Three-quarters of charities (76 percent) believe technology has increased the number of people they are able to help, however few are investing in new technologies such as mobility, cloud and social media, according to an Accenture (NYSE: ACN) survey of UK charities. The survey was conducted in support of Byte Night, the UK IT industry's annual sleep-out in aid of homeless young people.

The report found that 44 percent of charities believe IT speeds up the delivery of services and has had a profound impact on raising awareness and data collection by allowing organizations to better engage with new audiences. Almost half (44 percent) confirmed technology enables them to do more with less, allowing them to fund the same projects at lower costs, while 61 percent have reported efficiency gains.

Despite acknowledging the benefits technology offers, economic uncertainty and budget pressures mean few charities are investing in new or emerging technologies. Some 30 percent of charities have no plans for social media even though almost half (44 percent) believe it will have the biggest impact on charities over the next five years. Just six percent of respondents said they have a mobile app for their organization.

Furthermore, 80 per cent respondents said they are not migrating to the cloud. While 24 percent are planning to prioritize cloud in the next five years, a significant number of organizations are missing out on advantages the cloud can offer.

"The report highlights areas of real concern. Charities are more supportive of technology than ever before and many are working with IT companies - often on a pro bono basis - to evolve their strategies and there is still clearly work to be done. Despite wanting to use new technologies, some charities are struggling to invest in areas that could show huge benefits," said Andrew Poppleton, managing director of Accenture's UK and Ireland Technology group.