Charitable organisations worldwide are reporting that digital fundraising capabilities and strategic financial planning are among the most crucial skills they need to remain resilient.The findings appear in the sixth volume in a series of reports, Future-Proofing Nonprofits for the Post-Pandemic World, The Voice of Charities Facing COVID-19, Volume 6, released by CAF America to highlight the needs of charitable organisations and inform donor giving strategies.

‘Charities need to be focused on future-proofing themselves for the post-pandemic world,’ said Ted Hart, CAF America President and CEO. ‘The resilience of charities relies on the key competencies of nonprofits in organisational management. Our goal is to ensure that long-term resilience and bolster the ability of nonprofits to face the unforeseen challenges ahead and advance their mission in the face of future adversity.’

The research polled 805 charitable organisations serving 152 countries to learn about the skillsets they rely on to sustain their operations through these challenging times and others that they must further develop to survive the pandemic and emerge stronger. Key findings include:

• Capabilities in organisational management are needed to build resilience, including advancing DEI, strategic planning, and digital fundraising strategy.
• Three in four (76 per cent) of 787 respondents indicated interest in learning new ways of using digital technology for fundraising and 61 per cent indicated a need for better digital tools to connect with stakeholders.
• Although a large majority (72 per cent of 799 respondents) have a communications plan in place, nearly as many (71 per cent) indicate they want to learn how to communicate more effectively for fundraising and 63 per cent need guidance in impactful storytelling to achieve their objectives.
• The majority of charities (70 per cent of 792 respondents) feel they are equipped to remain financially sustainable amid the uncertainty created by the pandemic and its impact on the economy.

Published in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI and The Resource Alliance, the latest report identifies and explores skills specific to digital technology, communications, fundraising, financial sustainability, DEI, and executive management that charities both rely on and need to develop for greater resilience during and after the global pandemic.

The full report is available at cafamerica.org/covid19report/.