5,352 NGOs from 164 countries around the world were surveyed for the report to understand how they are using the Internet, email, and mobile technology. It also looked at how they manage data and security, and the ways they use online fundraising tools and social media to support their important social missions.

Connecting with donors

The vast majority (92 per cent) of NGOs have a website to promote their cause. 87 per cent of these sites are mobile-compatible, which is a nine per cent increase from the year before.

Many organisation (68 per cent) use the .org domain for their website URL. The popular .com domain, commonly used by the majority of websites on the Internet, is only used by 8 per cent of NGOs.

When it comes to communicating with donors, 63 per cent prefer to send regular updates via email. 18 per cent send messages to supporters with messaging apps and 15 per cent use mobile texting.

The most popular tool used by NGOs to manage communications with donors is a CRM suite (45 per cent). Of those CRM, 64 per cent are cloud-based.

Promoting through social

95 per cent of NGOs agree that social media is useful for building brand awareness online. However, less than a third (32 per cent) have a social media strategy in place to effectively capitalise on this communication channel.

Facebook is the most popular social media platform for NGOs, with 93 per cent having a dedicated page. A quarter (25 per cent) post daily updates to their Facebook page.

Twitter is the second most popular social platform at 77 per cent, with 24 per cent of NGOs posting two-to-five tweets a day, and YouTube in third at 57 per cent. LinkedIn is not as popular with NGOS, with 68 per cent posting to the social network less than once a week.

In spite of the several high-profile security breaches in the private sector, less than half (41 per cent) of global NGOs use encryption to protect their data and communications. NGOs have typically lagged behind the private sector in this area, but the results indicate that they are gradually starting to modernise their data management and security practices.

A positive change

The findings from the report paints a picture of worldwide NGOs that are quickly expanding their understanding and use of technology. It also shows that the Internet is being used more frequently to better communicate and collaborate with stakeholders.

However, the increased reliance on technology also demands more attention around data management and security. In order for NGOs to take advantage of the technologies that can help them, they will need to better understand what they can do and what kind of changes they will bring.

We’ve already assisted non-profit organisations such as Australian Red Cross, St John of God and others with their digital transformations and improving their consumer experience. If you are looking for guidance with technology platforms and data security, contact us today to learn how we can ensure the best quality experience for you and your audience.