Unit4 has shared research at the NetHope Global Summit 2023 that reveals non-profit organizations in the US and UK are making significant progress in digital transformation, with 86 percent looking to complete their transformation to full cloud-based ERP applications within the next two years.
A significant number of non-profits, 95 percent, consider cloud-based solutions will have a positive impact on their organizations. According to 62 percent of the global non-profit organizations (64 percent in the UK), digital transformation is a key priority. 43 percent of global respondents have already fully implemented cloud solutions, with the figure being 39 percent in the UK, and 46 percent in the US.
For enterprise expectations, 87 percent of global non-profits agree digital transformation needs to be on time, within budget (86 percent) and with the expected level of interoperability (88 percent). Motivations leading business transformation in the UK and globally ranked at privacy and security (54 percent), customer experience (46 percent) and workforce productivity (44 percent).
The top three benefits cloud-based solutions introduce included better accessibility for remote workers at 90 percent, with flexibility to integrate new functionality rapidly coming in joint second with reduced infrastructure costs, both at 88 percent.
The study paints a positive overall picture, but also highlights challenges to the adoption of cloud solutions for finance and HR applications, with a reluctance to change from users, information being in silos and issues with integration to existing systems coming in top. Meanwhile, having access to more budget and improved resources in terms of the skills available and time to implement change are seen as the main way to support the full transformation to cloud-based solutions.
“This research shows that the nonprofit sector is really embracing digital transformation and can see the benefits of moving to cloud-based solutions,” said Chris Brewer, non-profit strategic industry architect, Unit4. “The transition should not be under-estimated, as it does require commitment from everyone in the organization, but with robust planning and implementation it is the ideal opportunity to modernize business processes, improve productivity and deliver better service. How the nonprofit sector is embracing digital transformation shows the value of a cloud-based strategy to drive innovation and that organizations of any size can benefit from it.”
