What is Digital Transformation for Charities?

A short, clear definition of digital transformation for UK charities — what it actually means in practice, why culture matters as much as technology, and what the evidence says.

By Plinth Team

What is digital transformation for charities — an illustration of a charity team moving from paper and spreadsheets to connected digital systems

TL;DR: Digital transformation for charities is the process of embedding digital tools, data practices, and new ways of working across an entire organisation — not just buying software. It requires leadership commitment, staff skill-building, and a willingness to change how work gets done. According to the 2024 Charity Digital Skills Report, only 50% of charities have a digital strategy in place, and 60% cite finding funds for infrastructure and tools as a significant barrier. The good news: transformation does not have to start big. Platforms like Plinth give charities a free starting point for case management, CRM, and impact reporting without a large upfront commitment.

The definition

Digital transformation is the strategic, organisation-wide process of integrating digital technology, data, and new ways of working to improve how a charity delivers its mission.

Three things make this definition worth unpacking.

It is organisation-wide. Digital transformation is not a project owned by one technically minded staff member. It touches every team — frontline workers, fundraisers, finance, communications, and leadership — because it changes how information flows and how decisions are made.

It includes data, not just tools. Installing a new piece of software is digitisation. Transformation happens when that software connects to other systems, when data moves between them without manual re-entry, and when staff and leaders actually use the resulting information to make decisions.

It requires a change in behaviour. This is the part most technology vendors underplay. Research consistently shows that resistance from staff and volunteers, and a lack of digital confidence among leaders, are as significant a barrier as cost. Digital transformation succeeds when culture shifts alongside the tooling.

According to the 2024 Charity Digital Skills Report — based on responses from more than 630 UK charities — 80% of charities now view digital as an organisational priority, yet only 50% have a strategy in place to act on that priority. The gap between intention and action is where most transformation efforts stall.

What it looks like in practice

The clearest way to understand digital transformation is to contrast what it replaces.

Before transformation: A caseworker records client details in a spreadsheet on their own laptop. Referrals arrive by email and are tracked in someone's inbox. Volunteer hours are logged on a paper rota. The annual impact report takes two weeks to compile from six different sources. Each of these processes works, just about, but none of them talk to each other.

After transformation: A caseworker records interactions in a case management system that is shared across the team. Referrals arrive through a structured form and are assigned automatically. Volunteer hours feed directly into the same platform. The impact report draws on data that has been collected throughout the year, and producing it takes hours rather than weeks.

The difference is not merely convenience. It is the difference between an organisation that can evidence its work to funders, identify safeguarding risks quickly, and make decisions based on accurate data — and one that cannot.

Platform-level tools like Plinth bring case management, CRM, surveys, volunteering, bookings, payments, and impact reporting into a single system, which removes the integration problem entirely for small and medium-sized charities.

The 2024 Charity Digital Skills Report found that 60% of charities cite finding funds for infrastructure, systems, and tools as a significant barrier to digital progress — up from 49% the previous year. A further 47% point to staff and volunteer digital skills as a barrier, up from 41% in 2023. These two barriers reinforce each other: without skilled people, organisations cannot make the case for investment; without investment, skills cannot be developed.

Culture change and digital skills

Technology decisions are the visible part of digital transformation. Culture is the part that determines whether those decisions succeed.

Digital culture — the mindsets, habits, and values that shape how people relate to technology — underpins everything else. Organisations that skip this layer often find that a new system is purchased, partially configured, used inconsistently by some staff, and eventually abandoned. The spreadsheets return.

What does a supportive digital culture look like in a charity?

  • Leadership that models digital confidence. Trustees and senior leaders who understand what digital tools can do — and who champion their use — create permission for the rest of the organisation to follow. Leadership digital skills remain a significant gap: the 2024 Charity Digital Skills Report found that staff and volunteer digital skills are a top-three barrier for nearly half of charities surveyed.
  • Time and space to learn. Digital skills do not develop through one-off training sessions. They develop through regular use, supported by colleagues and, where possible, by dedicated time to experiment with new tools.
  • A willingness to change processes, not just tools. Many failed digital projects involve importing old, broken processes into new software. Transformation requires asking why a process exists and whether the new tool offers a better way to achieve the same goal.
  • Recognition that getting it wrong is part of progress. Charities that learn from failed technology choices and iterate are more digitally mature than those that avoid risk entirely.

The Charity Digital Skills Report, published annually, is the best ongoing barometer of where the UK charity sector stands on these dimensions. The 2024 edition found that 61% of charities now use AI tools in day-to-day operations — up from 35% in 2023 — but that the pace of overall digital maturity has remained broadly static. Technology adoption is accelerating; the cultural and strategic conditions needed to use it well are developing more slowly.

For a full practical roadmap — including how to audit your current tools, build a business case for investment, and choose between all-in-one platforms and specialist tools — see the complete guide to digital transformation for charities.

Frequently asked questions

Is digital transformation just about buying new software?

No. Software is the most visible element, but it is not the defining one. Charities that buy new tools without changing how they work, training their staff, or connecting the new system to existing data flows often find themselves with the same problems they started with, plus a new subscription fee. Transformation means embedding digital ways of working into how the whole organisation operates.

How long does digital transformation take for a small charity?

There is no single answer, but meaningful change — replacing a critical spreadsheet, moving to a shared platform, and establishing consistent data practices — is achievable in three to six months with focused effort. Full transformation, where digital tools are embedded across all operations and data genuinely informs strategy, typically takes 18 to 24 months. Starting small and proving value is almost always more effective than attempting everything at once.

Do we need a digital lead to get started?

Not necessarily. What matters is that someone takes ownership of the process — whether that is an operations manager, a deputy chief executive, or a digitally confident trustee. Platforms like Plinth are designed to be set up and managed by non-technical charity staff, with a free tier that allows organisations to start without a budget approval process or a dedicated IT person.

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Published by the Plinth Team. Last updated 21 February 2026.