Tech Sector: Trusted Adviser for the Third Sector?
Earlier this year the National Council for Volunteering Organisations (NCVO) amplified concerns raised across the Third Sector that the national cost of living crisis is placing increasing pressure on the sector and that this will most likely continue for the foreseeable future.
Increases in energy, fuel and food costs mean charities’ existing budgets need to stretch further. However, charities also need to account for the impact on the sector of volunteers having much less money, and potentially time, to donate to a cause. Households that are having to tighten their own belts, or take on additional jobs to cover costs, are less likely to maintain regular contributions or have as much time available to support their favourite causes.
The irony is that these challenging times, when so many charities are facing their greatest struggle to survive and keep their doors open, is precisely when their service, help and support is in highest demand. Now, more than ever, the Third Sector plays an increasing role in providing key services that once would have been provided by the state, such as mental health support. Even before the current wave of the cost-of-living crisis had hit us, Post pandemic reports already indicated a staggering increase in service demand.
Commercial businesses facing similar challenges have, albeit unpleasant, textbook solutions they can turn to, to ease increasing pressures on the bottom-line. Reducing costs – evident from the vast number of tech company layoffs in the first five months of 2023 (already exceeding the whole of 2022) – and, even more unpopular for shareholders, reducing profit forecasts.
Against the same backdrop, charities do not always have the same options as their commercial counterparts; surviving the current crisis can require a level of creativity, and operational efficiency, skills, technology and experience, not always readily available. In situations where business investment is still an option, scrutiny, quite rightly, is critical in ensuring the right approach is taken and all business case benefits are not only realised, but optimised.
As a technology leader with a strong personal connection and commitment to the Third Sector, I cannot emphasise enough the importance for charities to complete thorough due diligence when it comes to making investment decisions. It is critical that decisions such as investing in core technology infrastructure deliver a measurable impact on the business in the shortest possible time frame. Requirements such as time to deliver return on investment (ROI); value for money; delivery according to scope, time and within budget; have taken on greater significance. For a charity, the opportunity cost of every Pound wasted can genuinely be the difference between life and death for service users.
At Westbrook, we know that the smart application of technology, like Salesforce, can help charities unlock value. But the economic climate means that now, more than ever, charities could benefit from the help of a trusted partner to ensure ROI is optimised and necessary change is delivered efficiently and ‘right first time’.
At Westbrook, we have a heritage of quality delivery within the Third Sector, lived experience and expertise from the top of our organisation down and a culture that compliments and understands how charities work. We can combine our commercial industry expertise with our Third Sector experience and allegiance to create a solution that is right for your organisation.
Sources and – related content:
- Cost-of-living crisis hits charity sector hard | ICAEW
- Charity Digital – About Charity Digital – For companies: why work with us
- The Road Ahead 2023: The ongoing impact of cost of living | NCVO
Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash
