Most charities don’t have a digital problem. They have a clarity problem. We help you work out what needs fixing — and build the plan to fix it.
Not sure where digital fits in your organisation’s priorities? Not sure what you actually need — just that something isn’t working? That’s where most of the charities we speak to start.
Digital strategy isn’t a document. It’s a clear-eyed picture of where you are, a shared understanding of where you need to get to, and a realistic, prioritised path between the two. Done well, it gives your team confidence to act, your leadership the language to champion it, and your funders evidence that you’re investing digital resource wisely.
We’ve been doing this for over 30 years. We know what good digital looks like — in commercial environments where performance is ruthlessly measured, and in the third sector, where resources are tight, capacity is stretched and the stakes are human, not financial. That combination is what we bring to every engagement.
Why charities call us
The Charity Digital Skills Report is pretty consistent year on year. Skills gaps, strategy gaps, and tech stacks that aren’t delivering. In 2025, only 50% of UK charities had a digital strategy — and progress has been slow. Over a third said their fundraising technology wasn’t fit for purpose. Only one in five felt they were getting full value from their CRM. Digital maturity across the sector sits at around 5.1 out of 10.
That’s not a technology problem. It’s a strategy and prioritisation problem.
We hear the same things from the charities we talk to:
- “We know we need to do something with digital but we don’t know where to start.”
- “We have a website, a CRM and an email platform — but they don’t talk to each other properly and nobody trusts the data.”
- “Our team is doing their best but there’s no shared direction and everyone’s pulling differently.”
- “We’ve had strategies before. They end up in a drawer.”
If any of those land, you’re in the right place.
What we actually do
We’re a digital consultancy, not a strategy document factory. Everything we do leads to action.
Depending on where you are and what you need, that might look like:
A focused discovery A short, structured conversation with key people in your organisation to understand what’s working, what isn’t, and what matters most. We come with good questions, not assumptions. We leave you with clear priorities, not a long list of everything that could theoretically be better.
A digital audit A forensic look at your website, your content, your data practices, your tools and how they connect. We assess against real outcomes — are people finding you? Are they taking action when they arrive? Are your systems making life easier or harder? We look at how your digital presence performs in search and, increasingly, in AI-generated results — because that’s where visibility is shifting.
A digital strategy roadmap A practical, prioritised plan your team can actually deliver. Not a 60-page PDF. A clear sequence of moves, with the reasoning behind each one, owners assigned, and realistic timelines. We build it around your capacity, not an idealised version of it.
Ongoing consultancy Some organisations want a plan and the confidence to run with it. Others want a steady hand alongside them as they do. We offer both. We’re particularly useful when you’re building internal capability and want someone to sense-check decisions, pressure-test ideas, and spot the avoidable mistakes before you make them.
Where digital strategy connects to outcomes
Strategy on its own doesn’t raise more money, reach more people or help more beneficiaries. What it does is make sure that when you invest in those things, you’re investing in the right things, in the right order, with the right foundations in place.
That’s why we anchor everything to three outcomes:
[Linked block] → Raise More — fundraising, income, donor journeys, supporter retention [Linked block] → Reach More — visibility, SEO, content, audiences, AI search [Linked block] → Help More — beneficiary journeys, accessibility, service delivery, mission impact
A digital strategy engagement will usually clarify which of these is the right first priority for your organisation — and what needs to be in place (data, integrations, team confidence) before you can make real progress on any of them.
A word on AI
AI is the thing every charity is being asked about right now and most don’t quite know what to do with. We think that’s entirely reasonable.
The honest picture: 76% of charities are now using AI tools in some form (Charity Digital Skills Report 2025), but most have no AI governance in place, and many senior leaders and boards rate their own AI skills as poor. The sector is experimenting without strategy — and that creates risk as well as opportunity.
We include AI readiness as a strand of every digital strategy engagement we run. Not because it’s fashionable, but because the questions are genuinely important: Which AI tools are appropriate for your organisation? What are the data and safeguarding implications? How is AI changing the way people find information — and what does that mean for how your content needs to be written and structured? How do you stay cited and trusted in an AI-summarised world?
We help you answer these questions practically, without hype and without fear.
What a good digital strategy gives you
A clear picture of where you actually are — not where you hoped you’d be.
Shared language across your team and leadership about what digital is for.
A short list of high-impact priorities — not a wishlist.
Confidence that what you build next will work together, not against itself.
Evidence for funders that digital is being approached strategically, not reactively.
And — if you want it — an ongoing relationship with people who understand your context, know the sector, and will tell you the truth.
Start with a conversation, not a commitment
Most of our engagements start with a free 30-minute call. We ask about your organisation, your current digital situation, and what you’re trying to achieve. You ask us whatever you want. Nobody’s selling anything at that stage — we both just want to know if it makes sense to work together.
If there’s a fit, we’ll usually recommend starting with a Mission Ready audit — a focused, affordable discovery that gives you a prioritised picture of your digital health and a clear 90-day action plan. It’s designed specifically for charities that want to move quickly without committing to a long engagement upfront.
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We’ve worked with organisations including UNHCR, Amnesty International, WMUK, BookTastic CIC and Safe Space Group, as well as purpose-led businesses in cleantech and independent news. We understand the difference between digital that looks good and digital that does good.
Narrative Industries is a specialist digital consultancy for charities, CICs and purpose-led organisations. Based in the UK. Working remotely and on-site.