Charity Digital Podcast

Charities of all sizes can reap the benefits of awards and grants. Massive budgets and huge teams are not necessary to get recognised – charities just need a compelling story and the right strategy in order to stand out.   This episode is the first of a three-part podcast series with Public Interest Registry that pulls back the curtain on how to successfully apply for awards, amplify your recognition, and turn visibility into meaningful funding, attention, and donor support.   In this podcast, we're joined by Tony Connor, Senior Director, Product Marketing at Public Interest Registry and Darren Dannelly, President & CEO of The Center for Courageous Kids, who will walk us through what makes an application shine. Our guests will talk candidly about crafting a standout submission, how to showcase impact with clarity, and what judges actually look for.   Whether you're a first-time applicant or refining for a second shot, this is your inside edge.  Find out more about the .ORG Impact Awards: https://pir.org/for-orgs/org-impact-awards/

We know that digital technology can be transformative in helping charities achieve their goals, whether it's reaching new supporters or delivering more services. But there remain challenges around how inclusive digital technology is, with millions of people in the UK unable to get online.   This is a particular issue for the charity sector, whose purpose is reaching as many people as possible, from supporters to beneficiaries. Indeed, our report, Digital inclusion in the UK charity sector, revealed that 82% of charities are concerned about digital inclusion, with more than half finding it difficult to reach service users due to problems with digital technology. In 2024, we launched a digital inclusion campaign to help address these problems. In this podcast, we explore what we've learned about digital inclusion as part of our campaign, sharing insights from our report and from working closely with charities engaged in tackling the issue.  Join us as we discover more about charity attitudes towards digital inclusion and what they can do to prioritise it in the future.  Useful resources: Dr Emma Stone: AI shifts the goalposts of digital inclusion Digital Inclusion Hub

Charities are mission-led organisations, with service delivery at their core. They help to uphold society with vastly ranging activities such as personal care, advice, research, advocacy, care for animals, environmental protection, community and cultural activities, religious events, and so much more. But too often, the conditions that charities work within can get in the way. Recent years have financially squeezed charities, putting pressure on the services they deliver, and harming the communities who use them. Working to achieve their ideals with limited time can also leave charities tied to traditional ways of operating, lacking the opportunity to overhaul their approach to be more effective, efficient, and empowering to those who use services. In this podcast, we explore how charities are making the best of the current service delivery landscape, improving services with digital, and engaging with service users in new ways. Have your say! Take our Reimagining Services survey: https://charitydigital.org.uk/topics/reimagining-services-take-our-survey-11931

Understanding artificial intelligence (AI) in 2025 feels like a mammoth task, with new tools emerging out of seemingly nowhere at a time where we're trying to get to grips with the existing ones.   For charities, the process of getting to know AI is yet harder. With a low threshold for risk, and vital services needing to be funded and delivered, charities have limited time and resource to dedicate to AI, despite its future potential to make charity operations more efficient and give us that time back.  This podcast aims to help. In this episode, we are joined by Adam Graham, Managing Director of Qlic IT, to discuss the opportunities and use cases of AI in the charity sector. We explore how AI can be used in the charity sector, how to create an effective AI policy, and share practical advice for your next steps on the AI journey.  Resources: Qlic IT for charities Charity Digital AI Hub

When websites and other elements of the digital world are poorly designed, people with disabilities experience significant barriers, causing frustration and getting in the way of independent daily life.  According to the Charity Digital Skills Report 2023, 58% of charities say their products and services are accessible to some extent, while 53% feel they are monitoring accessibility and diversity of users effectively.  As a sector, we can do better. In this podcast, recorded at Charity Digital's Digital Inclusion Summit in June 2024, we are joined by a panel of experts to share advice and learnings to help the charity sector improve its digital accessibility. You can find the video recording and additional resources here. Host: Tara Lee, Account Manager, Charity Digital Panel:  Avneet Jagpal, Accessibility Specialist, ReciteMe Kwesi Afful, Executive Director of Digital and Marketing, Scope Joe Chidzik, Principal Accessibility Consultant, AbilityNet

Social media can feel dizzying. Platforms are fast-moving, ever-evolving, and always demanding, with new rules, new trends, new styles, and so on. It can be tough to keep up. And charities can post without considering their users, their audience, even their own communities. That means posts can exclude the very people you want to serve.  This podcast, hosted by Prue Watson, Senior Social Media Manager at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) will delve into some practical tips for social media accessibility, including how to add and write image descriptions, how to use emojis and hashtags, and how to make your video content accessible. The session was recorded at our Digital Inclusion Summit in June 2024. You can find the the video recording and additional resources here. 

Charities are tempting targets for cyber attacks, as custodians of sensitive data and funds needed to deliver critical services. But with concepts like multifactor authentication, access controls, and patch management to contend with, looking after your cyber security can seem like a daunting prospect, particularly when coupled with limited resources and technical knowledge.  However, cyber security needn't be intimidating. Many of the scariest sounding concepts can be relatively simple. With the right training and technology to help, charities can empower everyone in their organisation to look after their cyber security, from the newest volunteer to the most senior board member. In this podcast, recorded at Charity Digital's Digital Inclusion Summit in June 2024, Rick Wilhelm, Chief Technology Officer at PIR.org (the organisation that powers the .Org domain name), we explore how charities can create a fear-free means culture around cyber security, with response plans, education, and tips on how to spot potential cyber threats.  You can find the slides and video recording here, as well as more sessions from the Digital Inclusion Summit 2024.

Good Things Foundation is the UK's leading digital inclusion charity, powering the National Digital Inclusion Network, National Databank, and National Device Bank. In this podcast, recorded at Charity Digital's Digital Inclusion Summit in June 2024, Good Things' Group CEO Helen Milner OBE gives an overview of Digital Nation 2024 - why digital inclusion matters, what is already happening to fix the digital divide, and what more needs to be done - including by the next UK Government - for a digitally inclusive nation.  You can find the video recording and slides here.

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

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

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.

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. 

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 

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) 

​​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. 

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

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. 

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.   

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.

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? 

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.

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. 

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

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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

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'

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

User personas are an essential tool for charities. They are fictional representations or archetypes created to help you target and optimise various aspects of charity operations. Personas allow your charity to segment users, practice precise targeting for marketing campaigns, streamline volunteer management, improve donor recruitment and retention, and even boost efficiency around service delivery. Simply put, personas can drastically enhance so many elements of your charity's work. Our podcast aims to deep dive into user personas. We hope to cover, among many other things, definitions of user personas, the many benefits that they bring, how charities can develop personas, how they can use such personas, and the challenges they may face on the journey. Our host, Ioan Marc Jones, will be joined by Angela Richmond of RedFox Research and Jen Lowthrop of Feel Good Do Good to discuss the details around user personas and offer top tips to making them work for you. 

In 2020 alone, gaming platform Twitch raised $83M for charitable causes. While it might have started as a niche avenue, with only a few charities playing around on YouTube and Twitch, Gaming for Good has now become an enormous fundraising opportunity, one that also allows charities to reach a new – and generous – demographic.  This podcast will help charities navigate this fresh and exciting fundraising world. Each member of our panel possesses a distinct experience within the world of Gaming for Good, ranging from campaigners to streamers themselves. The panel will explore the basics of using the platform for fundraising, how to get started, the best ways to approach streamers, and how to create a safe and accessible environment for all participants. And, of course, each of our wonderful panelists will talk about their own unique and varied experiences with Gaming for Good.   

It is not a legal requirement for UK charities to report on their environmental impact. Though sustainability is becoming an increasing concern to donors, beneficiaries, and investors, it can be difficult for charities to discuss their green credentials publicly and harder yet for them to know where to start building them.   In this podcast, Charity Digital's host Laura Stanley (Content Writer) sits down with three charities from across the UK charity sector who have established their environmental policy already and have embraced environmental sustainability internally within their organisation.  Join Katherine McAlpine, Director at The Brunel Museum; Amy Moore, Sustainability Manager at Marie Curie; and Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, CEO of Keep Britain Tidy as they discuss what charities can do internally to embed environmental sustainability.   Resources  Charity Digital's Climate Action Hub  Marie Curie's Environmental Policy  The Brunel Museum's Sustainability Policy   Keep Britain Tidy's manifesto 

There are now tech platforms to support almost every aspect of your charity's work and operations. Each year, shiny new software and glittering platforms pop up, all promising to make your fundraising better, your services faster, and your marketing more targeted.  But with so much choice, how do you convince senior stakeholders that one thing is more valuable to your mission than another? It's all about communicating the return on investment (ROI).  We explore the different meanings of ROI including monetary investment, increased productivity, growth in service users and donors, process improvements, and targeting audiences. This podcast will leave you with confidence and an action plan to evaluate and articulate the ROI in new technology initiatives.

Language: it may be easy to take it for granted but where would we be without it? You would not be reading this sentence, and I would not be writing it. Most importantly, you would not have the opportunity to hear the insights of our wonderful experts today – and then where would we be? In the work of charities, language can be a tool for many things, from building connections to tackling injustice. In this podcast, we explore how to use your words online, including tone, voice, inclusivity, accessibility, and impact. We use our varied experience to explore some of the key considerations for charities to communicate more intentionally and effectively online. Join host Lisa Chomette with guests Ioan Marc Jones (Content Editor), Laura Stanley (Content Writer), and Grace Monnery (Communications Executive) for a gripping discussion of all things language.

Our latest podcast includes a discussion with people who have first-hand experience of using digital to achieve less with more. Justine Currell, Executive Director at Unseen, explains how smarter tech has allowed the charity to vastly maximise their services and save lives through swift action.

Over the past three years the sector has been required to adapt to changes like never before. Overnight charities plummeted into a virtual world of fundraising, ‘pivoting' and ‘hybrid' became part of everyday conversations, and service delivery depended on digital solutions. Now that we are well and truly out of the pandemic, fundraising is returning to a new normal.  In this podcast, our speakers from Mind explore how their community fundraising team responded digitally to the pandemic, specifically putting a lens on DIY fundraising and products. They share experiences of Mind's first innovation sprint, as well as the rise of the Facebook challenges. The speakers also look to the future and the new landscape of fundraising, discuss lessons from the past two years, and look at how fundraising may change in the future. 

COVID-19 drastically altered the landscape of fundraising. It undermined long-standing traditions, old assumptions, and ingrained expectations, and paved the way towards a brighter, more dynamic, and more digital future. Charities found stability in 2022, or at least some version of stability, but were immediately struck by new political, economic, and cultural challenges. In this podcast, Charity Digital's very own Nick Wyatt (Growth Marketing Executive) is joined by colleagues Ioan Marc Jones (Content Editor) and Laura Stanley (Content Writer) to reflect on the challenges, the difficulties, and the opportunities that will arrive in 2023. The episode touches upon the latest fundraising ideas, trends, tech, platforms, changes, including the various way you can mitigate the cost-of-giving crisis. We also explore staff and volunteer retention, issues around legitimacy on social media platforms, the importance of donor journeys, and much more. 

Cancer awareness messages usually encourage people to check themselves, look out for various symptoms, or potentially go for a test. But for prostate cancer, there's no clear call to action, so it can be tricky. Prostate Cancer UK developed the 30-second Risk Checker to solve that problem and make effective public health campaigns possible. It led to the largest-ever charity partnership with NHS England – a campaign to find the 14,000 men whose cancer had gone undiagnosed due to the pandemic. In this episode, Sadie Crabtree, Head of Marketing and Platforms at Prostate Cancer UK, explores the development of the Risk Checker and shows other charities how to use behavioural science to increase their impact, how to make the most of usability testing and analytics, how digital insights can vastly improve understanding of user needs, and much more.

The world can sometimes feel a little gloomy. But it's always worth remembering that thousands of people dedicate time, money, and resources to charities every single day. Even now, in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, in the midst of multiple economic challenges, donations remain strong, with fundraising campaigns continuing amid the various pressures. We want to celebrate fundraising efforts throughout the year. We want to look back at 2022 and discuss our favourite campaigns, our favourite charities, and our favourite events. We want to discuss the different ways that charities have raised money, the appeals that have had an impact, the new techniques that have made a difference. In our first Christmas podcast, members of the Charity Digital team discuss the various challenges, trends, and campaigns that caught our eye throughout 2022.

Our latest podcast explores the different aspects of developing and implementing a digital strategy. Each of the guests brings a different perspective to the practice of creating a digital strategy, as leaders, as consultants and advisors, and as professionals in the charity sector. Areas explored in the podcast include the most important elements to consider in developing and implementing a digital strategy, how to overcome the barriers to implementing your digital strategy, and the differences between implementing digital strategy in smaller charities and implementing in larger charities.

The Charity Digital podcast started more than three years ago with old headphones, not much sense of direction, and perhaps a little too much ambition. But now, as we speed past our 100th episode, we are growing and growing, with professional equipment, backing tracks and editing software, external thought leaders and internal experts, and still too much ambition. Our podcast was born in February 2019. In our first month, we received less than 100 listens. By November 2022, on the other hand, we have reached 37k listens from people across the world, tuning in to hear us discuss climate change, the state of fundraising, online giving, and so much more. So we want to dedicate an episode to growing a podcast. We want listeners to learn from our many mistakes, to embrace our few successes. We have accumulated a dream team of guests: three people who have appeared on perhaps too many podcasts, three people who have built a rapport over months of recorded arguing, three people who will share all their limited wisdom. So join Laura Stanley, Nick Wyatt, and Ioan Marc Jones to get all your tips on how to grow a podcast.

Social media is an essential tool for charities, in terms of raising awareness, increasing reach, meeting demands of service users, and much more. But it's become increasingly important as a fundraising tool, helping charities to share their impact and find droves of new donors. But charities need to use the tool in the right way. Our latest episode makes it easy. We show you how much you can achieve by dedicating just 25 minutes per day to fundraising on social media. Jen Lowthrop, Digital Consultant and Agile Coach at Feel Good Do Good, shares top tips on how you can help build social media fundraising through a number of small and simple tasks.