Chris has helped brands including The Woodland Trust, Amnesty International, Oxfam, Sue Ryder, Refuge, Greenpeace and Chester Zoo create sound digital platform strategies.
He’ll be using his vast experience in this area to offers event-goers a valuable view of the near future by discussing the six key themes that he sees emerging within the charity sector over the next 12 months.
I don’t know for certain!You guys know more about charities than I do
But I have worked with a load of charities AMNESTY, WT, OXFAM, REFUGE, GREENPEACE, CHESTER ZOO
So I certainly have a solid outsider’s view of the sector
the problems organisations often face
And in my role, the chance to look at other markets
And digital trends
Divided this into three simple sections
What challenges does the sector face?
I don’t want to teach you to suck eggs, but it’s instructive to quickly recap some of them
They point to which trends and opportunities might be relevant and which might not
if I really (over) simplify the picture of charities in the world
We see people and we see causes and issues.
There are a lot of intermediaries between those two constituents. Catalysts for connecting them.
It’s competitive.
Some are slim layers, technology providers, activism engines
Some are broader, end to end, like charities
What sets you apart is your holistic view from people to action to impact
1. That’s your advantage and our role, through digital must be to strengthen those bonds and use those stories to our advantage
2. WHILST USING DIGITAL TO GET OTHER PEOPLE TO DO MORE STUFF SO THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO
These challenges, what trends might help us counter them?
What have we seen emerging?
What has happened in other markets?
HOW CAN WE DEVOLVE EFFORT TO OTHERS BY BEING SMART?
We’re usually guilty, as marketing types, of putting data and money ahead of everything, and channeling our efforts in certain directions.
And that makes sense. We have to demonstrate value, and that’s tough. It usually comes down to cash.
But we should broaden what we can offer.
Demonstrate some value to the people we actually represent as well as to the people we need help from.
A bit of give and take
BRO
Helps him
Helps you
Might even help scientists find a cure
Share the burden out and crowdsource information & data
Or schemes using hardware down time to crack the structure of proteins…
Demonstrate impact
Build relationships and opportunities to earn
Amazing data & storytelling
Broaden what you can offer
Not money
Value
Think about the people or communities you represent
Plus, people pay for services
We need time, money and effort from supporters
But I don’t think we’re very good at thinking about it from the person’s perspective.
We tend to think in terms of what we need and what technology enables.
We think about quantity and not enough about quality
Some cues from the dating market – think of it as Matchmaking
My amnesty story – I give money. I’d like to do more. But what?
I’m in manchester, I work 50 hours a week, I’ve got three kids and a dog.
Support me with people like me – a community.
Doesn’t even have to be one charity, it could be all of you together, right now.
How to be a better…
Done this, try this…
Watching and taking part in demonstrations I’m always struck by the incredible mixes of organisations and individuals that come together around a common cause.
Work together to maximise your impact
This applies to digital too.
People often Think issues not brands
Particularly environmental or political
If my cause is cancer, where does my money go? Do I have to choose?
Facilitate – open it up to the user to make a more informed choice
Comparethemarket – if you don’t do it, someone else has or will.
Think of viv, looking at the ways to fight austerity in manchester. She’s built a huge spreadsheet of all the orgs that she could be involved with.
Imagine if digital unified them in their common cause.
Yes, help the individual, but help the organisation too.
The concept of open data is pretty scary to a lot of governments and organisations.
But it’s a huge opportunity.
Use open data
1. So people can see the reality of your operations. Look at the daily mail slagging you all off.
You can reassure them.
Promote good business.
2. Tell the story of the impact – and let people create their own stories.
It sets you apart from a mere facilitator or technology
Look at the ODI firestation example.
3. On a practical, operational level, better co-ordinate services and responses with other organisations.
4. Let people work together to find solutions –
Met the laboratory of the city from mexico city at future everything – traxi
But that can just as easily be used to get people like viv working on a solution. She’d bloody love to, given the access.
Two big issues around locality for me
This goes back to my point before about getting involved. I’ve encountered this myself in terms of politics.
I might feel connected to a big shiny national organisation.
But when I look at what I can do on a local level, it all looks a bit inconvenient and flaky and even a bit too bloody worthy frankly. How many groups do I want to join on FB?
OR maybe your global or national organisation feels pretty remote next to the sight of the homeless woman I see sleeping on the street n my way home each night.
Either way, I think digital can help to build connections locally by being hyper relevant to me.
Physical digital can bring issues right home to me in a contextual place
All the more important when consumer brands will colonise our digital spaces sooner rather than later
Use of AR, windows or ibeacons for campaigns, local stats, asks and services.
Deliver services at a local level, Like the use of ibeacons on the tube to help the partially sighted get around.
Dating apps like happn are really interesting. Meeting like minded people. I might work with them and not even know it. Who knows what we might get started together?
Bring the work you do far away into my locality, to inspire and engage me
This can all feel a bit nebulous but it doesn’t have to be.
But there certain organisational challenges, or conditions, that need to be met.
A clear direction
Aligned objectives
With a clear means of demonstrating impact and value
And the culture that enables digital teams to get things done.
Decentralisation trend – to teams and to locations where you are closer to people
Use people, not just your own resources – think viv
It doesn’t need to be polished, rough and ready. That adds to its charm. Prototype
Doesn’t cost the earth
Get the most out of your platform. You need the value.
Think about how the user experience feels
Tailor the experience to the individual