Charity Digital Podcast

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?