Bridging the gap: digital skills in the charity sector

While more than 8 out of 10 charities (81%) have made digital progress over the past year, this growth is happening in spite of, rather than because of, leadership readiness. As AI adoption becomes the norm, the report highlights a pressing need for CEOs and boards to move beyond curiosity and provide the strategic vision required to navigate this new landscape.

One of the most striking findings in the 2026 report is the persistent lack of a clear digital vision from executive leaders. Almost half of charities (49%) report that their CEO needs a clear vision of what they could achieve with digital. While this figure is an improvement from the 64% recorded last year, it remains the most common gap charities identify in their leadership.

This lack of vision is particularly concerning given the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI). While 79% of charities are now using AI tools in their daily work, many leaders are struggling to keep pace. Specifically, a quarter of CEOs (25%) are rated as having "poor" AI skills.

There is also a notable disconnect between leadership sentiment and organisational reality. While 74% of CEOs and leaders say they are excited about the potential for AI to increase their impact, only 51% believe their charity is in fact responding effectively to the opportunities and challenges AI presents. Without a clear strategic direction from the top, individual staff members are often left to figure out technology on their own, leading to inconsistent practices and missed opportunities.

The skills gap is even more pronounced at the board level. Almost half of all charities (46%) do not have a single trustee with relevant digital expertise. This figure rises to 49% for small charities.

Trustees are currently the group least confident in the new digital frontier. A third of boards (33%) are rated as poor at AI skills, and only 12% of charities feel their board has a strong grasp of the technology. This creates a serious governance risk; without digital and AI literacy, boards will struggle to develop the necessary oversight, risk management and ethical frameworks for technologies that are already being used by their staff.

Despite these gaps, there is a clear appetite for change. Nearly 4 out of 10 charities (38%) say they want their boards to learn more about digital, and 34% are looking to recruit a digital trustee. Charities are increasingly recognising that, for digital to be truly embedded, it cannot be treated as a ‘side project’ but must be a core competency of those responsible for the charity’s future.

While the leadership skills gap is a critical internal hurdle, charities are also battling significant external pressures. Squeezed organisational finances are cited by 63% of charities as the single biggest barrier to digital progress. This financial strain has made it difficult to invest in the very tools and training that could help charities save time and work more efficiently.

The report shows that charities are caught in a "catch-22": they are excited about AI’s potential to save time on administration (63%), yet 56% are worried about relying on these tools because they lack the technical expertise to use them safely. Governance is lagging behind adoption; 51% of charities currently lack a formal AI policy, which often leads to cultural friction as staff use the tools informally without guidance.

To move forward, the sector is calling for a major investment in skilling. Building the digital skills of staff, volunteers and leaders is now an organisational priority for 59% of charities. The path to success requires more than just buying new software; it requires leaders who can offer a clear vision and boards that have the literacy to govern a digital-first charity.

For more detailed insights, regional profiles, and data on specific community-led groups, you can download the full Charity Digital Skills Report 2026.