Looking to stay ahead of the digital curve? Kickstart your digital journey? Or just see how other charities are making the most of technology? The Charity Digital podcast looks to inspire and educate, and connect charity pros to the latest trends in the (sometimes) scary world of 'digital'. We'll be discussing poignant topics, pain points, and success stories. Don't forget to subscribe through your usual podcast provider to be the first to know when our next pod drops!
Misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories can be a problem for charities by negatively impacting upon service users, employees, and volunteers. Here, charities’ responsibility is two-fold: avoiding spreading misinformation themselves and quelling false information about their cause. Ensuring trustworthy online information is an aspect of digital inclusion, supporting people to make the most of the digital resources available. Media literacy skills are a key element of this, empowering digital users to safeguard personal and societal health and wellbeing. It’s also up to organisations to do their bit in countering the spread. In this podcast, we explore how false information spreads, its impacts, how charities can avoid spreading it, and approaches to address misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories about your charitable cause. Useful resources: First Draft - The psychology of misinformation: Why we’re vulnerable The New York Times - How social media amplifies misinformation more than information Charity Digital - Digital Inclusion Hub
10/1/24 • 28:20
The last few years have been challenging for charities. A global pandemic hastened the speed of digital transformation for the entire sector, widespread inflation led to growing costs and more precarious fundraising, and charities have had to balance rising service demand with an uncertain economy. But many of these challenges have predated the pandemic – what’s changed is the way we rise to them. Evolving technology has allowed charities to innovate more than ever before, with advances in everything from web accessibility to digital fundraising. In this podcast, we’re joined by Tony Connor, Senior Director of Product Marketing at PIR.org, the organisation that looks after the .org domain name, to discuss how technology is developing to meet charity’s challenges, both old and new. Resources: .ORG Learning Center - .ORG Learning Center - .ORG Learning Center Charity Digital - Charity Digital - Home Top tech trends for 2024 - Charity Digital - Topics - Tech trends for 2024
7/16/24 • 19:39
Climate change is a recurring news topic, perhaps the most pressing issue of our age, and it’s essential that charities take action. It’s time for charities to build environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies into day-to-day work. Our panel of experts discuss ESG and consider how charities can build it into strategies so they can implement meaningful changes. The session, taken from a recording from our 2023 Conference, features Jen Lowthrop from Feel Good Do Good, Charity Digital Senior Content Writer Laura Stanley, Charlotte Washe from In Kind Direct, Jessica Wrigley from Sage, and Amy Moore from Marie Curie.
6/11/24 • 41:32
In this podcast, taken from a recording from our 2023 Conference, we aim to demystify artificial intelligence (AI), explain some of the best ways that charities can use it, illustrate some of the core benefits for charities, and suggest some of the ways you should practice caution. The session, delivered by Phil Dearson, Digital Director at WPNC, explores practical applications for charities, including decision-making, content generations, analytics, summarisation, prioritisation, and broadly expanding your knowledge of potential donors.
6/4/24 • 40:08
As custodians of huge amounts of sensitive data and funds that are needed to deliver essential services, charities are under a great deal of pressure to ensure their charity is properly protected against a cyber breach. And proper protection includes that which we’re most familiar with: passwords. In this episode, we speak to Rick Wilhelm, PIR’s Chief Technology Officer, to explore the significance of strong, unique passwords, the role of password managers, and tips for creating and managing passwords effectively. .ORG Learning Center - .ORG Learning Center Charity Digital - Cyber Security Charity Digital – How to make your passwords stronger Charity Digital - Why your password probably isn't good enough NCSC.GOV.UK – Password Guidance – Simplifying your approach Charity Digital – How your organisation can build trust
5/28/24 • 21:39
With the combination of sensitive data records, funds, and limited cyber security resources to protect them, charities can look like prime targets for cyber criminals. The 2024 Cyber Breaches survey from the UK Government revealing that around a third of charities identified cyber breaches or attacks in the last 12 months. For today’s podcast, sponsored by PIR.org, the organisation that looks after the .org domain name globally, we are joined by Vinita Srivastava (Executive Leader - Product Development, Strategy, & Operations, PIR.org) to discuss the importance of maintaining a secure online presence, exploring the potential risks of neglecting security measures and sharing tips to keep you and your mission-driven organization safe online. RESOURCES: .ORG Learning Center - .ORG Learning Center Charity Digital - Cyber Security https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2024/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2024 Secure Your Website, Save the Internet Small Charity Guide (NCSC)
4/23/24 • 25:31
As the world moves from in-person to remote, how can charities build lasting relationships with supporters? The picture might seem a bit bleak. Data regulation has impacted outreach opportunities. The pandemic and advances in technology have resulted in changes in supporter behaviour. Trends show a decline in the number of people supporting charitable causes. But the loss of old opportunities presents new ones – charities have an opportunity to rethink how they engage with supporters. Digital enables charities to build stronger, more meaningful, and more engaged relationships with supporters than ever before. In this session, recorded from our 2023 Conference, Alan Perestrello from Trillium and Declan Hunt from ClearCourse show us how to grasp digital opportunities, the possible strategic routes you could take, and some practical tips to immediately start making changes within your charity.
3/5/24 • 36:52
The world has gone digital, and tin many ways, that’s great: processes are quicker and easier than ever before, information is transmitted seamlessly across the globe, and new opportunities have been unlocked far and wide. But what about those who can’t experience these numerous benefits? People of any age and socio-economic background can be excluded from using devices and the internet, meaning that everyday tasks such as accessing information, staying in touch with friends and family, and being able to work – are threatened. It’s a hidden problem that can combine with other difficulties in a person’s life to create a Catch-22 that’s difficult to recover from. And the problem is widespread: one in seven people are deprived across two or more dimensions of digital, according to the Digital Poverty Alliance’s most recent report. In the digital age, all organisations, and indeed individuals, must play a role in creating an inclusive online environment. So, what is the role of charities, and how can they get started? Resources: Information about Good Things Foundation's free-to-join National Digital Inclusion Network Information about the scale of the digital divide in the UK
2/20/24 • 38:21
During the cost-of-living crisis, many supporters have had to review how much they can continue to support their chosen charities, often causing a drop in income. With the number of lottery players in the UK still growing, Your Hospice Lottery and Make a Smile Lottery explain how offering supporters something in return (such as a chance to win money), can help retain and grow income during times when all charities are feeling the financial strain of rising costs. The session, a recording from our 2023 Conference, is delivered by Gemma Zweck and Jill Moore from St. Helena Hospice Limited, and Tony Bloomfield from the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association. The session will cover, among many other things, how charities can overcome 2023’s financial strains by starting a new reliable income stream, how to throw a lottery from the point of view of a charity, the general benefits of collaboration, and so much more.
2/13/24 • 33:29
We might have to whisper...but 2024 looks…promising. Giving trends suggest an uplift. The economic outlook is encouraging, with lower inflation, wage growth, and more spending power. There is a strange feeling in the charity sector, one that we have not felt for years: optimism. That optimism will shift fundraising. We still expect flexible giving to deal with the cost-of-living. We still expect ‘inverse giving’ to dominate and we expect charities to move away from big social media platforms. AI will have a hefty impact on forms of fundraising and Gaming for Good will still rise. But, on top of that, we expect an embrace of the long-term. Charities, with new economic freedom, might invest generative AI, might finance new socials, might put on more extravagant events, might focus on corporate partnerships, might shift to legacy giving. Or, indeed, they might not. The future is unwritten, but we will discuss that future with people who write about it. So join the Charity Digital Content Team for our final podcast of 2023, in which we discuss fundraising in 2024.
12/12/23 • 36:31
It’s been a year of perpetual crises: the hangover of the health crisis, the emergence of geo-political crises, national and international economic crises, and an environmental crisis. Charities had to navigate various issues, overcome myriad threats, and practice resilience in the face of all challenges. But, in the face of such challenges, we’ve also seen so many positives. Charities have shifted towards flexible giving, found innovative solutions to service user demands, embraced new and exciting tech such as ChatGPT, trialled new platforms such as Threads, and broadly embraced the digital. We want to discuss the ups and downs of 2023. The Charity Digital Content Team, Laura Stanley, Josie Sparling, and Ioan Marc Jones dives into key developments, explore reactions to crises, and talk about tech. So join us to review 2023 in the UK charity sector.
11/28/23 • 30:28
Our 2023 Climate Action campaign may be coming to an end in December, but that doesn’t mean we should stop acting on climate change. Indeed, climate change won’t stop acting on us. Our survey ‘Climate change in the UK charity sector’ found that more than four in five charities are concerned about the impacts of climate change but the majority rate the sector at a six out of ten in how well they are enacting sustainability in their organisations. Clearly there is still work to be done. Our report showed that the sector lacked clear communication on sustainability among their peers, and while many charities praise the work of environmental organisations, they were unsure about what they could do to tackle climate change themselves. The responsibility for tackling climate change in the sector of course does not rest only with environmental charities, but they perhaps understand the challenges more than most. Having discussed this challenge with guests from across the sector in our last podcast, today we speak to guests from environmental charities to get their say: what role does digital technology play in climate action and sustainability, what is the current state of affairs, and where do we have left to go?
11/14/23 • 30:37
This year, Charity Digital has been focused on climate action, aiming to raise awareness about climate change, show charities how digital and tech can help them to minimise their carbon footprint, and empower charities to take meaningful action to protect our planet. But we, along with many other charities, are still trying to improve our environmental impact. Our survey found that although 88% of charities are concerned about climate change, only 48% are taking serious action to address it. So, we want to know: how can we bridge that gap? In this episode, we sit down with Sila Ugurlu from the British Youth Council and Alison Gowman from City Bridge Foundation to learn more about the state of climate action in the sector right now and what we can all do to help secure our planet’s future.
10/31/23 • 36:46
More than four in five charities see digital as more of a priority as a result of the pandemic, according to the 2022 Charity Digital Skills Report. Demand for digital services has increased, with 72% of charities actively working towards progressing with digital through tools, skills, infrastructure, and more. But what, exactly, does progress look like? The charity sector has grown significantly in confidence when it comes to basic digital skills, but the digital world changes rapidly and technology grows increasingly sophisticated. How can charities keep pace without fear and with limited resources? In this podcast, we explore how charties can embark on new digital projects with intention. Join our host Lisa Chomette (Head of Partnerships, Charity Digital) and guests as they discuss the importance prioritisation, how charities can measure of performance, and, crucially, how they can avoid overwhelm.
10/17/23 • 38:35
Web accessibility is increasingly a priority for the charity sector in efforts to reach more people and improve the lives of the people they serve. Around 1.3 billion people around the world experience significant disability, according to the World Health Organisation, representing one in six of the world’s population, many of whom are our beneficiaries, donors, volunteers, employees, leaders, and supporters. Web accessibility is essential to enable everyone to participate in your mission. In this podcast, sponsored by PIR.org, the non-profit organisation that maintains the .org domain, Charity Digital’s content team share what they’ve learned about web accessibility, its impact on the charity sector, and why charities must embrace it now and in the future. Guests: Ioan Marc Jones, Head of Content, Charity Digital Laura Stanley, Content Writer, Charity Digital Josie Sparling, Content Assistant, Charity Digital Resources: .ORG Learning Center - .ORG Learning Center A digital world accessible to all. | AbilityNet A beginner’s guide to digital accessibility - Scope for business Charity Digital - Topics - An overview of the W3C Accessibility Standards Charity Digital - Topics - Where to start with web accessibility Accessibility Bookmarklets (accessibility-bookmarklets.org) UK laws that cover web accessibility - Scope for business Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Accessibility Checker - ADA & WCAG Compliance (Free Scan) Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools List (w3.org) Top 5 Accessibility Plugins & Widgets Reviews | Top 5 Accessibility
10/3/23 • 29:37
Content people are a nervous bunch. We write in darkness, surrounded by books, shrouded in mystery. Many of us picked our roles precisely because we did not have to speak, or because we could speak through writing. But, on occasion, writers and editors have good ideas. And, on even rarer occasions, we might want to share those ideas, with other people, in the actual real world. The Charity Digital Content Team wanted to improve our delivery on podcasts, reduce our nerves and eliminate stage fright, find a way to minimise the ‘Umms’ and the ‘Likes’, and stop having so many breakdowns. So we decided to read, write, and train ourselves, gaining outside help and help from free sources across the internet, hoping to improve our overall public speaking. In our latest podcast, we discuss some of the great public speaking tips and tricks we have found. We cover how you can boost your confidence, improve delivery, develop your vocal landscape, embrace word power, make the most of your pauses, and so much more. So join a slightly less nervous Charity Digital Content Team as they aim to show off their new public speaking skills.
9/19/23 • 35:30
More than four in five charities are concerned about the impacts of climate change, according to Charity Digital’s recent survey, Climate Change in the UK Charity Sector. Yet only 52% of charities say environmental sustainability features in their strategy. But what do these findings actually say about the charity sector? Charities may well be concerned about climate change, but are they taking meaningful action to address it? If not, what is preventing them from doing so? In this podcast, we explore answers to these questions and more, uncovering what charities think about environmental sustainability as it stands and what steps they can take next to go green. Join Ioan Marc Jones (Content Editor), Josie Sparling (Content Assistant), and Laura Stanley (Content Writer) as they discuss the full findings of the report, available to download now on the Charity Digital website.
9/5/23 • 29:54
2023 has proved another challenging year for the charity sector. The Cost-of-Living crisis has provoked a Cost-of-Giving crisis, meaning many charities have been faced with less funds to deal with increased demand. But, as ever, we’ve seen charities prove their resilience with a host of novel fundraising solutions and creative forms of service delivery. In 2024, charities will go even further. They may flex their muscles with flexible giving, invert expectations with inverse giving, prove anti-social on social media, embrace the art of artificial intelligence, start playing around with Gaming for Good, and so much more. The future of fundraising is a fascinating landscape, with plenty of room for experimentation. Our three Charity Digital guests, Laura Stanley, Lisa Chomette, and Ioan Marc Jones, discuss the above fundraising trends and so many more, explore some of the core challenges and obstacles charities face, look at digital tools that can help with fundraising, and so much more.
8/22/23 • 39:46
How you speak to your audience matters. From building trust, to being clear, showing respect and sensitivity, and differentiating your charity from others, it’s important that you get it right. Using the right tone of voice is about being intentional with your words in order to build the best relationships possible with service users, supporters, and other stakeholders. However, communications can often take a back seat in the charity sector, with crisis after crisis exacerbating more immediate pressures around service delivery and fundraising. In this episode, Charity Digital’s Content Team give a quick guide to cultivating an appropriate tone of voice, including the immediate actionable steps you can take to make sure that your message is both understood by your audience and taken to heart.
8/8/23 • 30:37
Content is ever evolving, and it is now evolving at rapid speed. The content of today looks drastically different to the content of five years ago. And content in five years will look drastically different to the content of today. We want to discuss how it might look, the main changes that may take place, the core trends that are set to define the future of content, and so much more. Our guests discuss the unstoppable growth of video content and livestreaming, the mirroring effect of content creation and social media, the upsurge of nano influencers, the debate around quantity and quality, the dependency on user-generated content, the personalisation of content, and so much more. And, of course, all of that will be underpinned by the rise of generative artificial intelligence. So join our host, Lisa Chomette, as she questions the Charity Digital Content Team on some of the most important content trends that are set to define the next five years.
7/25/23 • 37:44
Three years after the beginning of a global pandemic, and now months into a cost-of-living crisis that shows little signs of slowing, the 2020s have been a tumultuous time for the charity sector. As we leap from crisis to crisis, charities face a rise in demand for their services, concerns over their ability to fundraise, and rising costs themselves in order to keep the lights on. For those working in the charity sector, meeting these challenges over a long period of time can lead to burnout. Recent research revealed that one in four charities are worried about staff burnout, amid problems with employee recruitment and retention. This, in turn, has an impact on services, as half of those organisations with vacancies have been forced to pause them. In this podcast, Charity Digital’s Josie Sparling (Content Assistant, she/her) is joined by colleagues Alice Roche (Chief Operating Officer, she/her), Chiara Simmons-Wood (Event Marketing Executive, she/her), and Laura Stanley (Content Writer, she/her), as they discuss how stress is affecting the charity sector and what charities can do to prevent it in the future. Resources How to help your staff avoid burnout A guide to mental health awareness
7/11/23 • 43:58
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already long impacted our lives, but recent developments in the technology have created a frenzy around its possibilities and risks. While some are excited about saving time and money with new AI technologies, others are sceptical and would much rather proceed with caution. The most common ways AI is used in 2023 are to respond to people via text or email, answer financial questions, plan a travel itinerary, craft an email, prepare for a job interview, write a social media post, and summarise complex or lengthy copy. We want to know how charity professionals think these, and other, uses will impact upon the crucial work of charities. In this episode, Charity Digital Content Writer Laura Stanley (she/her) speaks to CEO Jonathan Chevallier (he/him), Transformation Manager Kiki Tetley (they/them), and Content Editor Ioan Marc Jones (he/him) to learn more about the different perspectives of AI in the charity sector, how it’s already impacting the ways we are working, and how it could impact charity work in the future. Resources CDDO – Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data Gov.UK – National AI Strategy The White House – Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights NIST – AI Risk Management Framework Update on He Jiankui, the scientist who used AI to edit genes: The Guardian – Scientist who edited babies’ genes says he acted ‘too quickly’
6/27/23 • 38:36
There are lots of theories about life working in the charity sector. We’ve heard that it provides huge job satisfaction, that it is bureaucratic and frustrating, that it pays badly or well, that the benefits are few or many. Surveys suggest a sense of fulfilment, but also point to an unhealthy work culture, high expectations to go above and beyond, and a poor work-life balance. So we thought we’d clear the air. We use our knowledge from working with people across the sector, our experience from working in a charity, information collected from surveys and reports, and additional research to explore what it’s really like to work in the charity sector. The podcast covers, among other things, reasons people are attracted to working in the sector, the drawbacks of non-profits, problems we’ve encountered in our research, how charities can improve working life, and so much more. So join our host, Chiara Simmons-Wood, and our Content Team, Josie Sparling, Laura Stanley, and Ioan Marc Jones, to discuss working life in the charity sector and why it might just be the best place for you.
6/13/23 • 35:14
Content bots are a form of generative AI that create content in seconds. ChatGPT, Jasper, and various other platforms generate content at overwhelming speed, averaging around 20-30 seconds to respond, offering complete articles, lists of facts, and even poems. The content bot can provide huge benefits to charities. But they also pose substantial risks, not just in terms of your organisation, but in terms of wider social problems they create. So charities need to practice caution when using content bots, always remembering the various ethical concerns. This podcast will look at content bots, exploring the benefits and drawbacks, but mostly diving into the social, political, and ethical concerns. Our host, Lisa Chomette, is joined by the Charity Digital Content Team who have spent too much of the last month writing about and arguing about content bots.
5/30/23 • 38:35
We discuss how charities can use campaigns to tackle climate change, consider the role of digital technology, and reflect on what we have learnt from our own Climate Action Campaign
5/16/23 • 38:13
Tech has always played a paradoxical role in the history of climate change: as both problem and solution. Tech is one of the main drivers of greenhouse gas emissions and pushes us further into the climate crisis. Tech also helps us to limit our emissions and deal with the various impacts of the climate crisis. The choice rests on humans and our collective choices. We need to ensure that, now and in the future, we use the right tech in the right way, reject catch-all and one-stop solutions, and consider how tech can inform meaningful climate action. In our latest podcast, we touch on solutionism, behavioural change, the importance of green tech, and so much more. Join our host, Lisa Chomette, and our content writers, Josie Sparling, Laura Stanley, and Ioan Marc Jones, to discuss whether technology can save the planet.
5/2/23 • 38:10
This podcast is sponsored by the Public Interest Registry (PIR), the non-profit organisation that powers the .ORG domain. Looking after your cyber security is a constant process. Cyber threats grow more sophisticated, new tools to tackle them arrive on the scene, and charities must stay up-to-date in order to stay secure. In 2022, 30% of charities were able to identify a cyber attack that happened over the last year, with almost two in five of these attacks impacting their services and 19% resulting in a negative outcome. In this podcast, our guests will explore the most common cyber threats that charities are experiencing in 2023 and the best practice they can put in place to prevent or mitigate them. Join our host Lisa Rowland, Charity Digital’s Events Manager, to discuss the latest developments in cyber security with Rick Wilhelm, Chief Technology Officer at PIR.org, Sophie, Economy and Society Resilience Officer at the National Cyber Security Centre, and Laura Stanley, Content Writer at Charity Digital.
4/18/23 • 39:07
Reports of the death of written content have been greatly exaggerated. Blogs were the second most created form of content in 2022, according to research from HubSpot, while reports from Statista found that How To articles were the most popular content formats. Whether it’s a blog, website home page, or a press release, writing is essential for communicating with your audiences, for establishing your charity as an informational authority in its field, and for helping your organisation reach as many as people as possible online. In this podcast, Charity Digital’s content team sit down with our host Lisa Chomette (Head of Partnerships) to discuss the fundamentals of great online writing, what they’ve learned about writing in the charity sector, and some hard and fast rules that can help charities communicate using the written word.
4/4/23 • 33:33
As a team, we are thinking a lot about climate action and how charities can get involved. Our 2023 Climate Action campaign aims to impart those findings to our audience. In this podcast, we think beyond why it’s important to talk about climate change to discussing how we and other charities can talk about climate change. We ask: how can charities talk about this complex issue in ways that are both accurate and make sense to their audience? Join host Lisa Chomette with guests Ioan Marc Jones (Content Editor) and Laura Stanley (Content Writer) to learn how to stay informed about the climate, how to understand your audience, and some of the most useful, interesting, and surprising facts we’ve found in our research.
3/21/23 • 36:54
Charity professionals are all too aware of the cost-of-living crisis. It has posed a dual threat to non-profit organisations: funds decrease as service demand increases. The crisis is the defining issue of 2023, so much so we’ve put it front and centre of our #BeMoreDigital Conference. This year, charities will need to work out how to tackle the challenges arising from the crisis. So in this podcast, we’re going to discuss and provide advice on just that. We will consider, among many other things, the importance of financial sustainability, meeting excessive energy bills, combating cyber threats, treating staff and volunteers fairly, ensuring extra provisions for service users, and so much more. Our host Lisa Chomette is joined by two Charity Digital regulars, Laura Stanley and Ioan Marc Jones, to discuss the cost-of-living crisis, the cost-of-giving crisis, the challenges that will arise, and how your charity can face the crisis head on.
2/28/23 • 39:39