Martin Campbell, CIO at World Vision, outlines why he’s doubling down on the children’s charity digital transformation in the age of COVID-19
The charity sector tends to lag behind other industries when it comes to digital transformation, due to its conservative approach to innovation. But as Martin Campbell, CIO at children’s charity World Vision, says, the sector can no longer afford to ignore the benefits of going digital.
In this episode of the Business of Data podcast, he outlines his vision for digital transformation at the charity and why he’s accelerating his strategy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My brief here at World Vision UK, as Chief Information Officer, is digital transformation,” he says. “What that means is really taking a look at how recent changes in marketing and communications have transformed many industries.”
He adds: “These days, we know digital works. We know that data analytics is fundamental to good decision-making. So, we’re now making very big strides into that area.”
The 2020 pandemic has disrupted all the in-person channels charities traditionally use to raise money, such as through organizing fun runs, concerts or auctions. Campbell says this has underscored why it’s critical for charities to be making the most of opportunities in the digital space.
“We saw an increase in supporters online during lockdown,” he notes. “I’ve been saying for years, ‘The writing’s on the wall. Digital’s going to be our biggest channel before too long.’ It was already getting to be our biggest channel [for] reaching new supporters before COVID-19.”
Ultimately, 2020 has proven to be a learning opportunity for World Vision. Campbell now plans to build on the experiences of the past few months to equip staff with better insights about the charity’s supporters and develop new data-driven marketing capabilities.
“We’re looking at how we can do more multichannel-type communications with our potential supporters and having conversations with people across a number of touchpoints,” he explains. “We’re also looking at, ‘What data to we need to enable that?’”
He adds: “We just in the process now of launching a new digital marketing platform that has analytics at the heart of it.”
We wish World Vision all the best as they embark on the next stage of its digital transformation journey. Anyone who is interested in donating to the charity can find out more about the work it’s doing here.
Key Takeaways

Harnessing the power of digital is vital in 2020. Digital channels were already becoming World Vision’s top way of reaching new supporters before the pandemic
Data is the foundation that underpins digital transformation. Quality data and sound analytics is the key to making better decisions and optimizing digital marketing campaigns
Personalized multichannel communications are the future. Data-focused leaders in all sectors can drive business results through helping their brands communicate more effectively