Reason Digital articles

Six ways to increase online donations

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000

Donations are what drives many a charity. Here are a few sound techniques to get more people to donate and help further your cause.Donations are what drives many a charity. Here are a few sound techniques to get more people to donate and help further your cause.

Five great Christmas campaigns

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +0000

December is a busy time of year for charities, with donations 5% higher than other months. How are you convincing people to choose to donate to your charity? December is a busy time of year for charities, with donations 5% higher than other months. How are you convincing people to choose to donate to your charity?

Five trends to look for in 2012

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:24:00 +0000

It's 2012 and the Internet keeps surprising us with new technologies and trends. Here are five things charities should be doing in 2012. As well as saving money and cutting costs, charities shoud be looking at new ways to facilitate online and mobile giving, promoting volunteering and making giving more compelling.

Come to the Manchester Work Away Day

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

If you work for a charity or social enterprise near Manchester you should come to our social 'work away day' where you can get work done and network with likeminded people from similar organisations on 24th of Feb 2012, in central Manchester.

How charities are campaigning using augmented reality

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:40:00 +0000

Augmented reality is becoming more prominent as a marketing tool, but can be expensive to experiemnt with without it contributing to your organisation's goals. Charities such as CoppaFeel! and Save the Children have recently launched innovative campaigns using augmented reality.

Resources for data journalists

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:24:00 +0000

Alist of useful videos, blogs, website, books, research papers and tweeters to help data journalists find and work with data.

Why social housing should be 'Digital by Default'

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:17:00 +0000

Technology is the only way to meet the twin imperatives of social housing: letting landlords deliver more for less while fulfilling core social commitments to tenants: increasing financial literacy, education, employability, reducing social isolation.

How charities are using games to engage online

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Games can appeal to different audiences and serve many different purposes. They're used to raise donations, to tell people about your cause and even to teach them important skills.

Measuring your charity website's impact with Google Analytics

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:38:00 +0100

Increasingly websites are not only being used for marketing services or campaigns, but actually delivering them too. That means if we don't pay attention to our web analytics, we're missing a huge chunk of our impact. Increasingly websites are not only being used for marketing services or campaigns, but actually delivering them too. That means if we don't pay attention to our web analytics, we're missing a huge chunk of our impact.

How social media mobilised social good during the England riots and looting

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 11:05:00 +0100

Social media was one of many things blamed for recent rioting and looting in England, but it also helped the police gather evidence and bring the perpetrators to justice. Facebook and Twitter helped the public stay safe during the rioting and helped organise and mobilise volunteers in a co-ordinated cleanup operation in the aftermath.

Using data to improve your campaigning

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:00:00 +0100

Data is more important than ever, but finding reliable data can be tricky. Charities can use information from a range of sources, including central and local government, the NHS, Universities and Freedom of Information requests to support their work and prove the need for their services. Search engines can also unlock a wealth of information.

Seven tools to make boring data beautiful

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:45:00 +0100

Your statistics should be eye-catching and inventive if they're going to be memorable. It's not as difficult as you might think to create fancy graphs and presentations - here are just a few of (mostly) free online tools that could help.

Taking the effort out of blogging

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:08:00 +0100

Blogging is hard work. You’ve got to create a strategy, write the posts continuously, and spend hours promoting the posts across different channels to try and pull your audience in. It might all sound like too much to deal with on top of the rest of your duties. Blogging is hard work. You’ve got to create a strategy, write the posts continuously, and spend hours promoting the posts across different channels to try and pull your audience in. It might all sound like too much to deal with on top of the rest of your duties.

Five brilliant ways to report your impact

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:14:00 +0100

Some charities are leading the way in reporting their impact in ways that their supporters, funders and service users find engaging and compelling. Some feature prominent photographs, others use quirkiness and creativity to make a point in a different way, but all present a vast amount of information and data using a small amount of numbers. How can your website report your impact in a way your paper reports can't?

What Google+ means for your charity

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:06:00 +0100

Google's new social network Google Plus introduces a number of collaboration tools which can be beneficial for charities and other socially-motivated organiations. Circles let you message themed groups of contacts, Sparks let you draw together themed content from across the web and Hangout lets you participate in videoconferences. With the Plus 1 button, supporters can share and promote your content.

The three biggest risks for charity bloggers

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:10:00 +0100

There are three worries that stop some would-be bloggers. That what they write won’t be read, that if it does get read it won’t benefit their organisation in any way, and that they open themselves up to negative or just plain crazy comments. There are three worries that stop some would-be bloggers. That what they write won’t be read, that if it does get read it won’t benefit their organisation in any way, and that they open themselves up to negative or just plain crazy comments.

What are blogs, and do they get results?

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:19:00 +0100

Twitter and Facebook may have overtaken blogs in the headlines, but blogs still remain one of the best ways to generate new audiences for your organisation.

21 winning charity blog post ideas

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:59:00 +0100

The key to a successful charity blog is that the benefits work both ways. You publish interesting, inspiring and useful content about your cause which in turn attracts people with an interest in your field to your blog, website, brand and, hopefully, your supporter base. The key to a successful charity blog is that the benefits work both ways. You publish interesting, inspiring and useful content about your cause which in turn attracts people with an interest in your field to your blog, website, brand and, hopefully, your supporter base.

How to use analytics to generate new insights about your charity

Tue, 31 May 2011 09:38:00 +0100

It's time to stop thinking of your webstats as, well, webstats. If you've put your organisation on the web, then webstats are just stats... stats about you, your supporters, your service users and your cause. It's time to stop thinking of your webstats as, well, webstats. If you've put your organisation on the web, then webstats are just stats... stats about you, your supporters, your service users and your cause.

Save time and money using the web

Fri, 27 May 2011 09:30:00 +0100

Three simple changes to the way you deal with information and comms could save you tens of thousands of pounds a year, as well as weeks of time. We take a look at Google Docs as an MS Office replacement, publishing your next Annual Review online, and thinking about how your website and enewsletter could replace expensive printed resources.

How to run an email social marketing campaign

Mon, 16 May 2011 20:39:00 +0100

The three most important elements of any campaign is to plan, execute and evaluate. Plan what you're going to say, make sure you're saying the right things to the right people at the right time, and evaluate your results so that each of your social marketing messages is better than the last.

Using email to change minds and influence behaviour

Mon, 16 May 2011 20:32:00 +0100

Public sector organisations often employ the techniques of social marketing in their messages, but what additional barriers do they face?

Help your volunteers help your digital campaigning

Tue, 10 May 2011 08:08:00 +0100

For many organisations, their supporters are their biggest asset, but are not used to their full potential. Use your supporter's networks, skills and enthusiasm and give them the right to tools to become great ambassadors for your organisation and your cause.

Creative ways charities are connecting with people using the web

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:12:00 +0100

The internet isn't all enewsletters and webpages. Charities are finding new, creative and often free ways to connect with service users and supporters.The internet isn't all enewsletters and webpages. Charities are finding new, creative and often free ways to connect with service users and supporters.

Ten email newsletter tools compared

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:41:00 +0100

Are you missing out on the benefits of enewsletters because you’re still trying fighting Outlook Express to try and send broadcasts to your supporters? Getting the right tool for the job can boost your results, and make the process much less time consuming and stressful. We look at 10 of the best tools, including our pick of the bunch, Mailchimp.

Make your charity campaign stand out with an interactive YouTube video

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0100

Campaign videos are evolving and are no longer constrained to a linear, pre-determined narreative. Use YouTube annotations to make dynamic, interactive videos where viewers can choose how the story unfolds or ends and tell more engaging stories.

Five ways to build a community using Facebook Pages

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 14:02:00 +0100

Facebook is now better equipped for organisations to better manage communications with their supporters, express their brands, and increase engagement. Use new features such as featured photos to highlight your cause and celebrate supporters, feature complimentary Pages and start using Facebook to promote your brand in groups, on other pages and in your supporters' newsfeeds.

Work with us

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0100

We're looking for talented web developers who want to get involved in social good.We're looking for talented web developers who want to get involved in social good.

Five of the best charity Facebook pages

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:09:00 +0100

Is your organisation presenting itself professionally on Facebook? Make the right impression with a branded Facebook Page which you can use to present information, statistics, videos and human stories. Make it easy for Facebook users to donate, subscribe or volunteer without ever having to leave Facebook.

What your charity can learn from video games

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Video games are becoming more popular every day. They aren't just confined to dark rooms, PCs or even consoles any more. They are now on your phone, on Facebook and everywhere else. Websites are even taking elements from games to become more successful. Here are a few techniques you can learn from video games to make your charity campaign even better.

5 ways to get results from your charity's digital comms

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:28:00 +0000

Get the web working for you in 2011 by making sure people can find your site, newsletter or social media profile, that they find it interesting, that it demonstrates your impact, that it allows allow people to take action online and that you use it to build relationships with potential and existing supporters.

Ten steps to better email newsletters

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 09:00:00 +0000

People are suffering from information overload. Around 80% of charity e-mails remain unopened and only 3.5% of those opened result in a click through to your website. Make your emails more attractive by improving your subject lines, and write about the issues important to your subscribers, providing clear calls to action that benefit both your reader and your organisation.

Making an accessible campaign video

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Your organisation has a promising campaign video in the bag - great. You're enthusiastic to get it out into the public, uploaded to YouTube. However, before you jump right into it, have you stopped to consider how you could make your campaign video accessible to a wider audience?

Essential tools for creating mobile content

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:37:00 +0000

Journalism is changing. Nowadays, it is easier than ever for your volunteers and staff to produce news, right from their mobile phone. If you're near a breaking news event relevant to your cause and you own a smartphone, you're able to take pictures, videos and post to social media and blogs, often before journalists even arrive at the scene.

Your BBC: opportunities and challenges for the Third Sector

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:35:00 +0000

As the BBC makes its move to MediaCity and new technologies emerge, how can those working with vulnerable groups and tackling the most challenging issues, work with the BBC to get their message across and win proper representation? What challenges does this pose for the BBC itself? How can these be overcome?

Improving website usability with Information Architecture

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:40:00 +0000

If people aren't engaging with your website, try focusing on why the user visits your website, what they're looking for and how you can help them get there. Researching and building good Information Architecture helps your user get the best experience possible from your website.

Mind the gap

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:10:00 +0000

In our 'Lunchworks' event, voice-over artist Emma Clarke came along to talk about her work and the art of diversification. Videos and transcriptions of the event are now available to view here. In our 'Lunchworks' event, voice-over artist Emma Clarke came along to talk about her work and the art of diversification. Videos and transcriptions of the event are now available to view here.

Ten UK charity fundraising websites compared

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:17:00 +0100

Fundraising websites have been in the news recently as charities complain about them being too expensive, or for using their information without permission. So how do the major UK fundraising websites compare?

Diversifying the Board: Engaging and involving young people in charity governance

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 09:51:00 +0100

A free event for charity trustees, chairs and CEOs who are interested in diversifying their board by encouraging young people to become trustees but are unsure how to go about it. Talks, presentations and a Q&A session with The British Youth COuncil, Young Advisors and The University of Salford Students' Union.

How to spot a bad charity website

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:03:00 +0100

Most charity websites fail. They fail their beneficiaries, their supporters, their funders and the causes they're set up to support. Paying attention to a few details can help your nonprofit's website rise out of the doldrums and start working for you.

Getting the best out of your charity's email communications

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:30:00 +0100

Only around 20% of non-profit e-mails are actually opened, so how do you make sure your message is getting through to your supporters? In short, be interesting, relevant & personal, send it to the right people at the right time, have a clear objective for each communication, make sure you provide a clear call to action, monitor your results and make your next email even better.

Whose future is it anyway? Calling time on the big society.

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:51:00 +0100

Scotland's leading public intellectual Gerry Hassan invites us to go beyond the big society.

Charity websites are more than marketing

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:21:00 +0100

Government cuts to advertising and marketing are cascading down to departments and to the charities they fund. Charities are realising their websites should be about service delivery, engaging supporters and reporting impact, not simply advertising their existence, but why aren't funders getting the message?

5 ways charities should be using Foursquare

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:38:00 +0100

Foursquare lets people share infomation about places in the world, and tell their friends where they are. It's tipped to be 'the next Twitter'. So how should you be using it?

BBC Corporate Responsibility Report 2010

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:01:00 +0100

For the second year, we've helped the BBC report the impact of their community outreach work by producing an accessible Corporate Responsibility Report.For the second year, we've helped the BBC report the impact of their community outreach work by producing an accessible Corporate Responsibility Report.

Staying positive in a nonprofit workplace

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:18:00 +0100

Working in the non-profit sector can be a very demanding and challenging job and people often feel unappreciated. Working in the non-profit sector can be a very demanding and challenging job and people often feel unappreciated.

Seven great charity campaign videos

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:25:00 +0100

Most organisations know how a quick video upload to a site like YouTube can reap benefits: huge web traffic in a fast time for nothing. But let’s face it, some charity videos are do not live up to their message. So let’s look at how a little investment and a little innovation have led to some of the most effective charity videos on the net.

Is your message getting through?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:50:00 +0000

We gave a brief talk about getting the best out of email newsletters at Charity Comms' quarterly seminar in London on 16th September.We gave a brief talk about getting the best out of email newsletters at Charity Comms' quarterly seminar in London on 16th September.

Social media training

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:48:00 +0000

Join us for a session providing tips & tools for nonprofits already using Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube to spread the word.Join us for a session providing tips & tools for nonprofits already using Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube to spread the word.

A Learning Revolution

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:41:00 +0000

See how we inspired learning in Manchester as part of the Government's Learning Revolution Festival.See how we inspired learning in Manchester as part of the Government's Learning Revolution Festival.

Spotlight: BBC CSR Report

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:38:00 +0100

We take a look at the challenges of producing the BBCs 08/09 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. We take a look at the challenges of producing the BBCs 08/09 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

Work for us

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:36:00 +0100

If you're a Python or PHP developer, then this is a rare opportunity to help social causes by doing what you love ...and get paid for it too.If you're a Python or PHP developer, then this is a rare opportunity to help social causes by doing what you love ...and get paid for it too.

Spotlight: One Central Place

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:26:00 +0000

When we think of changing the world, we think of a man stood with his shopping in front of a tank, historic speeches and protests... When we think of changing the world, we think of a man stood with his shopping in front of a tank, historic speeches and protests...

Best practices: Web site design for nonprofits

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:26:00 +0000

We've been quoted in a new ebook by communications consultant and nonprofit expert Gayle Thornsen.We've been quoted in a new ebook by communications consultant and nonprofit expert Gayle Thornsen.

Are you really online?

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:23:00 +0000

Find out what a pizza delivery service can tell your organisation about the future of your website.Find out what a pizza delivery service can tell your organisation about the future of your website.

Digital Communications for Charities conference

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:54:00 +0000

We'll be giving a web workshop for charities on a tight budget at this year's Digital Communications for Charities conference in London.We'll be giving a web workshop for charities on a tight budget at this year's Digital Communications for Charities conference in London.

Calling budding web designers

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:39:00 +0100

If you're at the start of your career in digital, what should you know to make you more than just another web designer in an industry that just keeps growing and growing?If you're at the start of your career in digital, what should you know to make you more than just another web designer in an industry that just keeps growing and growing?

Free software and ethics

Fri, 02 May 2008 14:36:00 +0100

In 1983 one guy had an idea: to be ethical in computing you must give people the rights to read and redistribute the source code of the programs they use.In 1983 one guy had an idea: to be ethical in computing you must give people the rights to read and redistribute the source code of the programs they use.

University careers speed-dating

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:30:00 +0100

We were asked to answer the question "what's it like out there" for 70 students at a speed-dating style careers event at The University of Manchester.We were asked to answer the question "what's it like out there" for 70 students at a speed-dating style careers event at The University of Manchester.