Highlights this month: big hashtags, user-generated content, AI, voice tech, digital skills and more….
The nights are setting in and seasonal content is upon us. October is a very busy month of awareness days. There was lots of great content launched. Pop the kettle on and catch up.
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Content
10 October was #WorldMentalHealthDay, #WorldHomelessnessDay and #HousingDay. I have never seen my list of trending topics look like this for an hour, let alone all day. The trending hashtags and topics were consistently related to these issues. Nothing else got a look-in all day.
There was some amazing content including:
- A powerful poem from Crisis for #WorldHomelessnessDay.
- 22 local charities donated their HOMEpages to homelessness charity St Basils in the West Midlands to raise awareness.
- Did you see Time to Change’s new #AskTwice video? And their Moment of user-generated content – these are the reasons people say ‘I am fine’ when they’re not.
- Love these prompt cards from Young Minds.
- Mental Health UK produced beautiful images to illustrate people’s stories in their Let’s Talk series. See Nathaniel’s story.
Also this month:
- Plan International UK launched a video about sexual harassment. It has had 94k likes and over 7 million views.
- Check your breasts video from Breast Cancer Now.
- Love this promo for the Charity Comms podcast.
- Parkinson’s UK launched their list of approved apps and devices for people with Parkinson’s. A charity first.
- It was RNIB’s 150th birthday.
- This is how to promote a new area in a museum. Top video from Eureka! Museum.
- SCVO’s what is modern charity video.
- The warning signs of genocide, powerful video from RightsInfo.
- Choose your own next line for #NationalPoetyDay. Great use of a thread / polls by the Museum of English Rural Life.
- Charities don’t usually tweet on a Sunday night. I liked this moment to paws from RSPCA.
- There was some great halloween content around.
Twitter takeover of the month: CoppaFeel’s Kris Hallenger / @nhs. Kris who has been living with stage 4 breast cancer since 2009, talked about treatments and good health.
Comms
- This excerpt from Clic Sargent’s impact report was widely shared and celebrated as a great example of transparency. Could your charity do something similar to show what didn’t work?
- What if we scrapped the annual report and started again? asks David Ainsworth in Civil Society.
- Why do we ignore digital impact? Matt Haworth asks why the impact of digital services isn’t included in impact reports.
- Go on, go on, go on, go on! What charities can learn from Father Ted’s Mrs Doyle by Anna Pietrowski for Charity Comms. (best URL I have seen for a while!)
- Thread about the future of advertising by Nik Sharma.
- FRIENDS IMPACT: A tongue-in-cheek shoplifting appeal led to 50 per cent of Blackpool people thinking better of their police by Dan Slee.
- Does your search strategy match how people expect content? Think about the Netflix effect say The Royal Academy.
- If you missed Being the Story, here’s my blog post about it and links to others’.
- Will you join in with #YouMadeItHappen on 19 November? Find out about this new day, led by NCVO. >> I’ve written a blog post with some ideas about how to get involved with #YouMadeItHappen.
Digital – strategy, design, culture
- Internet-era ways of working by Tom Loosemore of Public Digital.
- 6 tough questions third sector organisations need to explore in a digital age from SCVO’s digital team. Linking to their ‘what next’ report.
- Digital is growing up, is your charity maturing with it? (Spoiler: probably not!) by Anya Pearson, Contentious.
- Digital strategy: The four fights you have to win from McKinsey.
- 15 principles of good service design by GDS for Digital Leaders.
- Why Amazon, Alexa and #TechforGood can’t be in the same sentence by James Mullarkey.
- Five ways to engage with responsible technology by Sam Brown.
- How Cancer Research UK is exploring AI and voice tech in Charity Digital News.
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Data – examples from a brave new world of personalisation – NSPCC’s Digital Dunk.
- Dealing with digital changes – useful tips about keeping up with platform changes and changing tack if needed, by Montfort.
- Blockchain: the next radical change for charities by Stromi for Digital Dunk.
- How to create a great charity website experience, case study from MS Society on Charity Digital News.
- Digital user tests which are easy, fast and affordable – YoYo Design for CharityComms.
- 4 user research guides from co-op digital.
- Monthly accessibility tip: RNIB shared 10 #DigitalAccessibilityTips including this one about colour contrast.
- And if you have never heard a screen reader, here’s an example of how they read image descriptions from Dr Amit Patel. See more about access tech in this Moment of his Twitter takeover for Scope.
Fundraising
- Did you join in with the first ever Gift Aid Awareness Day?
- Digital fundraising trends for small charities not to miss by Charity Digital News.
- Putting fun into contactless donating at two historic sites in Scotland. Tap the past to preserve the future.
- Hospice fundraisers tend to go the extra mile, like 10-year old Harriet who played her cello at the top of a mountain for Compton Care.
- Are you ready for #GivingTuesday on 27 November? Here’s a guide to using the day to say thank you.
People
- How we teach digital skills at PwC for Harvard Business Review.
- 3 steps to growing a digital culture – Clive Gardiner of NSPCC shares what they are doing.
- Three amazing Ted Talks for charities by Kirsty Marrins for Lightful.
- Critical lessons for charity trustees by Beth Clarke for CAF.
- The Association of Chairs asked Chairs to share their top tips to mark their 5th birthday. Here are the best ones in a Moment: tips for effective chairing.
And finally….
- Feeling helpless about the state of the world? Here’s a thread about the little things we can all do to make things better.
- A thread of perceptual illusions to mess with your brain.
- Have you ever looked for treasure in the Thames (or any other urban river)?
- An otter eating – happy noises!
Your recommendations
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.
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Did you miss September’s round-up? Catch up with more good reads!