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Work in partnership to get the most out of the internet, says Nominet

IT | Kirsty Weakley | 10 Nov 2011

Charities need to work more in partnership with others to improve the use of the internet by the sector, according to a new report by the Nominet Trust.

Head of research and development at the Trust, Dan Sutch, said the main thing that came out of the report is that: “Charities need to work in partnership with other organisations looking at new ways to create value.”

Charities’ Use of the Internet was commissioned by the Trust as an internal document to inform its work but Sutch said it decided to make available to the sector as, the information “was too rich to keep to ourselves.”

It concludes that: “Internet use and new technology adoption generally will enable survival in an environment becoming more discerning and more competitive in terms of donating and volunteering, and adoption is therefore in the best interests of organisations in this sector.”

Challenges identified in the report include, a lack of “top team leadership” on ICT issues, the cost of ICT investment, over-reliance on ‘net-savvy’ volunteers, the difficulty keeping up with public expectations and the increasing importance of data security.

The key findings of the report are illustrated through six case studies showing how ‘virtual’ charities such as Youthnet are using the internet to deliver services online and develop relationships as well as how traditional charities like the Family Holiday Association have been able to expand their services by adopting online technology to streamline administration process.

The report's three key recommendations are:

1. Charities need to have a clear vision and strong leadership
2. More research is needed in to information and data security
3. Organisations should hold knowledge sharing events for others

Sutch added that the Trust had already acted on some of the points made in the report by funding new programmes and that it would be pleased to hear from anyone with ideas or solutions to the issues raised.

The research was carried out by Dr Eleanor Burt, senior lecturer at the School of Management at the University of St Andrews and Professor John Taylor, professor emeritus of government and information management at Caledonian Business School who carried out interviews with charities and discussing the findings with a focus group.

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