THE north’s voluntary sector needs to find new and better ways to do things through technology to enable it to increase productivity - but is struggling to find the appropriate skills.
And because it is lagging behind in terms of digital transformation, it is stymieing its ability to remain competitive and deliver services, according to the bosses of the region's main charities and social enterprises.
Responding to the latest Ulster Bank/CO3 third sector index, 94 per cent said their organisation faces barriers to fully accessing technology due to factors including cost and a lack of appropriate skills. Only 28 per cent believe technology has significantly changed their organisation over the last five years.
But there is a strong belief that digital adoption is important, with 62 per cent of respondents agreeing that this can make the third sector more resilient and sustainable. And 40 per cent anticipate that technology will have a significant impact on their organisation in the five years ahead.
One organisation that has been introducing innovative technology to improve and develop its services is Angel Eyes NI, a Belfast-based charity that supports and advocates for parents and carers with a child who is blind or partially-sighted.
It has developed a virtual reality training tool for parents and professionals supporting visually impaired children. It simulates a visual impairment to enable parents and others to better understand what their child can and can’t see.
It is a world-first in that it allows the user to layer clinical measurements together to replicate a child’s sight loss.
Nora Smith, chief executive of CO3, a membership-based organisation which focuses on supporting, developing and connecting third sector leaders in Northern Ireland, says: “Technology has a really important role to play in the third sector, with the potential to allow organisations to do more with less and to further increase the positive impact they make in society.
“Angel Eyes is just one example of an organisation doing this to great effect. The latest report shows that demand for the services third sector organisations in Northern Ireland offer continues to increase at the same time as funding pressures mount.
“Organisations recognise that technology can help them deal with this difficult situation and it is extremely important that digital transformation continues in the third sector over the years ahead.”
Ulster Bank's regional chief economist Richard Ramsey added: “Third sector organisations have shown themselves to be resilient in recent years in the face of a range of challenges.
“But many organisations are finding themselves having to run faster just to stand still. It would appear that finding new and better ways to do things through technology so that they can increase productivity has to be at least part of the solution.
“A major challenge though is the skills to implement and utilise such technology. With a tight labour market in Northern Ireland, demand for technology-related skills is high. The third sector perhaps needs to focus on both outsourcing some expertise and investing where possible in reskilling existing employees.”
The latest survey shows that 66 per cent of respondents saw an increase in demand for their organisation’s services in the last quarter. Three quarters indicate that their organisation is facing financial pressures while 41 per cent expect their turnover to increase in the next year.
