Digital communications and technology

One of the significant impacts of the pandemic has been the increased use of digital technology. Between working from home, holding meetings on Zoom to delivering services online, Covid-19 has accelerated the path to digital for many individuals and organisations. Increased use of digital technology has enabled VCSE organisations to better meet the needs of young people, allowed shielding volunteers to continue helping others, and facilitated swift coordination of activities through WhatsApp groups.

While the literature suggests that the shift to digital will be permanent (Wood, 2021), there is work to be done in Hampshire articulating the potential benefits of this. Only 52.6% of organisations asked in our latest State of the VCSE Sector survey believe that the increased use of digital over the pandemic had a positive impact, while 14.06% reported a negative impact and 33.33% feeling there had been no impact.

While the pandemic accelerated use of digital, this expansion was largely fuelled by necessity (working and delivering services online). The sorts of digital skills developed during this period are not necessarily aligned with potential benefits going forward (such as digital fundraising, communications and use of artificial intelligence and other software).

You're not alone!

In our latest State of the VCSE Sector report, over two thirds (68.4%) of VCSE organisations reported that their use of digital technology had increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Organisations told us that the pandemic, “made us look at technology and utilise it to the full” and “has forced us to pivot to digital”. But this shift isn’t universal - 28.77% reported no change and 2.83% were unsure. This is slightly lower than a national survey that found 77% of charities made greater use of digital technology during the pandemic (Charity Comms, 2021).

It is important to recognise that a significant number of VCSE organisations have not had the skills, experience, funding and/or will to make the transition to online. Even those who did increase their digital technology use have more to learn, with one social enterprise explaining that, “We’re not that tech savvy…we don’t feel we have the skills.” When asked about their level of confidence using digital technology, 57.69% were more confident, 39.23% did not feel there had been any change, and 3.08% were less confident than before the pandemic.

This is an ongoing challenge, with a national survey finding that 27% of VCSE organisations cancelled services in 2020 as they didn’t have the skills or technology available to put them online (Amar, 2020). The pandemic has highlighted digital skills and training gaps within organisations, which only some have been able to address.

Looking forward, 62.79% of VCSE organisations indicated they would continue using digital technology, 27.91% did not expect to continue, and 9.3% were unsure. A lack of IT skills & access for both staff and service users as well as the desire to return to face-to-face provision were mentioned for those who indicated they would not continue.

Digital Exclusion

Digital exclusion remains a critical issue. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the digital divide, revealing schoolchildren who had no equipment to access online learning and service users who did not have the skills or connectivity to join virtual groups.

While the number of adults in Hampshire who have either never used the internet or have not used it in the last 3 months decreased from 8.2% in 2019 to 5.7% in 2020, this still leaves over 79,000 adults. Digital access has a cost, with the price of phone data recognised as a critical barrier (LBF, 2020b).  VCSE organisations who have experienced the shift to digital themselves are likely well-placed to support this work.

How can we help?

We are committed to digital learning and seeking agile and innovative ways of working across all areas that we make an impact. We can provide guidance to your organisation to help you with your digital journey.

You can get in touch for an initial chat and signposting free of charge. If you need support, ask us for a quote for training, social media holiday cover, or whatever else you might need!

Members of Action Hampshire also have access to our Share and Learn group for anyone responsible for marketing and communications for their organisation. Find out more about this and other member benefits by following this link.

Our Experience

In November 2020, we led the 'All Things Digital' project alongside the Hampshire CVS network, available via this link. We worked to build the skills and capacity of the partnership and delivered a range of digital training courses to the sector. This included hosting an online conference focusing on what Action Hampshire and the sector had learnt during the pandemic to become more digital-savvy and how we could work more closely as a sector to support each other with the mass of digital tools and resources available to us.

We took part in the Catalyst project to increase our own digital skills through 2020-2021. We've invested in our own capacities and established an in-house communications team with skills in social media, research and writing, photography, graphic design and communications strategy.

Additional resources

For quick advice from over 1,600 charity folk, follow this link to join the Digital Charities Slack. Sign up is easy and you can ask about literally any charity digital subject.

For in-depth advice from an expert, follow this link to Digital Candle. You submit a request, get introduced to one of 170 experts then arrange a 1hr call. You can ask about any charity digital subject.

The Catalyst also has a wealth of digital guidance and support for charities - click this link to access The Catalyst.

Lloyds Bank Foundation has produced a series of downloadable guides which can help you share strong, impactful communications when maybe you don't have a lot of time. They cover building your brand, video content, social media, web design and influencing. Follow this link to access Lloyds Bank's resources! 

If you’re wrestling with a service delivery challenge, or trying to work out what type of online help your users need, or how they might access it, then Online Design Hops, available via this link, will guide you through the process from start to finish. The difference from training courses is that Hops are experiential. So by the end of your Hop you’ll have moved forward with your challenge and learnt about digital service design. Follow this link for the CAST website.

Against Violence and Abuse have published a Digital Safeguarding Resource Pack which describes online safeguarding principles and implementation steps better than anything we’ve seen so far. It gives lots of situation specific advice relevant to different types of online service delivery. Follow this link for their collection of digital safeguarding resources or directly download their updated resource pack using this link.