Established in 2017, The Charity Digital Skills Report is the annual barometer of digital and AI trends, funding, and support needs across the sector, including those of marginalised groups. Everything you have told us via the surveys has helped us track how charities are evolving, as well as gathering insights into areas that are critical success factors for digital progress, such as leadership, governance, and strategy.
This year, we redeveloped the survey extensively to capture an in-depth snapshot of the sector at this pivotal moment of change as AI adoption develops further across the sector, whilst continuing to track digital trends.For the very first time, we have also tracked the impact of AI on grantmaking, how AI search tools are disrupting the sector, the role of digital teams within large organisations, and how charities are preparing their workforce for the future.
Find out more about the report’s authors below:
Zoe Amar
Zoe Amar is founder and director of Zoe Amar Digital, a social enterprise and digital and AI consultancy who help charities lead change with confidence, developing strategies that increase their resilience, income and influence. She is chair of The Charity Digital Code of Practice, and blogs for Third Sector and others. She is also co-chair of The Charity AI Taskforce. Zoe is the co-author of The Charity Digital Skills Report and co-host of the leadership podcast Starts at the Top. She has 18 years’ experience of sitting on charity boards. She is currently a trustee of Charity Digital Trust. She is a previous winner of an Inspiring Communicator award from Charitycomms and was named Changemaker of the Year at The Pros Awards.
Nissa Ramsay
Nissa Ramsay is a freelance researcher and founder of Think Social Tech, providing flexible research, data and learning support across the charity sector. She has wide ranging experience working with funders and infrastructure organisations to develop funding and support initiatives. She specialises in providing specialist capacity to gain insights from diverse voices, helping teams with surveys, interviews, data analysis and the visual presentation of findings. Nissa holds a PhD in Human Geography and an MSc in Digital Sociology. Find Nissa on Linkedin and see her research portfolio to learn more.
Thank you to Skills Platform, who were one of the founding funders of the report. Whilst they are no longer involved, we are very grateful for their support from 2017-2021, which helped develop and scale the report across the sector.
Thank you to our report partners
We are very grateful to our report partners who have made the report possible.
Corndel
Corndel is the Professional Development Partner for charities ready to think bigger about what AI means for their organisation. At a time when funding is tighter, teams are stretched, and expectations around impact evidence are rising, AI has become a strategic leadership question, not just a technical one. That’s why we created AI and the Future of Doing Good, a research-led guide authored by Jake O’Gorman and informed by 275 charity leaders across the UK and US. It offers grounded insight, real-world examples and practical direction for senior leaders navigating skills gaps, governance risks and growing pressure to do more with less. Download your copy today and start shaping a confident, responsible approach to AI in your charity: AI and the Future of Doing Good: How charities are turning technology into impact, and what gets in the way.
At Corndel, we’re proud to be a Professional Development Partner to charities navigating this shift. Through our AI and Data Academies, delivered in partnership with Imperial Executive Education and supported by Microsoft, we combine world-class insight with one-to-one coaching to build the skills, confidence and governance frameworks organisations need. This isn’t surface-level training. It’s strategic, role-relevant development that bridges the gap between technology and people, helping charities unlock the value of tools they’ve already invested in, build data-led cultures, and future-proof their teams in a sector under real strain. Corndel: Transforming Workplaces with Skills & Leadership.
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation aims to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK. We unlock change by contributing everything we can alongside people and organisations with brilliant ideas who share our goals.
The Foundation is one of the largest independent grantmakers in the UK. In 2025, we provided £52.9m in funding towards a wide range of work in support of our aims. We also provide social and impact investment for organisations with the aim of creating social and environmental impact.
Manifesto
Manifesto creates transformative digital experiences for purpose-led organisations. We are the trusted digital partner for global charities, membership organisations, and the public sector, including UNICEF UK, Save the Children, Disaster Emergency Committee, Salvation Army and ZSL. We bring together human-centred design, data, technology and new ways of working to help charities grow with confidence, adapt with resilience and deliver lasting impact. We are proud to be part of B Corp accredited TPXimpact.
Learn more at:
Website: https://manifesto.co.uk/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/manifesto-for-change/
Leaders with Purpose: https://www.youtube.com/@LeaderswithPurposePodcast
Media Trust
At Media Trust, we believe when everyone has an equal voice, we’ll get to a more equal society. That’s why we connect media organisations with charities and under-represented talent to empower the third sector and advance media representation.
We design and deliver innovative and impactful training for charities so they can communicate more effectively to support their communities and drive social change. We also match charities with media industry volunteers for hands-on support. At the same time, we provide under-represented talent with the skills, access and mentoring to progress their careers in the media and creative sectors.
Microsoft
We are delighted to be working with Microsoft on this year’s report.
Microsoft is committed to helping charities use AI safely and effectively, helping reduce repetitive tasks, boost productivity, and free up time for focusing on what they do best: serving communities and delivering impact. Skills are central to realising this opportunity. To date, Microsoft has helped more than 1.5 million people in the UK gain AI skills and was the first industry partner to support the Government’s national AI skills drive, which now aims to provide AI skills to 10 million workers by 2030. For charities, this support includes free online learning through Microsoft’s AI Skills Navigator and the Microsoft Nonprofit Skills & Resources site.
Torchbox
Torchbox is an employee-owned digital agency and certified B Corp, partnering with the world’s most important organisations to create measurable social impact. Working alongside leading charities and nonprofits like Mind, Disasters Emergency Committee, Oxfam and RNIB, we combine deep sector expertise with innovative technology to strengthen their missions and drive meaningful change.
We’re proud to support the Charity Digital Skills Report, having referenced its valuable insights year after year to inform our work with charity partners. As sponsors this year, we’re honoured to contribute to shaping this essential resource that helps guide digital progress across the sector.
Building on the excellent work of Zoe Amar and the report team, we look forward to helping uncover insights that will enable charities to better harness digital capabilities for increased supporter engagement, enhanced income generation, and maximised social impact.