Contents

 

1. Introduction
2. NGOs and Digital Media Survey:
3. 1. Survey Methodology and Sample
   2. Survey Findings:
   3. 1. Use of Digital Media Platforms
      2. Responsibility for Digital Media Strategy
      3. Building and Managing Websites
      4. Objectives and Purposes
4. Charity Website Assessments
5. 1. Content and Function
   2. Customer Focus
   3. Branding
   4. Information Architecture
6. Learning Resources:
7. 1. Articles and Reports
   2. Web Links
8. Credits
9. Charity Image Library Course

Published June 2003

1. Introduction

This short report has been designed as an information resource for charities and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are using the Web and digital media channels in their communications and organisational strategy.

The publication is based around two pieces of complementary research work: an online survey of NGOs' digital media activities conducted by NMK in early 2003; and an assessment of the effectiveness of five leading NGO websites, carried out by McGaffin.com.

The purpose of the research was to identify how UK-based NGOs are using digital media now, and how they intend to use them in the future. On the whole, the results were encouraging. All participating NGOs already used digital media to communicate with their audiences, while the majority also used email newsletters, regularly updated the content on their sites, and had a strategy in place to increase their use of digital communications channels in the future.

However, the majority of respondents also felt that they did not have sufficient resources to exploit the full potential of digital media, with few placing a high priority on activities such as online fundraising, for example.

NMK aims to build on this initial survey with further research and resources. Over the years, the industry we serve has learned the most effective ways of making digital media work for itself and its clients - but many of these lessons have not yet been transferred to the 'third sector', with the exception of some of the largest, most familiar and well-funded charities. Yet it is here that some of the most exciting uses for interactive technologies should be found, whether as a means of raising awareness, fundraising, campaigning, building communities or mobilising support.

[back to top]

2. NGOs and Digital Media Survey

a. Survey Methodology and Sample

The survey was conducted in early 2003 in the form of a short, web-based questionnaire, which asked respondents about the use of digital media in their organisations. Over 50 UK-based NGOs took part, drawn predominantly from a database of individuals who receive NMK email updates or have attended NMK events and courses. Respondents were therefore self-selecting, and we can assume that most were engaged to some extent with digital media by virtue of their involvement in the NMK programme.

A range of job titles and responsibilities was represented, with director, marketing and digital media posts accounting for 75% of respondents. The largest group (35%) had specific web responsibilities, while 31% were employed at director level. The organisations ranged from large traditional charities to small bodies that are entirely web-based. The largest organisation involved employed over 2,500 people, and the smallest had no salaried staff, using 100% volunteers.

[back to top]

b. Survey Findings

i. Use of Digital Media Platforms

As Figure 1.1 shows, website and email are the most popular digital platforms, used by 100% and 97% of respondents respectively to communicate with their audiences. 38% had used CD-ROMs and 35% online advertising, but SMS was used by only 10% of respondents, and interactive TV by just 3%.

Figure 1.1: Which of the following digital platforms do you use?

The figure for email use is significant. More than 70% of responding NGOs publish a regular email newsletter to their supporters and clients, suggesting that email is becoming central to the communications strategy of many organisations in this sector.

70% of respondents also currently use direct mail (by post - traditionally a mainstay of marketing and communications for charities and other NGOs), but some 62% thought that email would replace some or all of their direct mail activities in the future. One of the main reasons for this shift is almost certainly cost: when funds are low, and operational budgets must be kept to a minimum, email marketing is a cheaper and less labour-intensive alternative to direct mail.

[back to top]

ii. Responsibility for Digital Media Strategy

Some 85% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that 'the website plays a significant role in their organization', and more than 80% of respondents claimed that their organisations had a strategic plan for their future digital media activities, suggesting that these will be increasingly important to their operations.

Recognising that a range of individuals or departments within an NGO might determine its digital media strategy, we asked respondents to indicate which groups were most influential in their organisations. As Figure 1.2 shows, senior management and marketing departments were equally influential in determining the digital media strategy of participating NGOs. IT departments exerted a fairly strong influence, but those responsible for fundraising had relatively little input. (Please note that numerical values in Figure 1.2 do not indicate percentages.)

Figure 1.2 Strategic responsibility for website

[back to top]

iii. Building and Managing Websites

The majority of respondents (52%) developed, built and implemented their websites using in-house teams of developers and designers. A further 18% used a mixture of in-house teams and external contractors - freelancers and contract workers. The remaining 30% of the sample made use of an external company, such as a new media design agency, to build their website. These results may reflect the size of the organisations taking part: larger, well-funded NGOs are more likely to be able to justify the expense of commissioning a website from an external agency, while smaller organisations often combine the roles of web development and web management in a single in-house team or member of staff.

In terms of managing their websites, the overwhelming majority of NGOs surveyed (95%) publish and update their online content themselves, rather than relying on an external agency to do it for them. Of these, 44% use a content management system. The majority, however, update their sites manually using web editing packages (e.g. Frontpage or Dreamweaver), indicating that many of the sites to which the survey refers do not feature dynamically generated content, and suggesting, perhaps, a relatively limited scope and lack of technical sophistication in some cases.

The fact that 76% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their website content was fresh and up-to-date is encouraging, and is likely to be related to the high levels of in-house content updating.

Despite this, there seems to be a real concern that most NGOs simply do not have the resources they need to fully exploit new media, and make the most of their websites. When asked, some 73% of respondents said that they had insufficient time and resources for their online activities, and it is clear that many feel that their new media activities are being undermined by a lack of resources, rather than a lack of strategic committment.

[back to top]

iv. Objectives and Purposes

Most respondents (64%) either agreed or strongly agreed that they had clear measurable objectives for their site, and a similar proportion felt that they had a 'good understanding' of their online audiences.

Figure 1.3 How important are the following objectives:

As Figure 1.3 suggests, new media is seen by most NGOs as primarily a vehicle for distributing information, or publishing. NGOs can make significant cost savings in this way, massively reducing the need for both printed literature and the staff required to distribute it to interested parties (not to mention the cost of distribution itself). However, the distribution of information can be regarded as something of a one-way process, so it's encouraging to see the second highest score for 'servicing a community of members' - an activity that makes more use of the two-way, interactive qualities of digital media.

Perhaps surprisingly, the results indicate that generating online donations is the least important objective for participating NGOs. This could be due to the relatively high perceived costs involved in implementing a secure, transactional system for online payments, but could equally reflect a lack of awareness of the possibilities that exist for internet fundraising - including online direct-debit applications with electronic signatures, use of intermediaries such as PayPal, and donations by SMS text message.

91% of respondents said that they would, or probably would, make significant changes to their websites in the coming year, suggesting that we are likely to see increasing sophistication and functionality across the board in NGO websites, as even the smallest and least web-savvy organisations become more confident with the medium.

[back to top]

3. Charity Website Assessment

In spring 2003, Ken McGaffin of McGaffin.com assessed five of the top 20 fundraising charities in the UK, using a site diagnostic methodology to assess their operations, based on the following criteria:

• Content and Function - what does the site provide in terms of useful information and interactivity?
• Customer Focus - how well does the site address the needs of potential visitors?
• Branding - how strong are the visual elements of the site and the overall experience of using the site?
• Information architecture - how well is the information organised and how easy is it to find?

The exercise is intended only to give a general overview of the ways in which charity websites are currently getting it right, and where there might be room for improvement, and as such we haven't identified the sites under discussion. We do hope, however, that the observations outlined below will provide some guidance to NGOs about how they might be able to improve the effectiveness of their own sites.

a. Content and Function

The websites examined scored very well in terms of writing for the web, and the depth of the content they provided. It seems that the site owners have understood the difference between writing for print and online media, and the text was generally short, punchy and scanable.

However, there appeared to be a general assumption that visitors would already be familiar users of the sites, rather than new arrivals, and there was little attempt to explain what the websites offered that was different to the offline experience. In addition, the level of interactivity provided by the websites was disappointingly low, and little consideration seems to have gone into how even simple functionality (quizzes, polls, surveys etc.) could be used to enhance the online experience.

b. Customer Focus

All of the websites were aware of the need for customer support and offered both telephone and email options. There was little evidence of corporate 'waffle' and the websites genuinely set out to talk to visitors in their own language. However, levels of personalisation were low. Particularly disappointing was the prominence and ease of making an online donation - an area where all of the websites could make significant improvements.

c. Branding

In all cases, the elements of branding were relatively strong. Visual elements, such as images and interface design, and the tone of language were appropriate to the organizations and their campaigns. However, the brand experience suffered from a lack of compelling reasons to return. The websites did not really attempt to build a relationship through interactivity or more sophisticated functionality. This left a strangely one-dimensional experience.

d. Information Architecture

The information was well organized and navigating about the websites was generally easy, despite the occasional frustration. A recurring criticism, however, related to poor quality search functions, which either did not exist or did not return relevant documents. This was an area that could greatly be improved.

[back to top]

4. Learning Resources:

a. Articles and Reports

e-Philanthropy - From Entrepreneurial Adventure to an Online Community
This report aims to synthesise and share observations, concerns and enthusiasm for online philanthropy and volunteering. http://www.actknowledgeworks.net/ephil

Virtual Promise
Virtual Promise claims to be the most definitive report ever published in the UK on how charities are using the Internet. It is based on four separate quantitative pieces of research as well as a range of interviews with charities and industry gurus. One of the main aims of the report is to raise the ambition of the voluntary sector when it comes to the Internet. www.virtualpromise.net

The Online Fundraising Handbook
A free 100-page guide published by Groundspring.org, a non-profit organisation that provides simple, affordable, and integrated services for small to medium-sized non-profit organisations to help them become effective users of internet technology in their fundraising and management of donors and supporters. www.groundspring.org/techniques/handbook.cfm

Lessons in good cyber communications
What makes a good website? Patrick Butler asks three of the most admired websites in the public and voluntary sectors to tell us about theirs. http://society.society.guardian.co.uk/internet/story/0,8150,813001,00.html

Virtual communities 'can boost charities'
Internet-based discussion groups, also known as virtual communities, are cost-effective ways of campaigning, fundraising and fostering mutual support among clients, explains Nick Cater. http://society.guardian.co.uk/internet/story/0,8150,893977,00.html

Five Big Problems That Will Stall Your Online Fundraising
Ever get the feeling you could do better with online fundraising? The fact is, you can - and with the right basics in place, you will, says Lenny Esposito. www.onphilanthropy.com/internet/if2003-02-14b.html

Internet Resources for the Voluntary Sector
Allan Pearson gives an extensive overview of online resources. www.clacksnet.org.uk/resources.htm#freepint79

Charity Begins at the Homepage
Disappointed by one major charity's website, The Other Media's Jonathan Briggs goes in search of charities that are using the web successfully. www.othermedia.com/go/Article_84.html

[back to top]

b. Web Links

Charitynet
Charitynet is a dedicated charity information site, designed to benefit anyone with an interest in philanthropy, wherever they are in the world. www.charitynet.org

CharityPortal
A user-friendly searchable database bringing together details and contact information of a large number of UK charities. www.charityportal.org.uk

UK Fundraising
UK Fundraising was founded by Howard Lake, an Internet fundraising consultancy. It helps charities in the UK and internationally to use the Internet as a fundraising tool to enhance and extend their existing fundraising activities. www.fundraising.co.uk

GiveNow
GiveNow.org is a major destination for online giving and fundraising in the UK, founded by CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) and the AOL Time Warner Foundation and supported by AOL UK. Charities can register for free - thousands of UK charities have signed up. www.givenow.org

National Council Voluntary Organisations
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) works with and for the voluntary sector in England by providing information, advice and support, and by representing the views of the sector to government and policy-makers. Includes an online advice service, www.askncvo.org.uk

Charity Times
Charity Times is a leading business and management magazine for UK charity professionals. The website complements the printed publication, offering weekly updates of news, a fortnightly email newsletter, and features from leading suppliers to the sector, plus recruitment, archives, and access to other services. www.charitytimes.com

VolResource
VolResource aims to make it quick and easy to get to useful information on anything to do with running a voluntary organisation (whether a community group, charity or other non-profit body). www.volresource.org.uk

[back to top]

5 Credits

New Media Knowledge (www.nmk.co.uk)
NMK is a learning and business information resource for companies and individuals working in digital interactive media. Whether you're a freelancer just starting out or the director of your own company, we provide the knowledge you need to realise your creative and commercial potential. NMK is a not-for-profit body in receipt of public funding, but we operate across economic boundaries, bringing together knowledge and expertise from commercial companies, professional bodies and higher education to provide objective, independent guidance and promote the success of interactive media in the UK. Since we began in 1998, we have been supported by the University of Westminster, one of the UK's leading educational institutions for digital media. NMK is also part-funded by the London Development Agency.

Ken McGaffin, (www.McGaffin.com)
Ken McGaffin has over 15 years consultancy experience, first in general marketing, then multimedia. Since 1996, he has concentrated exclusively on e-marketing, working with both clients and their agencies. Over the years McGaffin.com has worked with major companies, government agencies and non-profit organisations, including: WWAV Rapp Collins, Pfizer, Novartis, Gala Group, Legal and General, Recruit Media, e-Consultancy.com, e-Hub.com, NMK, BIMA, Wired Sussex, Cancer Research, Business Link, Industrial Development Board, WDA and London Chamber of Commerce, as well as scores of small to medium-sized companies.

Definition

For the purposes of this report, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are defined as not-for-profit organisations such as charities, development organisations, religious groups and environmental agencies.

[back to top]