It appears that American charities are not the only ones having trouble with going digital. According to Italia Non Profit, leaders are having trouble getting their arms around digital’s potential, yet it still plays an important role at organizations. Italian nonprofit leaders were asked a series of questions via an online questionnaire by Italia Non Profit.

The results showed that 40 percent of board members do not have a clear vision of what digital can do, slightly more than one-third (34 percent) use it but don’t have a plan in place. Just 23 percent of the respondents said that digital is incorporated into their complete program.

And, just like in the United States, search engine optimization (SEO) and cybersecurity remain a mystery for many Italian nonprofits, although email messaging and social media seem to be under control. Some 56 percent of employees said that increasing digital skills has a positive impact on fundraising, and 39 percent on advocacy.

The biggest challenges for both charity professionals and consultants however were not being adequately prepared for digital fundraising, SEO, data management and privacy issues, and how to engage new audiences.

And, just like in the U.S., putting the technology in place is a challenge with 40 percent citing a lack of funding and another 37 percent requiring staff with better skills. For more on this, go to https://italianonprofit.it/