The digital age matters to trustees as it affects key areas such as strategy, governance, fundraising, marketing, cybersecurity, culture and service delivery. It also brings opportunities, risks and choices to be made.
It is becoming more important that there are trustees with digital expertise on charity boards even if it is only to ensure they can deal with the Charity Commission in terms of filing accounts, registering a charity or seeking consent for a change of objects or changing their name.
The Commission recommend that during their induction, new trustees are trained on the charity’s social media policy, how it applies to them and how they can promote the charity via digital channels.
Digital technology enables the charity to reach a wider audience online and via new social media channels.
It can create new ways to support and help beneficiaries of the charity by providing advice online for example.
Technology can also help improve the public’s access to information about the charity and therefore increase public trust in the sector.
The Charity Commission have published guidance for trustees on questions to ask relating to digital technology which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-digital-work-12-questions-for-trustees-to-consider