The Met Office has issued a rare Red Weather Warning for extreme heat as temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees in parts of the UK on Monday and Tuesday. Matt Taylor on Twitter explained why this is not normal and that it can impact on health, travel and power. This is dangerous weather. Our country and communities are not set up for this kind of heat.
In the run up to the hot days, I’ve seen lots of charities sharing useful advice about staying safe in a heatwave. Advice for older people, families, pet owners as well as how to watch out for people sleeping rough. See some examples in this thread.
Most use infographics to illustrate the advice to make it easy to understand (and add alt text so the information is available to all) like this example from British Red Cross.
Learn how to spot the signs of heat exhaustion vs. heat stroke, and stay safe in the #heatwave.
Remember to keep cool, stay hydrated and call 999 if their condition gets worse. pic.twitter.com/H3ap4TaLNF
— British Red Cross š§” (@BritishRedCross) July 8, 2022
Others use images showing positive action, like this example from Hackney Council.
āļøExceptional hot spells are expected in London on Monday and Tuesday.
But I have also seen lots sharing messages along the lines of ‘it’s going to be hot, enjoy the sun, but be safe’ using positive, happy images of sunny days and friendly emojis.
An extreme change in temperature like this may not be something to be celebrated or normalised.
Weāre expecting very hot weather ā We want everyone to enjoy it & keep safe. Please check on friends, family & neighbours – particularly people who feel the heat more. Donāt forget a sunhat, sun cream, drink plenty of water, & to stay in the shade, especially between 11am-3pm. pic.twitter.com/g0LFgijEL7
Images of people on beaches indicate that hot weather at home is to be enjoyed like going on holiday somewhere hot. It doesn’t show difficulties sleeping, working, moving around or health conditions that people might suffer with during a hot spell. It also doesn’t show us what a future of continued high temperatures looks like either.
As temperatures soar this week, here are some important reminders on what to during a #heatwave to protect yourself and others. š„µš” pic.twitter.com/DIYsmMlrDj
— British Red Cross š§” (@BritishRedCross) July 12, 2022
If you are searching for inspiration for your own comms around a heatwave or the climate, take a look at the free picture library, Climate Visuals.
We have entered a period of climate crisis which our comms needs to reflect. This weather is not normal.
Have a look through some of the hashtags. What tone is being set by different types of accounts or across different platforms? As well as #Scorchio and #FunInTheSun, take a look at #Heatwave #UKHeatwave #BeWeatherAware #BeatTheHeat.
Has your organisation done any thinking about the climate crisis and how you talk about it in your comms or fundraising?
Update
News this week has been dominated by the extreme weather. Social media and newspapers have been full of images. The before and afters are quite different. For example, the Daily Mirror chose this image of sunbathers for their front cover on the day of record breaking temperatures. And then this of burning houses the next day. Will this week have been a climate crisis wake up call?
Last year I asked why more charities weren’t joining in with the global day of action about the climate. Today is the annual strike day and it is very quiet. Obviously, there’s lots else going on but the climate crisis is not going away. What’s moved on in a year?
After the global day last year, there seemed to be a flurry of organisations writing and sharing their green pledges which was encouraging. Here’s a set of pledges, useful links and resources which I have shared in the last 12 months (NB I stopped doing round-ups during lockdown so there is a big gap when I will have missed things).
British Red Cross reveals ten-year strategy focused on three big causes – Civil Society. “Adamson also set out an expectation that the charity would be carbon neutral by 2025, āin order to be credibleā. This means reducing travel, using few resources and using technology effectively.”
The new normal: leadership in the climate crisis – video of the RSA President’s Lecture 2019 from Emma Howard Boyd. Emma’s thread from her speech starts with: “Everyone needs to put the climate emergency at the heart of what they do. It should not be given a cursory 10 minutes at the Board meeting before everyone gets back to āthe business of businessā. The climate crisis IS āthe business of businessā. “
RSPB animation made by young employees: “Young people are not just supporting the global climate movement. They are driving it.”
What’s moved on?
The need for urgent and drastic action seems more obvious now as there have been so many reports of extreme weather. The world hasn’t waited while we have been dealing with covid.
So, what has moved on in the sector? Has covid stopped or been a catalyst for change? For example, will lockdown lead to long-term changes in policy to do with travel or wastefulness? Are funders investing in projects which tackle inequalities in relation to access to food, shelter and healthcare? Are organisations now actively sharing tips for staff about WFH during the winter and especially the implications on energy use? [NB Buy a heatpad and heat yourself not your room / home – it’s cheaper and greener!]
What’s happening in your organisation? Are conversations about internal polices and external campaigns still going? What has moved on in a year? I’d love to know.
Updated: 6 April (new: Charity So White report, write your own coronavirus style guide, how to communicate with furloughed staff).
Since I wrote this post on 3 March, everything has moved on. Coronavirus is dominating world news and the way we live and work has completely changed. I have been adding new useful resources as well as removing ones which are no longer relevant. I have kept the examples of charity comms for reference.
Whatever your size of organisation or purpose, you will be meeting to plan how you’ll respond internally and externally. There is lots of noise and misinformation about the spread of the virus with rumours and blame escalating. What are you doing to reassure your beneficiaries and keep your staff safe?
Here are some useful links and good reads to help you manage your own charity’s response.
Writing about Covid19 for beneficiaries
Information about the virus is changing all the time. Keep an eye on official advice which is being updated on a daily basis and share / incorporate it into your comms:
Full Fact are working hard to fact-check lots of the information circulating. Are there any misleading memes or discussions circulating related to your audience or cause? It’s worth checking FF’s website to see.
Knowing what and when to communicate about coronavirus depends on what type of organisation you are.
If you are a health charity, one working with older people or one with public-access buildings, you may be sharing updates, especially if you are getting lots of helpline calls or forum discussions about risk. As there is so much misinformation circulating, this is your chance to be the go-to authority on the subject for people with specific needs and spreading good advice.
Here are some examples of information charities have created for the people they represent:
Charities representing people with underlying health conditions listed in the Government’s latest advice quickly responded by updating their information. This Twitter Moment includes examples from Asthma UK, Diabetes UK, Bloodwise and others.
Older people are one of the at-risk groups. Age UK have been sharing updates via social media and have a prominent link on their homepage to their Age UK advice page.
19 cancer charities shared information under the One Cancer Voice group.
Hospitals and care homes are issuing guidance about visiting. Hospice UK have shared links to statements from 13+ hospices across the country. (They also took part in a video call of 200 hospices to share plans and best practice – love this!)
Information is available in alternative formats. Sign Health have produced a video using British Sign Language and subtitles to share information with deaf people. Mencap and Down Syndrome Ireland have produced easy-read guides.
PDSA addressed questions from pet owners about the impact of the virus on animals and their owners.
Good Things Foundation released information about accessing digital healthcare – to support people who may have to do this for the first time due to the virus. Using the internet to get ready for coronavirus.
Comms tips
Think accessibility – not everyone can read the text on an image. If you are sharing images with text on via social media, include a link to a web page where the same information can be read and/or repeat the text in your post. I have seen so many covid statements which are just images of text with no link (and probably no alt text). See more from @CovidAccessInfo (new account set up on 19/3).
Make information easy to find. Pin your tweets. Use hashtags (#covid19UK / #coronavirus etc). Clearly layout information so it is easy to read. Add the story to your homepage.
Only ever link to one page which you are keeping up to date. As the situation develops you don’t want people to be seeing old advice. They may be seeing old posts or looking at old emails but at least you’ll know they can click through for current information. Avoid PDFs for the same reason.
Clearly indicate information you have added or changed. You might do this at the top of your web page or by highlighting what has been added. See this example from Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
Even if you don’t have infomation you have produced yourself, at this stage it is probably a good idea to have a page about coronavirus on your website which links to the key sources of information and something about the services you offer if there are changes to them. A quick random search found lots of charity websites showing no covid results in their searches.
Don’t include information about the current number of cases or deaths. This instantly dates your information and shows that it is not up-to-date.
As the situation develops, you may need to use more effective and urgent ways to communicate your messages. Plan ahead now. Are you able to use video or audio or other methods to respond to a crisis comms situation? Might you need to devote your entire homepage to the story? Can you send out mass emails to your stakeholders? Are your crisis comms processes up-to-date? See this thread from Gemma Pettman sharing crisis comms planning tips.
Check your scheduled messages. For example, do you have messages scheduled which are promoting events which are likely to be cancelled? Be aware that the situation could change over the coming days / weeks.
Start planning ahead. We are now moving from the crisis planning stage into a more widespread experience of the virus. This means that your comms needs to be less about explaining the virus and how to respond to the changes we are all making. The next comms stage is describing our ‘new normal’ of operating and communicating about ill or dying colleagues, volunteers and stakeholders. See Coronavirus comms – planning ahead.
New:Think about your language. How you talk about the virus and its impact on your beneficiaries and organisation will change. Write and share a mini styleguide to include standard phrases which you use, as well as ones to avoid. This post about how language changes through a crisis and how to frame your comms is useful. 8 tips for framing covid19 – Ella Saltmarshe.
Running your organisation
Internally you will be looking at the impact of a wider spread of the virus and what this might mean for how you operate.
New:Charity So White have written a position paper sharing the ways coronavirus can impact BAME communities disproportionately. It calls on charities to consider that in their response and includes five key principles to guide them.
It’s useful to see other organisations’ internal plans if you need to write one yourself. Some have shared theirs publicly:
Reassuring staff and volunteers that you are prepared is key. Internal comms must play a vital role. What internal comms systems do you use? Do they work to reach everyone? There is some good advice in this post by Rachel Miller of All Things IC.
What about your events or meetings? Many have been cancelled / postponed or changed to online. Here’s how Bond announced the cancellation of their annual conference.
Digital service delivery
What does the situation mean for the services you run and the support people in your community might need? What might you need to do more of or change?
For example, can you move face-to-face services , online? What different services could you offer to expand to support people through a scary and challenging time? Are you able to run digital events or make fun content to entertain?
Community Action Response launched to encourage everyone to support their communities, particularly vulnerable and isolated people during the crisis. Here’s a thread explaining the five-step process by Eden Project Communities.
If you are a community volunteering charity, how are you keeping volunteers in touch with how they might be needed? And reassuring them about measures you’ll be taking to protect them?
Virtual working
More people are switching to virtual working as a way to reduce risk. It can be a real shift for an organisation if you are not used to working like this. Here are some useful links:
The London Marathon has been postponed until October (announcement 5pm Friday 13th March). Read this thread by Russell Benson with great tips and alternative options for events fundraisers if you haven’t already. Here are a few examples from charities responding to the news in case you want some ideas.
Tobin Aldrich – A proper crisis. “But what we really need to do is toĀ plan.Ā How are we going to have the maximum impact in supporting our beneficiaries throughout the crisis and after it. And how are we going to fund it.”
New: Pandemic fundraising: what to expect and how to succeed in the months ahead – Better Fundraising.
Good Finance have created a resource hub for social enterprises and charities.
The Fundraising Regulator have advice about fundraising events: “All charities should now be thinking about what they will do if their fundraising event needs to be cancelled or postponed.”
Many funders such as London Funders are adapting the terms for the charities they support. LF say “we want to offer reassurance that we stand with the sector during this time”. See also Esmee Fairbairn and Corra Foundation. This thread by Max Rutherford had lots more examples.
Howard Lake of UK Fundraising wrote advice for fundraisers about the challenges ahead and how to be prepared.
I’m seeing lots of threads on Twitter of people with existing health conditions talking about self-isolation. This Channel 4 News clip shares one story.
Many health charities shared information as the news spread. Look at examples from Asthma UK, Sue Ryder, Diabetes UK, Cystic Fibrosis Trusts, Sickle Cell Society, Crohn’s and Colitis UK, Eczema Society, MS Society, British Liver Trust and more gathered in this Twitter Moment from early March.
Highlights this month: digital benchmarking and engagement research, Star Wars, social media for leaders, digital inclusion.
November is always a hectic month of awareness days and the build-up to Christmas. This year, add in the General Election, increasing responses to the climate crisis and lots of knowledge sharing at conferences. There was so much to keep up with while also trying to get some work done! Here are some highlights you might have missed.
How to use: Pick and choose links to read, or open in new tabs for later. Or bookmark this post. Even better, subscribe and get future round-ups direct to your inbox.
Charity content and campaigns
Powerful words about homelessness in this campaign from the West London Mission. #NotWhoTheyAre posters were live at Marylebone Underground station as well as online.
NACRO produced this six-part video thread sharing prison-leaver Liam’s experience of being released on a Friday.
Reason Digital surveyed over 2000 people and have produced The new rules of digital engagement: 2019 report with insights into how the UK population interacts with charities digitally. Essential reading.
Digital transformation and the social sector – Tris Lumley’s speech. “We have the tools to rebuild society for the better. Now we will see if we have the courage, creativity and compassion to put them to work.”
Has your organisation got a policy for major gifts? If not, this ethical fundraising policy template hosted by Culture Hive might be a good place to start.
Richard Sved live tweeted through 12 hours of the Fundraising Everywhere digital conference! What a star! Read his write-up of the day – start with Fundraising Everywhere part 1.
The National Emergencies Trust launched too – like a national DEC. “Working with local charities and distribution partners to ensure that financial support is delivered to those that need it the most.” Here’s more about NET.
British Red Cross reveals ten-year strategy focused on three big causes – Civil Society. “Adamson also set out an expectation that the charity would be carbon neutral by 2025, āin order to be credibleā. This means reducing travel, using few resources and using technology effectively.”
What did you read, watch or launch this month? Please add your links in the comments.
Can I help you?
Get in touch if I can help you with content planning, training or strategy. I work with charities of all shapes and sizes. I can help give your comms or digital processes a healthcheck and ideas injection.
Twitter Moments were launched in 2016. They are generally underused in charity comms. A quick survey of 50 charity’s Twitter accounts found that only 18 had ever done a Moment. Most of the 18, had only done one or two. Yet they are a quick and easy way to present and preserve content.
Engagement levels of Moments seem to be generally low but if you are using them infrequently and only sharing them once, this isn’t surprising. You need to have a content plan for sharing and integrating them within your comms.
Value shouldn’t just be based on likes, shares and opens. Having a permanent document of something is useful for lots of different reasons. For example a Moment can make it easier to share the story of an event during and afterward. Having an archive of Moments can help you to take stock and plan future comms. A Moment can be a great way to show Twitter activity to colleagues. Moments can also be used and reused as evergreen content.
Here are the most common uses for Moments:
to share an event
to preserve or share fragmented content
to have a permanent record of something important
to showcase your community
to present content in a different way.
1. Events
Runs, fundraising challenges and other events can generate a lot of tweets. The good ones can get lost in the noise or missed altogether. Having a Moment is a great way to showcase and celebrate what happened. They can brilliantly show the live atmosphere and hype of the event better than any write-up. And they can be useful months later when recruiting for next year or sharing the impact of what happened.
Macmillan’s London Marathon 2019 Moment captures the energy and atmosphere of the day. It starts with scene setting (number of runners and a map of the route), includes videos and lots of people in green.
Top tip: Try and make the Moment as soon after the event as possible. People get home and want to relive it. If your Moment is ready then, more people will look at it and share it with their friends. A Moment made a week later has missed the boat.
2. Content curation
Moments are also a great way to curate content on Twitter. Think of them as a simplified, single channel (much missed) Storify or Wakelet.
A Moment can be used to bring content together that would otherwise be hard to find. For example, responses to a question (user-generated content) or a series of tweets not made into a thread or when you want to include tweets from other people into your messaging.
JRF marked the launch of a big piece of research including press coverage and responses from other charities – UK Poverty 2017.
Oxfam GB shared Hifsa and Jacqui’s story of their visit to Nepal in See for Yourself.
Blue Cross shared favourite images for the International Day of Happiness.
3. A permanent record
If something big is happening, why not make a Moment of it? Tweets will soon get lost in your back catalogue, never to be seen or used again. Document it live or after the event to help others follow what happened.
Sue Ryder make Moments of their Twitter takeovers. Fight Bladder Cancer made a Moment of their 3-day MADL takeover. The curated @nhs account have been doing Moments since they started – 98 to date!
I didn’t find very many examples of Moments being used to showcase community action. How could you use a Moment to thank or celebrate your community?
Cambridge CVS showcased small charities during Small Charity Week 2018.
Cats Protection gathered some of the best responses to their #CatMenDo campaign.
5. Fun / interesting content
Be creative. Moments can work in lots of different ways. Could you use a Moment to show your impact or as a brochure to your services or present complicated information (such as symptoms or research) in a Moment? Here are some examples of more unusual uses.
The British Red Cross make Moments of their year in review. Take a look at 2018’s review.
The Museum of English Rural Life shared unsolicited duck pictures they were sent by other museums. Gaining 1.3k likes – the most I saw in any Moment.
How to make a Moment – tips
If you haven’t ever made a Moment, they are pretty simple to do, just follow the steps once you click ‘Create new Moment’. Here’s a how-to guide from Twitter if you need one.
Here’s are some tips on how to do them well.
Choose a great cover image which will will be eye-catching and sets the scene for your Moment. I tend to put this tweet at the end of the Moment so that people don’t see the image twice straightaway.
Think of a Moment like an essay with an introduction, main points in the middle and conclusions at the end. Ease people in with a tweet which introduces the topic and at the end finish with something fun or silly or thoughtful. Don’t just trail off. I have sometimes written a tweet purposefully to use at the end of a Moment either in thanks or to ask a question or to signpost to further reading or a donation.
There should be a rhythm to your Moment. You have to curate it, so it flows and tells a story. For example you might put tweets next to each other which use the same colours.
Try not to include tweets which are very similar to others. Be ruthless. Not many people will make it to the end of a 20 tweet Moment. Put some good ones at the end – reward people for getting there!
Try to use tweets which only have one image. Tweets will multiple images take up more space and can disrupt the flow.
Include tweets with video or gifs or graphics to keep it interesting.
Make the title clear and short. Include the #hashtag if you are using one.
Tweet your Moment and @mention some of the accounts you have included to broaden engagement.
The World Wide Web is 30 today (11 March 2019). Five years ago I used the Wayback Machine to look at trends in charity website design, using British Red Cross as an example. Here is the post, now updated with lessons from 2019.
Is your charity website keeping up with the latest developments in design and functionality?
Starting out – 1998
The British Red Cross homepage in 1998 shows that the web standard of logo in top-left was there from the start. The site was very basic, probably hand-coded in html and uploaded via FTP.
Brochure-ware content – dense homepage to be read like a book.
Email to make a donation.
‘Click here’ links.
No images.
No search.
Approx 10 pages. Only one-level down.
Sponsored by Vauxhall.
Increased functionality – 2006
Fast-forward eight years and the 2006 homepage leads with an appeal. Fundraising and raising awareness is now most important. There is greater awareness of design. More thought about actions and audience.
Published using CMS.
Images but no coherent design.
Site-wide (top) and left-hand navigation.
Fundraising prominent – 6/12 ‘Quick Links’ are fundraising. Donate now tab.
Search button.
Functionality – ‘In my area’.
Accessible links.
No social media (Facebook launched in 2004, Twitter in 2006).
Integrated digital comms – 2014
Another eight years and now the 2014 website still leads with an appeal using a single emotive image. The site is sophisticated offering many opportunities for interaction, transaction, discussion and commerce but also has a presence across many other digital platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, blog, Apps, games etc). It feels like digital is now being taken more seriously.
Multiple channels (links to six network channels at the bottom of the page).
Optimised for mobile / tablet.
Many opportunities for interaction.
Greater use of video, audio, photos, games to tell a story.
Donation button and quick PayPal option on homepage.
CMS powered, integration with CRM and other databases.
Evolution of ‘in your area’ functionality.
Accessibility buttons.
Website in 2019
Now the 2019 homepage is all about clarity and impact. Previously the homepage would have had to work hard at promoting everything as most people would go to the homepage first. Now sites are so well indexed with people going direct to the pages they are looking for, so the homepage can be devoted to telling a story or running a campaign. The homepage can appeal to hearts and minds rather than acting as a directory.
The currently site uses a full-screen video for the current appeal. It shows 10 seconds of different views from Yemen to tell a story to drive donations.
Below the appeal, the page is segmented into sections with different types of links (UK appeals, get help in a crisis, support, first aid, how we help, shop). These use colour and photos to make it easy to use. This architecture is replicated in the top-level navigation which is now reduced to five options.
Images are more powerful, instantly telling a story. Video is centre-stage.
Simplified navigation (no more What we do, Where we work etc).
Language is shorter and has more impact. Links are 1-3 words. Appeal text is ‘Help give life-saving aid to families in desperate need’. In contrast with ‘Help us continue giving thousands of people vital aid in this desperate situation. Please give what you can today’ from 2014.
Donate button on top right-hand side.
Web design in 2019
I have been training people on writing for the web since 2003 – over half of the web’s life – and working on websites since 1996. Many of the old rules still apply (short sentences, headings, meaningful link text etc). But the way we consume information and content online in 2019 means that we now need to be even tighter with our words. Attention spans are shorter and screens are smaller. The language we use needs to be immediate, strong and clear. There is no room for wasteful words on the homepage or in navigation links.
Photographs and images now need to have more impact. They should use strong colours and instantly tell a story. Compare the images used in 2006 / 2014 with the images used now. They use close-ups and are not afraid of sharing an intimate moment, pain or emotion. They are beautiful and difficult to look at.
Homepages generally use a hero image (or in some cases video) which is shown at full-screen. This image has to work very hard to communicate everything you want in that key real estate location. Do you have images that are strong enough to do that? Take a look at the homepages of Crisis, NCT, Brathay Trust, and Bloodwise for examples. (See also Review and improve your use of images.)
Your digital strategy
You don’t need to be the size of British Red Cross to need a clear plan for how your website and wider digital platforms support the goals of your organisation. Technologies and design standards are changing all the time. Just today, Samaritans launched its new website which has a cool features such as a dynamic homepage which changes depending on the time of day.
A digital strategy can help you to persuade trustees to invest in new technology or staff. You may use it to plan your increasing use of social media, create digital services and have a reference for how you’ll deal with a crisis. Or it may help you plan the next 6-12 months, ensuring you are using your resources in the right way and keeping up with your peers.
Take a look at the Charity Digital Code of Practice which was launched at the end of 2018. It aims to help charities increase their impact, develop skills and improve digital sustainability. Zoe Amar recently shared data from the self-assessment tool to show where charities are at with Code.
Whatever the priorities for your website, it is worth investing your time in producing a digital strategy to support its future evolution.
In the month that we were all swamped in GDPR emails and RNLI and Dog’s Trust were responding to endless negative comments following misreported press stories, there were lots of great reads. Pull up a comfy chair and catch up with some great charity content and digital reads you might have missed from May 2018.
Warning – you may need longer than a tea break to catch up. Pick and choose links to read, or open in new tabs for later. Or bookmark this post. Even better, subscribe and get future round-ups direct to your inbox. Enjoy!
Digital
Useful resources and reads if you are working on digital projects, thinking about future technologies or just getting on with your everyday digital tasks:
Charities have a problem with men according to a CAF report (UK Fundraising). Includes questions and a flatpack fundraising guide to address the issues. Handy!
This Royal Wedding Moment contains lots of fundraising related fun from large and small charities. Great examples of how to join in with a feel-good event.
Strawberry Social even did a comprehensive thread of an A-Z of Royal Wedding tat which should have got more likes than it did.
Sick of hearing about the floss but not actually sure what it’s all about? This handy guide by TES for teachers so they can keep up with the kids, is for you!
What did you read, watch or launch this month? Please add your links in the comments.
Can I help you?
Get in touch if I can help you with digital copywriting, content planning, training or strategy. I work with charities of all shapes and sizes. I can help give your comms or digital processes a healthcheck and ideas injection.
I have been watching the spread of the #firstfiver campaign since it started just under two weeks ago. It has been great to see how many organisations have joined in with this very simple idea.
Unlike other viral fundraisers (such as #nomakeupselfie which I have blogged about before) this was not connected to a particular cause. It also didn’t feature a complicated or strenuous ask (such as the Ice Bucket Challenge or the current #22PushUpChallenge).
Instead it was simple and easy to ask. And simple and easy for supporters to join in with.
Examples
If you haven’t come across it yet, look at my storify showing the spread of the campaign and how different charities have responded.
It includes examples from small charities such as Trinity Hosice, Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP), The UK Sepsis Trust, Freedom from Torture and Make Lunch. And large ones including War Child UK, the Children’s Society and Sue Ryder.
Images, videos, thank yous and shopping lists showing the difference a Ā£5 donation could make, all help to make a request stand out.
madlinsudn blog 