The 2020 report “Charities in Need: The State of Website Performance in the Third Sector” by Pixeled Eggs, ENGINE, and the BIMA Charities Council reveals a stark reality for small and mid-sized UK charities in the digital landscape. As the sector faces unprecedented challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic, a strong online presence has never been more critical.

This report addresses a key gap by evaluating 411 charities with incomes between £100,000 and £10 million. It contains a clear and repeatable methodology to assess their usability, technology, and platforms.

The effect of the coronavirus on the sector has seen fundraising for the sector down, income and donations are down and delivering core services at a huge level of complexity puts the sector at a pinch point.
At a time of need, the sector needs to increase and improve its digital presence and experiences.

Key findings:

• Only 2% of audited websites achieved an “Excellent” grade.
• 41% of websites were rated as “Poor” or “Terrible”.
• 11% of charities had no website, while 5% had fatal issues with their existing sites.

The report highlights significant gaps in both technological implementation and user experience:

• One-third of organisations received a “Poor” or “Terrible” grade for technology.
• Mobile websites consistently underperformed their desktop counterparts by about 10%.
• 9% of charities lacked a mobile version of their website entirely.

A call to action

This report serves as a crucial benchmark for the sector, highlighting the urgent need for charities to prioritise their digital presence. By improving their online experiences, charities can better serve their beneficiaries, engage supporters, and ultimately increase their impact in these challenging times.

“The findings in this report are just one step on a longer journey charities will need to take to review their digital journeys in light of the pandemic. Some findings will be a wake up call to charities who have neglected digital in the past, and some findings will read as a pleasant surprise to those charities that have got it right.”

Chris Flood, Co-chair of the BIMA Charities Council.