Presentation from a workshop at The Gathering in Glasgow in February 2018.

1. Funding charities for
a digital future
David McNeill
Digital Director, SCVO
@david_mcneill

2. New technology and the internet has changed
the way we live, learn and work.
What does this mean for…
What we fund
Who we fund
How we fund

3. The primary audience
today is funders.

4. Our digital strategy
PARTICIPATION
Tackle inequality by
equipping individuals with
basic digital skills
EVOLUTION
Maximise the impact of the
third sector by encouraging
digital transformation and
evolution
INNOVATION
Support digital innovation
in the third sector to
extend the reach and
impact of organisations
through the use of tech for
good

5. The Call to Action posed the challenge:
As a sector, have we evolved the way we deliver
services to support individuals and communities
for a digital world?
1 year ago…

6. A six month process identified the following
themes:
• Leadership
• Culture
• Service Design
• FlexibleTechnology
• Data Driven
Lessons from our Leaders Programme

7. We need to explore
• Changed expectations of our service users, beneficiaries, trustees,
donors, funders, stakeholders, staff and volunteers
• New technology and tools are available to support our work
• New ways others are solving long standing problems
Doing things differently

8. We need to adapt by
• Challenging the ‘way we’ve always done it’
• Embedding digital across organisational strategy
• Delivering services digitally, where appropriate
• Creating a culture that maximises digital opportunities
• Being agile and responsive, using data to drive quick decision making
Doing things differently

9. We need to invest in
• Being curious, testing and learning; not simply to be seen as
innovative, but to deliver better services
• Equipping people with the skills, equipment and resources to be
effective in their roles
• Shifting from old technologies and bespoke systems to greater use
of low-cost, off-the-shelf, cloud-based applications
Doing things differently

10. We need to collaborate by
• Sharing resources, skills and technology
• Using open standards, open data and open source platforms wherever
possible
Doing things differently

11. So what are the
implications for funders?

12. What charity service will most people in this room use
weekly, or perhaps daily?
What we fund...
It’s mostly run by volunteers.
It disrupted a 250 year old industry and made a Microsoft
product irrelevant.

15. What we fund...
“As good as we think many of our services are, almost all
of them are in the same shape they were in when we first
set them up decades years ago.
Actually, that sounds awful. Don’t write that down.”
Shift (2017) Driving continuous improvement - Insights from funding social tech

16. Providing information, support and
connection isn’t unique to the charity sector

17. Are we supporting people in the right way?
Young people with visual impairments
wanted to travel independently, not
have someone ‘help them’

18. Would you be interested in achieving the following outcome…
15 million people per month are able to
increase their annual income by up to 25%
Who we fund...

19. Started 15 years ago for the cost of £100
No public or grant funding
Sold for £87m in 2015

20. Investing in social impact...
Investments which can
result in social and
financial gain
Investments which care
exclusively about social
gain
For more, see: medium.com/@nick.stanhope
Entrepreneurship across the spectrum

21. Are funders open to new
‘disruptors’?
Do they recognise the small
organisations that could change
the world?
Are traditional organisations
agile enough to respond to
emerging needs?
Without market forces...

22. The internet and new
technology potentially
enables us to achieve
impact at a massive scale.
But nurturing success can
be challenging.
Investing in the distruptive...
More at: progressively.org.uk

23. How we fund...
“Relationships between charities and funders look like a
silly little dance at times” Funder
"We can’t keep on pretending that our product is new…
It’s getting ridiculous.” Organisation
Shift (2017) Driving continuous improvement - Insights from funding social tech

24. Not just about online applications…
• Leadership
• Culture
• Service Design
• FlexibleTechnology
• Data Driven
How we fund...

25. Some considerations…
• Will you encourage people to think differently?
• Do you have the ability to assess and evaluate digital initiatives?
• Do you have the desire to fund ‘disruptors’?
• Can you be comfortable providing funding to find solutions to
problems?
• Can organisations admit failure, stop early or ‘pivot’?
How we fund...

26. A case study

27. • Does this resonate? Is there an appetite to change?
• What are the challenges in changing what, who and how projects
are funded?
• What are the opportunities in changing what, who and how
projects are funded?
Group discussion...

28. scvo.org.uk/digital
@digiscot