A FREE "brain-boggling" day with Google ended in Cookstown with more than 120 local charities re-energised about growing their presence online.
Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group, and the Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, facilitated the free workshop in collaboration with the digital giant and Reason Digital, a specialist agency working with voluntary and community sector.
The training session was specifically aimed at charities, 49 per cent of which – UK-wide – lack basic digital skills needed for future growth.
Tips from Google’s Digital Garage – the global organisation's new course for helping small business owners and digital marketers improve their skills – were highlighted in the 'digital tune-up', alongside workshops and networking events.
Jim McCooe, chair of the Northern Ireland executive committee for Lloyds Banking Group, said the response from the charities which attended the Google event had been "fantastic" and early feedback was positive.
"Our aim is to help charities become more adept at boosting the online aspect of what they do," he said.
"The problem for many charities in Northern Ireland is that they use social media off the side of a desk when there is huge potential to harness it properly."
The two main messages to take home from the event, he said, was that charities which accepted donations online could double in size, while those that were "digitally mature" were 28 per cent more likely to report an increase in funding.
"The Halifax Foundation is an independent charity and it is now completely digital, so we are hoping that more charities will tap into our model and reap the benefits," he added.
With 77 per cent of people in the UK now buying items online at least once a month according to Google, digital skills and a strong online presence are more important than ever, according to Brenda McMullan of the Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland.
"Charities need good digital skills to thrive and communicate effectively," she said.
"Many of the organisations we support say they would like to make better use of their online communications and we feel these digital skills will give charities in Northern Ireland the tools they need to really make the most of the web."
