The Digital Transformation of Irish Charities

Abstract: Charities play an essential role in Irish society. People benefit from support in health and social services, from social housing to specific health related organisations. It is important for charities to be able to invest in digital strategies which can support them in spreading the word of their cause, in raising awareness, in fundraising, and in recruiting talent. Importantly, digital strategies can also include cost-effective ways to increase accessibility and reach the largest possible number of people in need. Despite this, charities have traditionally been expected to serve society with very little investment going towards their digital strategies. This has meant that many charities have missed out on some of the opportunities of digital, and this has been highlighted by challenges they have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, charities have been developing digital strategies in areas which include fundraising, service provision, volunteer involvement and remote working. As the steps taken by charities in making this switch have been largely unexplored, this thesis analyses what changes have been made, how they have been managed, and if the increased use of digital strategies will continue even when the pandemic’s restrictions are lifted. This is done by analysing the overall level of change made within each respondent charity, and classifying it as either Digitalisation or Digital Transformation. This thesis also highlights how the digital changes are being managed by charities. To do this, an inductive and qualitative approach was chosen by conducting interviews with 14 senior representatives from various charities. The results of this research reveal that a pattern is emerging within the Irish charity sector which indicates a change of mindset regarding the investments being made towards new and innovative digital strategies. Such digital strategies have enabled charities to generate more revenue, increase access to services, and help solve the social problems they are tackling. The research also reveals several helpful methods of implementing various elements of digital strategies, and offers a basis for further research in the area of digital strategies of charities. This thesis argues that charities should now maintain the positive changes they have made throughout the pandemic, by building on digital aspects which have been successful. While the reliance on digital strategies is unlikely to continue to the extent it has throughout the pandemic where fewer alternatives were available, this thesis argues that charities should not fully revert to the non-digital strategies which they traditionally have relied upon in the past.