We asked charities and IT suppliers alike for their predictions on IT trends in the charity sector over the next year, and received a huge response. Of course, cloud computing and mobile technology were frequently cited – so to avoid repetition just a few of the comments on these topics were included, with preference given to predictions addressing other interesting areas.
In our case it is improving our remote access capabilities to allow more efficient and more integrated work to be done by staff who are away from - or not based in - head office. In general I think that the maturing (finally) nature of the "cloud" and SaaS will (eventually) have an impact in how charity IT operates (assuming we all decide the security implications of having your data somewhere else are ok). In particular the scalability of this approach should mean that small charities can effectively operate on the same type of systems as large charities.
Adrian Mitchell, IT manager, Variety Club
Complete pull to web-based apps (internal and external) paving the way for staff to use their own equipment within corporate networks (if all they need is a browser....not much for IT departments to support). This will be the norm in less than 10 years.
Paul Hughes, head of IT, the Stroke Association
The new version of iPad - the device that has revolutionised the way we use the internet and will be, or should be, more adopted by charities on the ground. As the cost of ownership falls, I see the iPad being used more in the recruitment of regular donors, with paperless direct debit donations becoming the norm. Handheld devices like this will be a powerful driver in supporter interactions – in face-to-face, issuing e-tickets, replacement of pdq payment machines at events, and for education/awareness and data capture.
Scott Gray, managing director, Rapidata Services
The single view is where the leading not-for-profit organisations are trying to get to and in such acknowledging parallels in fundraising strategy and IT strategy and that these need to be complementary. This is a new trend emerging for charities and we’re seeing more organisations creating roles for chief operations officers or heads of IT. These roles are now peers with directors of fundraising or marketing because they are integral to modern strategy, which needs the right technology and implementation to be effective in consolidating a donor or constituent universe.”
Ryan Frere, product line manager - international markets, Blackbaud Europe