Addressing the Digital Skills Gap
One major issue is the digital skills gap. Many nonprofit professionals come from diverse backgrounds where digital proficiency may not have been a primary focus. This gap can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities in areas such as online fundraising, community engagement, and data analytics / management. Additionally, the rapid pace of technological advancement means that even those with some digital skills may struggle to keep up with new tools and platforms.
Investing in Comprehensive Training Programs:
Nonprofits should allocate time and resources to implement comprehensive digital literacy training programs. These programs can include conferences hosted by major platforms, free workshops, online courses, webinars and one-on-one coaching sessions tailored to different skill levels within the organization. Partnering with tech-savvy volunteers or professionals who can offer pro bono training services can also be an effective way to provide education without straining budgets.
- Local Libraries have excellent resources, including often access to Linkedin Learning courses
- (e.g. TPLelearning)
- Microsoft Nonprofit Training
- Google’s Skillshop Training across all its platforms
- Meta, like other community platforms offers free training for its tools
If you haven’t already look for “developer” (aka user) toolkits or free training tools offered by the platforms you are already using. To be competitive platforms need to ensure they are helping customers get the most out of their software/systems.
Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning:
Creating a culture that values and encourages continuous learning is also essential. This can be achieved by regularly sharing digital resources, organizing peer-to-peer training sessions, and celebrating small wins related to digital achievements. Encouraging staff and volunteers to stay curious and open to learning new technologies will help ensure that the organization remains adaptable and resilient in the face of digital changes.
Automating Routine Tasks:
Using automation tools to streamline routine tasks can reduce the need for manual labour as well as increasing efficiency. This can lend itself to freeing up time for valuable training and re-directing resources to more important tasks. Expert volunteers can often be interested in helping to set up automated processes as part of a project.
2. Addressing Resource Constraints
Another challenge is resource constraints. Nonprofits often operate on tight budgets, limiting their ability to invest in new or upgraded technology platforms. Without adequate funding, it can be difficult to purchase the “best-in-class” platform and often organizations end up putting band-aids on older platforms or using multiple platforms to meet their diverse needs.
Recruiting Volunteer IT Support
Recruit volunteers with technical expertise to provide IT support, develop custom solutions or assist with maintaining systems. Small projects that are well outlined can be appealing to experts willing to donate their talent to help nonprofits achieve their goals.
Investing upfront to ensure the best use of your limited resources
In our article on MarCom technology stacks held together with bandaids, we discussed hiring experts to advise on critical issues like security, reporting or compliance. Many small and medium-size operations don’t have the in-house expertise to tackle every area and both volunteer subject-matter-experts and paid advisors can save organizations both time and money in the long-run.
Leverage Free and Low-Cost Digital Tools, or apply for Technology Grants
There are numerous free and affordable digital tools available that can help. Nonprofits can utilize free platforms like Google Workspace for document sharing and collaboration, Canva for graphic design, and Mailchimp for email marketing. Additionally, most tech companies also offer discounts or grants to nonprofits, which can help organizations access premium tools at a reduced cost.
- Microsoft Eligibility for Nonprofit grants)
- TechSoup Canada works with technology providers to provide nonprofits with discounts, working alongside the (CCNDR) Canadian Center for Nonprofit Digital Resilience
- Google offers many free platforms like Google Analytics, GSuite, etc.
- The Google NonProfit Ad Grant is also popular with Canadian Nonprofits and offers $10,000 in search / advertising grants
- Open Source Software (e.g. WordPress) can also be an option to commercial software
Leverage Student Programs:
Partnering with Universities, Colleges or even coding bootcamps can help nonprofits to access student talent for IT projects, often at a lower cost or for free. These projects are often jointly designed with the leading professors and integrated into student learning over the entire duration of a particular course or program.
As you explore various cost-saving options, you can often discover ways to stretch the budgets. By ensuring teams regularly ask for help or what discounts or supports are available, Canadian nonprofits can enhance both their digital literacy and their ability to leverage technology effectively. This, in turn, will enable them to communicate more efficiently, engage with their communities more deeply, and achieve greater impact in their mission-driven work.