Charity Digital Podcast

Welcome to the new podcast from Charity Digital: The Charity Digital Agenda.   Every month we’ll be interviewing charity professionals and digital experts to find out what technology they value and what they have learned in their digital work.   In this episode, Laura (Charity Digital’s Content Manager) is joined by Alice Kershaw, Head of Digital Transformation at The Wildlife Trusts. Alice talks ...

What constitutes good cyber security in 2026?   The cyber security landscape is always evolving, particularly in the wake of artificial intelligence. With almost three in ten charities experiencing a cyber breach or attack between 2025 and 2026, it is important that the sector keeps pace with the threat and knows what robust cyber security looks like in a challenging environment.  In this podcast,...

The world of digital fundraising has grown considerably since 2020, with three in five donations now being made online. It has become so normalised, in fact, that you might expect us to be able to drive donations online by rote. But the world of digital technology changes all the time and donor behaviour evolves – fundraising strategies must evolve with them in order to provide seamless supporter...

Storytelling is a very important part of charity work – it boosts their ability to fundraise, helps them to reach and motivate more supporters, and as we’ll see in this podcast, gain more recognition for their hard work in serving their communities.   This episode gives nonprofits and mission-driven leaders practical tips on how to create award-winning submissions. We are joined by Megan Waters, D...

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 recognit...

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, fro...

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 fi...

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...

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...

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 Man...

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 securi...

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 th...

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 t...

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 the...

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...

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, incl...

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 significan...

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 a...

​​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...

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...

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 w...

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...

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 shifte...

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 a...

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...