Like the rest of society, associations are currently in the midst of a digital transition and express the need to be supported, from a technical and ethical point of view, in order to mobilize the tools adapted to the implementation of their projects. The needs exist at all levels of the association: governance, internal communication, complementarity of physical actions and digital tools, external communication, development of specific projects in the digital sphere... " For an ambitious policy of associative life and the development of a society of commitment" Report submitted on June 8, 2018 to the Prime Minister by the Mouvement Associatif)
The approximately 1.3 million associations in France (200 new ones are created every day) bring together 13 million volunteers and 1.8 million employees, i.e. 10% of private employment. Associations are also the primary place of commitment. Voluntary work in associations mobilizes nearly 25% of the French population.
Whether they work for access to employment, culture, environmental protection or fight against discrimination and exclusion, associations rely heavily on digital technology: to communicate and simplify interactions between members of the association, to mobilize the public, to carry out large-scale initiatives, to mobilize ...
These operational contributions do not reflect the depth of the transformations of the associative fact, when its actors seize the digital: to democratize their governance, to explore new economic models, to co-produce knowledge, to engage in approaches of open social innovation...
Strong growth in digital uses in associations
Solidatech and Recherches & Solidarités had published in 2016 a barometer dedicated to "the place of digital in the associative project" : it highlights the evolution of uses from 2013 to 2016, the effects of digital within associations as well as the main levers to take advantage of it.It emerges from the study that the associative world is already making a wide use of digital tools: to communicate internally, to give visibility to the association, to train its volunteers and its employees, to develop projects in the direction of the beneficiaries, the members, the fragile public...- 73% of the associations surveyed have their own website.
- 62% of them use social networks; this is the top item for progress (+26 points since 2013).
Visibility, interaction with the public, calls for donations: the communication of NGOs now goes through social networks
Whether it's to raise public awareness of the causes they promote, to publicize their actions, to mobilize the public during the campaigns they launch, or to raise funds, NGOs and humanitarian associations have learned in recent years to take advantage of social networks.The Barometer "NGOs, social networks and citizen engagement in 2017" highlights the crucial issue that the presence of NGOs on social networks now represents.
According to this Barometer, 100% of the 50 associations surveyed are present and active on social networks, 84% of NGO managers post messages, articles, news of the association. Read more ...
Getting involved on the net: digital technology, a facilitator of volunteering in associations
According to a survey commissioned by France Bénévolat and conducted by IFOP, 25% of French people gave time to an association in 2016 (23% in 2010 and 24.6% in 2013). This proportion, which is increasing, varies from 21% among the under 35s to 35% among the over 65s, and from 27% among men to 23% among women. It varies widely according to the level of education, from less than 20% among those with little or no education, to more than 30% among those with a higher education degree.Beyond this base of one in 4 French people, the report "La France bénévole 2018, Franchir le pas mise en relation", prepared by Recherches & Solidarités, wonders about "the passage to the act of about 15 million French people potentially volunteering" ...
"Here, as in many other areas, the Internet appears to be a facilitator and gas pedal. Associations can use their own websites and social networks to propose volunteer missions. Volunteering offers are online on the websites of dedicated associations such as Tous Bénévoles, France Bénévolat, Bénénova, or on platforms such as Diffuz. Read more...
A label and a national training plan on digital for associations
Fonda, Mouvement associatif and HelloAsso launched on June 25 in Bordeaux, within the framework of the HelloAsso Summer Universities, a national plan of digital training for the associative sector.This plan aims to enable associations to take control of the new Internet tools to facilitate the management and deployment of their activities (internal collaboration, digital communication, online data management, participatory financing, mobilization ...). Read more ...
The needs for digital support according to the heads of the association movement's networks
Digital technology is both a lever and a challenge. It is a lever because it offers tools and resources that can be used at all levels of a project, from its development to its deployment, including its structuring. It facilitates internal exchanges and organization, but also opens up perspectives for facilitating links between actors in a territory or enabling collective development. It can facilitate the involvement of all stakeholders, simplify the sharing of information, contribute to the economic model, or allow a project and its results to be better known.The mastery and appropriation of digital tools are thus becoming major issues. Indeed, to reach its full potential, digital technology must be appropriated by the actors. Digital support must therefore focus on mastering basic uses, but it must also be accompanied by a real reflection on digital strategy to ensure that the tools used are relevant and adapted to the structure's project, to be able to adapt to new situations and to anticipate new needs and new practices. The work of Recherches & Solidarités has made it possible to pinpoint the uses of associations in terms of digital technology and those to be developed.As far as support is concerned, an ecosystem is in the process of being created, notably around initiatives such as RéZolutions numériques or Social Good Week, but it still needs to be consolidated to ensure the complementarity of each of the players.Hello Asso will soon be setting up the Hello Asso Academy, aimed directly at support professionals, to work on digital support methods. We can also mention webassoc.fr, a community of experienced web professionals who make their skills available to solidarity associations on a voluntary basis.Concerning computer equipment, ADB Solidatech offers access to hardware and software at adapted costs. The digital impact is increasingly important for associations. It is thus structuring to apprehend both the opportunities but also the risks of this digital mutation. The associations that are progressively seizing this opportunity need a collective approach to the issue in order to better face together the impacts of digital technology not only on their operations but also on the causes they defend.The 12 co-authors of this note are: ADASI, ADEMA, Avise, Don en Confiance, France Bénévolat, IDEAS, La Fonda, Le Mouvement associatif, Le RAMEAU, Passerelles & Compétences, Pro Bono Lab and RNMA.
Evolution of the support of associative structures: Findings, needs and avenues for reflection Note of July 10, 2017
