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Charities' use of the internet

Current activities and future opportunities

Illustration from Charities' use of the internet

There are many organisations and publications that aim to support third sector organisations to use the internet in working toward their charitable objectives. These resources build upon arguments about developing sustainable business practices within a shrinking funding landscape; increasing organisational reach and demonstrating impact in imaginative and powerful ways, or improving and extending the way in which charities can communicate with donors, beneficiaries and other stakeholders - each of these arguments is well placed and there is evidence to demonstrate successful use of digital technologies to achieve these objectives.

This review places these opportunities within a wider context of how charities can begin to develop new practices that use internet-based technologies. It sets out a number of examples of successful approaches as well as exploring what it takes to start, or develop, uses of the internet that support charities in working towards their own organisational mission. Importantly, it also highlights how new charitable organisations and new relationships between charities have evolved to make the best use of the internet, in so doing, aiming to create greater social value and impact.