CAST - Centre for the Acceleration of Social Technology

A graphic of loudspeakers, with the text: 'HAVE YOUR SAY! Help us build the AI support you need - please take ten minutes to complete the anonymous survey. All responses anonymous. Closes in February 2026'

👀 Our new AI survey is live!

We’re gathering your views and needs so we can shape support for the year ahead.

Your feedback has already led to our AI courses, experiments library & resource hub: help us build what comes next.

Please take 10 mins to complete the anonymous survey 👉 buff.ly/fsvJaZr

💡 Exploring ‘Worthwhile AI'

At CAST, we use the term 'Worthwhile AI' to ensure our AI usage aligns with our values, & to help shape AI that is ‘worthwhile’ for all.

Check out our new Q&A, in which CAST's Director Dan Sutch outlines the term 👉 buff.ly/cWLxHrA - & please let us know your thoughts!

🆕 AI for Grantmakers group: three perspectives

Two years on from the first meeting of the AI for Grantmakers group, we spoke to Dan Sutch (CAST), Alex Parker (IVAR) and Brian Yim Lim (Barts Charity), about the purpose of the group, the way it's evolved and the value it brings 👉 buff.ly/OzDTkzv

We asked: What has been the most valuable takeaway from the AI course? Here’s just a selection of the responses we’ve received so far: That I'm not too old to improve my understanding of something so huge!; Tools and suggestions for getting started with AI and making it a tool I use regularly; Understanding the range of things AI can do and how to ask it to do things; I was really interested to read/hear about the ethical challenges AI brings with it

💬 Here's what our AI course participants are saying...

Since launching our free self-serve AI course earlier this year, we've had some wonderful feedback from participants - including these responses!

Try the free AI course for yourself 👉 buff.ly/4gfaOEF

🚀 Two free AI courses!

We've created two #free, self-serve courses: one providing an introduction to #AI, and another aimed at those people who feel they are advancing with AI, and want to support their colleagues to do the same.

Intro course 👉 buff.ly/4gfaOEF
Follow-on course 👉 buff.ly/1KSivpU

🧪 Five ways funders are experimenting with AI.

Ellen Smyth takes a look at five ways in which funders are using AI, with content from @londonfunders.bsky.social, @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk, @healthfoundation.bsky.social, The Masonic Charitable Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

👉 buff.ly/am8u7Qs

❓ Ask us anything! We answer your questions about CAST and AI

In order to provide timely responses to your questions about CAST and AI, we’ve set up a new webpage dedicated to your questions - and our answers.

Read our introductory blog 👉 buff.ly/J7TatxG, and access our Q&A here 👉 buff.ly/pRX7mz2

🆕 Library of AI experiments!

Check out our growing collection of 30+ AI experiments, shared by 18 orgs.

Topics include user research, AI policy creation, data analysis & transcription - with contributors sharing what worked well, what didn’t, and the advice they’d give to others 👉 buff.ly/GFZP45O

On a blue background, there are six white stars with possible area you might be inspired by if you join our Inspiring Communicator Awards, including: reach new audiences, tell stories that connect, broad media coverage, collaborate across the sector, inspire change that lasts and so much more. In accompanying orange banners, text read: Looking for some comms inspiration? Join the award ceremony on 10 Dec 2025.

Looking for comms inspiration? As this year winds down, many of us are thinking about how we can stretch our campaigns and comms further in 2026. Get inspired by what #InspiringComms Award nominees have achieved. Register to join us on 10 Dec on LinkedIn Live: https://bit.ly/3KCBCV3

❓ Keen to meet new charity contacts and find out how they're using digital?

☕️ Try Coffee Connections, the free service that matches you with a peer every two months for a virtual chat.

🗓️ New matches will take place next Thursday (Nov 27th); find out more & register for free today 👉 buff.ly/3FWxeuI

👀 Check out the latest Shared Digital Guides!

➡️ Euan's Guide on recruiting staff using Airtable
➡️ RSPCA on helping staff find info using a chatbot
➡️ Noise Solution on using GenAI to analyse video content
➡️ Citizens Advice SORT on automating case notes with AI

See all 90+ Guides 👉 buff.ly/3zIbdzS

📊 Quick survey: Are AI summaries affecting your website traffic?

We've put together a short survey (just three multiple-choice questions) to gauge the impact that AI summaries are having on charities' web traffic. All responses are anonymous.

Access the three-question survey here 👉 buff.ly/cYs7zat

❓ Could you share your tips on using digital tools?

If so, we'd love to hear from you! We're sharing charities' experiences of digital tools via the Shared Digital Guides site.

It's v simple: we turn your experience into a Guide - you don't need to do any writing!

Find out more 👉 buff.ly/3K3kcNX

🚀 Two free AI courses!

We've created two #free, self-serve courses: one providing an introduction to #AI, and another aimed at those people who feel they are advancing with AI, and want to support their colleagues to do the same.

Intro course 👉 buff.ly/4gfaOEF
Follow-on course 👉 buff.ly/1KSivpU

🆕 AI Together: Data & Privacy

Tori Ellaway shares the key discussions & actions that came out of our latest AI Together internal learning session on data security, including seven practical tasks designed to strengthen the ways in which we handle data & privacy when using AI tools 👉 buff.ly/X1S0x8F

AI Week 2025 AI Week On-Demand: The UK's nation wide week of learning and sharing best practice in AI.

💡 Check out all #AIWeek talks!

Thanks so much to everyone that came to our Digital Leaders AI Week talk! Ours was just one of many charity-led talks, covering topics including ethics, accessibility & strategic thinking.

Access all talks for free at Digital Leaders' site 👉 aiweek.digileaders.com

❓ Keen to meet new charity contacts and find out how they're using digital?

☕️ Try Coffee Connections, the free service that matches you with a peer every two months for a virtual chat.

🗓️ The next matches will take place on November 27th; find out more and register for free today 👉 buff.ly/3FWxeuI

📅 Free workshop: user research and AI

In tomorrow's 'The Curve' workshop, Tori Ellaway will share simple methods designed to help you discover your users’ needs. You'll learn how to plan and run research with limited resources - and where AI can be used to help lighten the load.

👉 buff.ly/hHIv0HF

📊 Quick survey: Are AI summaries affecting your website traffic?

We've put together a short survey (just three multiple-choice questions) to gauge the impact that AI summaries are having on charities' web traffic. All responses are anonymous.

Access the three-question survey here 👉 buff.ly/cYs7zat

🆕 Newsletter out today! Featuring:

📅 Free user research & AI workshop
💡 AI Week: access all sessions
👀 Free UKCharityCamp tickets
📊 Survey: AI summaries & web traffic
🆕 Free AI law courses
💬 Agencies for Good: creating inclusive spaces

And more!

Read 👉 buff.ly/BJyt5jW
Sign up 👉 buff.ly/3xqPV99

👋 The Digital Leads Network is open for membership!

The DLN is a vibrant community of 400+ members, dedicated to peer learning & sharing across the sector.

Members gain access to events, networking sessions & an AI peer group.

Joining is free; fill out the short form at our site 👉 buff.ly/4agzkCk

With the support of our partners at IVAR, the learning from this peer group feeds into the development of Open and Trusting use of AI in grantmaking 👉 buff.ly/gccz18h

📅 Open invitation: AI for Grantmakers peer group

If you work in #grantmaking and are interested in the challenges & opportunities presented by #AI, please join us on Weds 19th Nov from 1-3pm, as we bring together #funders of all sizes for a peer discussion.

Book your free place 👉 buff.ly/49dF4MS

A graphic showing a person sat at a laptop, with the words: Getting started with AI - A free seven-week, self-serve course: familiarise yourself with AI - and discover how it can help make your work life easier.

💡 Getting Started With AI: A free self-serve course.

Keen to get to grips with AI, but not sure where to start? Our AI course is here to help!

Each week for seven weeks, you'll receive an email with support & inspiration, helping you discover how AI can make your work life easier 👉 buff.ly/4gfaOEF

❓ Keen to meet new #charity contacts and find out how they're using #digital?

☕️ Try Coffee Connections, the #free service that matches you with a peer every two months for a virtual chat.

🗓️ The next matches will take place on Nov 27th; find out more and register for free today 👉 buff.ly/3FWxeuI

❓ Are you a #grantseeker / #fundraiser?
❓ Do you have a view on the UK #grantmaker/s you've sought funding from?
❓ Could you share your views anonymously to help funders & peers?

If so, please head to GrantAdvisorUK & start reviewing! Or simply check out the 550+ existing reviews 👉 buff.ly/3esmUuk

🚀 New free AI course!

If you feel you're advancing with #AI and you'd like to support your organisation to do the same, then our new course is for you!

You'll receive a weekly email for 8 weeks, full of tips, tools & templates that build to help you support your org step by step 👉 buff.ly/1KSivpU

🧪 Ten ways in which organisations are experimenting with AI

CAST's Programme Lead Ellen Smyth outlines ten ways in which #charities and #funders are experimenting with #AI — and shares a link to our AI Experiment Library, which now contains 30+ experiments from 18 organisations 👉 buff.ly/BuHD4iR

🆕 AI Together: Data & Privacy

Tori Ellaway shares the key discussions & actions that came out of our latest AI Together internal learning session on data security, including seven practical tasks designed to strengthen the ways in which we handle data & privacy when using AI tools 👉 buff.ly/X1S0x8F

🆕 Library of AI experiments!

Check out our growing collection of 30+ #AI experiments, shared by 18 orgs.

Topics include user research, AI policy creation, data analysis & transcription - with contributors sharing what worked well, what didn’t, and the advice they’d give to others 👉 buff.ly/GFZP45O