We held a retro with digital, content and communications leaders from a range of charities and not-for-profit organisations to gauge how things are going and share advice on what people are struggling with.

Here’s their pulse check on the sector and some tips on navigating some of the challenges that everyone is facing in their organisations.

Making people feel more comfortable with AI

As the potential of AI continues to grow at pace for charities, we heard people are both anxious about the technology itself, but also about getting left behind too. This is true of senior leadership but also people across the organisation too.

Tackling the discomfort with AI has worked really well for one organisation, where they addressed people’s concerns through internal training and coaching. They have also steered people towards defined platforms and use cases as part of an AI Use Policy, which has made leadership feel more comfortable about how and where their teams use AI.

Ideas to try:

  • Approach your AI policy as a learning programme for your teams and leadership.

  • Use this AI policy template to help with a framework for your use cases and things to consider

Navigating internal attitudes and buy-in to user research

We talked about how sometimes embarking on user-centred design can be difficult because of people’s fears or discomfort with what audiences will reveal about content - or the organisation.

It can be scary and daunting to put our content in front of people.

Internally, this can become a barrier to user research and we talked about making sure people are supported through this process and, ultimately, having the same empathy for each other that we have with our audiences.

A few people shared frustrations about people across the organisation not making use of user personas or user research when creating content or campaigns. In some cases, people are not fully bought into them or understand their value.

We also heard some success stories of how teams have been using user personas and feeding back that they like the process, particularly because they know that what they’re doing is right for the audience. In this example, user personas had become a core element of project briefing process - including the content request process.

In all cases, the key to success is the conversation to build a shared understanding of why audience personas are important and how their practical use can positively impact a marketing and communications approach.

Ideas to try:

  • Build personas into the project ways of working e.g. in the content processes, choose who the audience is and be clear who this content is not the main target audience for.

  • Approach this process as a learning experience in how and why audience research can improve effectiveness of campaigns,

  • Use personas for defining which activities the audiences would or would not be interested in and then practically apply this to digital marketing e.g. meta audiences

  • Set up a content community of practice to keep audience-led approach to content development a priority in your organisation

X - should we stay or should we go?

Everyone shared the complexity of their decision-making around X and how they’re weighing up the benefits of continuing to use the platform versus making an active choice to leave the channel and focus energy elsewhere.

People had noticed an audience shift; where the consumer audience was not on X anymore but that their sector audience (policy, funders, campaigners) were still using X.

“If people we want to influence on X are still on there then we need to still be on there”

With influencing a top priority for charities at the moment, particularly with the new government, the need to be on X is key.

One leader shared that although they wanted to approach the decision from an ethical standpoint, they realised that if they expressed this explicitly it would then leave them open to criticism for other channels (e.g Meta), which also have problematic elements too.

A few organisations are employing a practical testing approach where they’re continuing to be active on X but are measuring effectiveness and reporting to senior leadership.

Ideas to try:

  • Set a time period to measure effectiveness

  • Set meaningful KPIs for X performance during this time ensuring that you focus on audience, content and how X contributes to your overall content and marketing strategy

  • Share your concerns about X and your testing plan with leadership, and provide them with updates on the progress.

  • Keep talking to other people in the sector about what they’re doing (and not doing!) on X and tell your leadership about that too!

Lack of organisational comms planning and goals

A few people shared that digital and content teams are working in the absence of strategic communications and marketing goals - or even organisational strategy goals. Or, there is a view internally that the organisational strategy goals don’t apply to digital, content or communications in the same way as service delivery or fundraising teams.

“It’s felt rudderless and extremely chaotic”

Developing digital and content plans that are anchored in organisational strategic and communications goals are integral to delivering a seamless and impactful digital experience for audiences. We also talked about how important it is to align team skills and roles to focus areas of the organisational strategy too; ensuring that everyone has a direct line of sight to the change that the organisation is creating.

We heard how some people have navigated this uncertainty and lack of strategic direction through developing relationships with senior stakeholders and making it clear when they’re working to undefined strategic goals.

Ideas to try:

  • Create a shared vision for digital strategy and priorities and how you want to work on these with the senior leadership team and wider organisation.

  • Start conversations - particularly constructive challenge - from a user-focused perspective to bring stakeholders back to your audience’s needs and experiences of your organisation.

  • Do what you can for your team and the goals and projects you manage, taking care to bring people with you and highlight where improvements could be realised with strategic goals in mind

Every year we say, it’s okay - next year we’ll solve this. Maybe next year we will solve it!

Resources

AI use

Strategy, ways of working and team leadership


Thanks for joining us Mike Keating (Art Fund), Florencia Zascandia (British Red Cross) Dave O’Carroll, (Film and TV Charity), Kelly Corcoran (Action for Children), Zoe Gummoe (Jerry Green Dogs), Anna Alabau (freelance) Anna Béar (The Legal Education Foundation), Katherine Newbigging (Locality), Matthew Farrand (Maudsley Charity), Catherine Riley (Royal Society of Literature), Josh Hardy (Swim England) and Caitlin Pearce (Parkinson’s UK)

We’ll be holding another retro in the new year to see everyone is doing and hearing priorities for 2025.

Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-year-charity-digital-leaders-retrospective-tickets-1020539259397