Yorkshire startup aims to change the way charities do digital

LEEDS-based social enterprise Charity Box is on a mission to give charities across the region a much-needed digital tune-up.

Founded by Matt Saunders, a web developer local to the area, the service is designed exclusively for charities. It is part of a new wave of digital businesses in the “tech for good” space whose primary purpose is to use technology to make a positive social impact.

“There are so many small and medium-sized charities in the area who carry out invaluable work on a daily basis. But often they don’t get the exposure and support they need because they aren’t able to make the most of modern technologies. Our service is here to fix this.” says Matt.

Research has shown that only 20% of charities are on the cusp of achieving full “basic digital skills”. Furthermore, the data shows that charities who are digitally engaged are more likely to increase donations, grow their supporters and save costs.

This is echoed by Skills Platform whose own research shows that 45% of charities don’t have a digital strategy and digital strategist Zoe Amar, writing for the Guardian, indicated there is a growing awareness within the sector to urgently “get to grips” with digital technologies in order to keep valuable supporters, as well as staff.

Matt is keen to emphasise that Charity Box is available to smaller charities who may not be blessed with large budgets and in-house skills, and may need extra hand-holding. “Why should the largest charities be the only ones to benefit from intuitive design and the latest web technology?”, he says.

The service, which offers website design, consultation and support, launched in autumn 2018 and plans to be serving hundreds of small-medium sized charities across the UK within three years.

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