Virgin Money has announced the closure of Virgin Money Giving (VGM). The announcement follows a strategic review of the fundraising platform following the end of its partnership with the London Marathon. The closure is massive news for the UK charity sector, as it raises important questions about the viability of donation platforms, the viability of older models, and the future of fundraising. Today’s podcast explores the future of fundraising considering VGM’s closure. The podcast will discuss, among other things, how big players are challenging the peer-to-peer model, the viability of third-party fundraising platforms, and the need for charities to futureproof against potential risks. Our host, Raabia Fazil (Customer Service Manager at Charity Digital) is joined by Meredith Niles (Former Executive Director of Fundraising and Engagement at Marie Curie UK), Matt Smith (Senior Consultant at Think Consulting Solutions), and Heather Stanley (Fundraising and Marketing Manager at Wycombe Homeless Connection) to discuss the future of online fundraising platforms.

Choosing the right CRM can be difficult. Most charities undertake a major software review less than every five years, making it a daunting project requiring a lot of big decision-making.  With so many options available, all wrapped up in hefty jargon and acronyms galore, charities often struggle to pick the CRM that best suits them. But worry not. We are here to help.  In this podcast, Charity Digital's host Lisa Chomette is joined by Colin Grove, Head of Data at London's Air Ambulance, and Asher Simpson, Principal Account Executive at Blackbaud Europe, as they discuss the benefits of CRM systems for charities, the key considerations when it comes to implementing them, and the cultural impact of getting it right.

Charity Digital has been hosting a podcast for more than two years. We’ve learned a lot of important information in that time. We’ve mostly learnt what not to do. For today’s podcast, Nick Wyatt is joined by Lynsey Sweales, CEO at SocialB, Bex Rae Evans, host of the Tech for Good Live podcast, and Samuel Davies, producer and chair of the Charity Chat podcast. We come together to reflect on our shortcomings and discuss how we might do things differently a second time around. The conversation will cover the mistakes to avoid, the things you won’t want to avoid, and some post-production nuggets of wisdom that’ll help your podcast stand out in a crowded field.  We hope you enjoy the recording!  

Over the past year, charities in the UK and across the world have understandably focussed on immediate solutions, finding short-term fixes to short-term problems. But the emphasis on the short-term means that charities have often overlooked, neglected, or simply ignored elements of charity work that promote sustainability. That is particularly true when it comes to financial management - and that's a problem. Today’s podcast aims to help. Host Ioan Marc Jones is joined by Braam du Plooy, Finance Controller at Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Joan Benson, Director of Non-profit Industry Marketing at Sage Intacct, to explore the state of financial management in the UK charity sector.  The podcast covers the contributing factors to low financial literacy, how charities can improve financial literacy, how improvements can benefit the charity sector, and so much more.

The charity sector is experiencing burnout. Many of us are feeling fed-up with the persistence of COVID-19. We are frustrated by the permanence of transition, the promise of the so-called new normal that never arrives. We are struggling to find enthusiasm amid the ever-growing list of compliance and logistic demands, all stemming from constant change.     Simply put, the UK charity sector is feeling a little tired. Today’s podcast addresses burnout that is felt across the country – and particularly in the charity sector. It will explore how charities can counter burnout by supporting staff and volunteers, ensure a healthy work-life balance, tackle post-lockdown anxiety, and much more.    To discuss burnout in the charity sector, our Charity Digital host Sacha Dhabalia is joined by esteemed colleagues Stewart Barber (Client Account Specialist), Lisa Chomette (Business Development Manager), and Mimi Morrill (Events Manager).  

Back in May 2021, we hosted #BeMoreDigital Marketing Day. Throughout the event, we hosted five fantastic sessions covering some of the most important digital marketing topics for charities. Now, we’re releasing some of these as podcasts for you to listen to any time!  With a small team of just three paid staff, 15 Square were struggling to find the time and resources to market the great work they do. They had lots of content and resources available for people, but all tucked away on their website, hard to find. They needed to continue supporting their vulnerable service users, whilst reaching and acquiring new ones. In 2020, they decided to hire a digital marketer to make their organisation more discoverable, create new, informative content, drive more website traffic and increase their overall engagement.  Within just ten months they were seeing a return on investment. Their social media following increased by 337%, their website traffic was up by 407%, and their member sign ups more than doubled. In this session, Louise joins us to tell you all about why their small charity chose to invest in the talent and expertise of a digital marketer and the impact they’ve seen from this. 

In March 2020, we held our annual #BeMoreDigital Conference virtually.  Now, we're bringing you some of the best sessions as podcast episodes for you to enjoy!  The Data Protection Act of 2018, commonly known as GDPR, has now been in place for nearly three years. Most organisations will have seen their working environment has changed drastically since GDPR was first enforced. But charities are still dealing with large amounts of sensitive data on a daily basis. Now that you find yourself in a new operating environment, it's a great time to revisit your data security approach.   In this episode from the conference, The National Cyber Security Centre will present their GDPR Security Outcomes, written jointly with the ICO. They’ll help you to understand whether you are still taking appropriate measures to secure your data.

Charities Against Hate (CAH) recently released 16 recommendations for social media companies to tackle online abuse. The recommendations arrive as the government aims to introduce the Online Safety Bill. The Bill will establish more regulation for social media platforms, but CAH are concerned the Bill may not do enough to protect the most vulnerable. Today’s podcast will take a look at what charities can do to tackle online hate. We will discuss, among other things, short-term actions charities can take and long-term goals they can develop, how charities can support staff and volunteers, and what social media companies should be doing to tackle online abuse.  Our host Nick Wyatt is joined by Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Alex Hodges, Head of Corporate Comms and Public Affairs at Help for Heroes, and Aisling Green, Digital Marketing Strategist at Parkinson’s UK.

Although life is returning (somewhat) to normal, our working practices are still a grey area. Some charities continue to work from home full-time. Others are embracing the office once again. Many are adopting a combination of the two.    This week, we discuss findings from Blackbaud's ‘Future of Work’ report and what these mean for the charity office landscape. Among other things, our speakers chat about our changing expectations of the office and how these will impact charity leadership, diversity and technology.   Alison Lowe, Chief Executive at Touchstone, and Phil Hunt, Campaign Marketing Manager at Blackbaud Europe, join Nick Wyatt, Growth Marketing Executive at Charity Digital, for today's episode.  Click here to download the Future of Work report for free! 

This podcast is sponsored by Salesforce.org - the dedicated social impact team of Salesforce that delivers technology to nonprofits, educational institutions, and philanthropic organisations so they can connect with others and do more good. In today’s podcast episode, we discuss findings from the Salesforce.org Global Online Fundraising Scorecard Report. The report analyses the online giving experience of over 600 organisations. It's fascinating findings reveal the state of online giving right now. This includes the successes and pitfalls of charities across the globe.  We discuss, among other things, what these findings mean for charities in practice. We chat about persona building, user design and emailing. We also consider the importance of a frictionless giving experience and what charities can do to keep donors coming back.  Charity Digital’s host, Raabia Fazil (Customer Service Manager), is joined by Andréa Goezinne (Product Marketing Manager at Salesforce.org), and Brady Josephson (Managing Director, Next After Institute). Click here to download and read the free report!