Top 5 technology trends for the charity sector mooted
Howard Lake | 22 January 2010 | News
IRIS NFP Solutions has once again brought together 25 representatives of independent IT consultants, clients, media representatives with its own senior managers to debate the key technology trends that were likely to affect charities and not-for-profit organisations in the coming year.
The top five themes at the 2010 Technology Trends Lunch’ were:
* mobile
* social media
* integration
* security
* cloud computing
The discussion began by reviewing the trends that were predicted at last year’s event.
Then 35 ideas were brought to the table in sealed envelopes, and debate began. After linking related themes and issues, a vote yielded the top five issues.
Mobile
The requirement for mobile working will continue to rise seeing the use of more mobile devices, and the greater utilisation of applications such as geo-location and mobile phone campaign tools such as payment/donation facilities and QR codes.
Organisations might have to get more used to staff bringing in their own (often better/faster) laptops, PDAs and phones to work on their system.
Social media
Supporters, volunteers, members, beneficiaries and potential donors/members are using these more and more, which is why charities and not-for-profits need to embrace them.
People will expect a real-time web experience and will increasingly own the relationship they have with organisations. Social CRM will emerge as a term, where online activity will become part of Customer Relationship Management.
The entire spectrum of staff at organisations will need to get onboard, underpinned by a clear social media strategy.
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Integration
The need for centralised access to information remains a high priority for not-for-profit organsiations, which will result in better integration between different systems, platforms and the web.
Security
More home and mobile working will bring heightened security challenges for not-for-profit organisations in terms of to data, information, networks, and identity.
Cloud computing
‘Online’ will become a more effective way for charities and membership organisations to manage their networks, with the risks and opportunities this brings.
Guests at the event included Steve Bridger, Sue Fidler, Michael Webb from NFP Techno, Ivan Wainwright from IT for Charities, and UK Fundraising’s Howard Lake, as well as other independent consultants from Blue Spark, Friendlier Projects, Indigo Blue, International Fundraising Consultancy, Purple Vision and Sayer Vincent.
Other guests included senior managers from Marie Curie Cancer Care, Royal Society of Medicine, Stonewall and The Chartered Institute of Taxation, together with representatives from publications such as Third Sector, Charity Times, Civil Society IT and Association Management Quarterly.
IRIS, which has over 1,000 not-for-profit clients, says that it hosts this event to help to ensure that its products and services continue to stay in-tune with the sector.
www.iris.co.uk/nfp
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.