CharityComms

List of six screen reader accessibility tips, including: 1. Write in plain language, avoiding jargon, acronyms and abbreviations. 2. Structure your text with proper headings. 3. Write in short, simple sentences. 4. Check your reading order. 5. Avoid using colour to convey meaning. 6. Justify text to the left – to enable the reader to find the end and start of new lines easily.

Building accessibility into your comms benefits everyone. Take screen readers, for example, they not only support people who are blind or visually impaired but also assist those overloaded by screentime. Here are some useful tips shared in our accessibility guide: https://bit.ly/43AX6ro

Group of hands joining four white puzzle pieces together to symbolise collaboration and co-production. To the left, text reads: Co-production Seminar. 25 September, Online, 10:30 - 12:30. Explore how to embed co-production into your comms by putting lived experience at the heart of your approach.

How do you put the people you represent at the heart of your charity comms? Join our seminar on 25 September on co-producing comms with people with lived experience. Book your place to gain practical tips and real-world examples to embed co-production into your comms: https://bit.ly/45uiUXE

You're very welcome - it's a great resource!

Black text on orange reads Join a community of charities benefiting from shared data. A picture of a hand on laptop sat on wooden table, with tablet with Charity Digital Benchmark site on the screen. A notepad and calculator by the other hand.

On red background, white speech bubble reads: Bringing together digital data from a variety of charities gives us an overview of how our digital marketing is performing against the wider sector. The tool helps us drive evidence-led decisions. Samaritans.

Picture of person in an office, looking at a screen with data views. Text on blue background reads, Membership is free until October, while we expand the dashboard with more and more data. The latest feature? A breakdown of traffic from every AI search engine, from ChatGPT to Gemini.

On orange background, text reads Book your free demo today and start making your data work harder. hello@digitalbenchmark.co.uk / charitydigitalbenchmark.co.uk. Picture of friendly team in office.

Is your charity keeping up in the digital age?

The Charity Digital Benchmark allows you to compare key metrics with peers, uncover trends, and make data-driven decisions.

Membership is free until October, while the dashboard is expanded. Book your free demo: bit.ly/4mjjRrm

#MembershipMonday

It's great to have you in our community!

A list of four out of eight skills every communicator has, including: 1. Listener - We tune into audience needs and stakeholder feedback to ensure our messaging resonates authentically. 2. Translator - We bridge the gap between complex information and accessible messaging, making technical concepts and jargon easier to understand. 3. Storyteller - We craft compelling narratives that bring messages to life and find fresh angles that cut through the noise. 4. Strategist - We combine data and audience insights with long-term planning to refine our approach, guide decisions and allocate resources where they’ll have the greatest impact.

A list of four out of eight skills every communicator has, including: 5. Problem-solver - We navigate unexpected challenges and find creative solutions, whether it’s a last-minute campaign pivot or creating engaging content with limited resources. 6. Connector - We build genuine connections by responding authentically, creating opportunities for conversation, and engaging with audiences where they are. 7. Adaptable - We shift focus between projects and priorities seamlessly, often accommodating last-minute changes in timelines while staying current with ever-changing trends, news and updates. 8. Creative - We turn blank pages into big-picture ideas, working in new ways to reach people, champion causes, and bring bold campaigns to life.

Communicators wear many hats, often at the same time. It's not just about what we do, but how we think and show up. Here are eight skills every charity communicator has, even if it's not reflected in your job description. Any you would add? Share in the comments.

Inside a green box, a question asks: What one word or GIF sums up your workload this week?... A black line below indicates a blank, and we'd love for you to share your responses.

What one word or GIF sums up your workload this week? Drop them in the comments below – and if you add a GIF, please don’t forget to add a description!

Open book on a purple sparkly background featuring two story frameworks from chapter two of our storytelling series, with text that reads: The hero’s journey - A tried-and-tested method which sees a main character go through key stages: departure from the known, initiation and challenges, and return anew. Three-act structure - A narrative model dividing a story into three parts: Act one: set-up, Act two: rising action or confrontation and Act three: resolution.

Strong storytelling is built on structure. In chapter two of our charity storytelling series, we’re exploring two common frameworks, the hero’s journey and three-act structure. Dive into the latest blog for a breakdown on each structure with examples in practice: https://bit.ly/4l5GWwE

Social Media for voluntary organisations - Directory of Social Change Published April 2025 Social Media for voluntary organisations is a realistic and easy-to-follow guide to planning, implementing and evaluating a social media strategy. It will help you craft engaging campaigns and posts that get shared across networks, amplifying your message, increasing your reach and building your community. Who should buy this book? Aimed at small […]

@dsc-charity.bsky.social‬ has recently launched a social media guide for voluntary organisations. Whether you’re looking to enhance your social media strategy, boost engagement and reach, or are just getting started, their practical and accessible guide is an essential read:https://bit.ly/4nZuIbH

CharityComms Inspiring Communications at the Heart of Charities

If you’re an agency with AI insights and skills to share, get in touch with Hannah at hannah@charitycomms.... by 6 August to discuss a range of sponsorship opportunities for our conference.

A blue vintage microphone in front of white and light blue digital network points. To the left, white text on a dark blue background reads: Speak at our AI Conference 2025. 13 November. Share your experience and raise your profile with the CharityComms logo.

We are still looking for in-house and freelance charity communicators with experience and insights for leveraging AI.

If you have the skills to share, complete the expression of interest form by 6 August to speak at our #CharityAI Conference on 13 November: https://bit.ly/3GOz5pn

Social Media Network: Next gen engagement, how to reach Gen Z CharityComms’ Social Media Network is for those working in social media in UK charities and not-for-profits. All members are eligible to attend.

Join us on 11 September for our #CCSocialMedia event, where we’ll explore the tools and techniques to build meaningful engagement with your younger audience. Book your place to discover the platforms Gen Z are using, messaging that resonates and strategies to stand out: https://bit.ly/4faV1I0

Social media updates and resources Social media updates and resources

We’ve updated our social media hub with the latest platform news and resources. From key elements driving video engagement on LinkedIn to new carousel post analytics that Instagram is testing. Find out more now or bookmark for later: https://bit.ly/4nK8ACi

CharityComms Career Framework A competency framework providing a guide to the skills, knowledge and personal attributes which communications specialists in the charity sector need to perform to best practice standards.

As we’re in the second half of 2025, what skill are you looking to prioritise for the remainder of the year? Whether its video, storytelling or AI, use our free Career Framework for organisational members to plan your development, identify training needs, and set clear goals: http://bit.ly/458UTEa

Discover our AskCharity service – a free platform connecting charities and journalists. It helps journalists find case studies and spokespeople while enabling charities to build media contacts and gain coverage. Sign up here: bit.ly/3IKUwIz

#MembershipMonday

Apply to speak at our conference "Levelling up: AI skills for charity communicators", taking place on 13 November 2025 Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

If you’re an in-house or freelance charity communicator with AI insights and skills to share, complete our expression of interest form by 6 August: https://bit.ly/3GOz5pn

A blue vintage microphone in front of white and light blue digital network points. To the left, white text on a dark blue background reads: Sponsor the AI Conference 2025. 13 November. Reach our charity audience and generate leads with the CharityComms logo.

We’re looking for agencies with expertise in leveraging AI to sponsor our #CharityAI Conference on 13 November.

Email Hannah at hannah@charitycomms.... by 6 August to discuss different ways you can connect with our community of charity communicators looking to level up their AI skills.

Four speech bubbles featuring things charity communicators never say, including: “Wow, this campaign wrote itself!” “I don’t need another coffee.” “It’s so quiet this week.” “There are plenty of stock images that could work.”

Things charity communicators never say:
1. “Wow, this campaign wrote itself!”
2. “I don’t need another coffee.”
3. “It’s so quiet this week.”
4. “There are plenty of stock images that could work.”

Any you would add? Comment below!

The Charity Digital Skills Report - Charity Digital Skills Report The Charity Digital Skills Report is the annual barometer of charities’ digital skills, attitudes and behaviours.

The 2025 Charity Digital Skills Report was recently launched by ‪@zoeamar.bsky.social‬ and Nissa Ramsay. This year’s findings reveal insights on digital skills gaps, AI adoption, and funding challenges facing UK charities. Read more in the full report report: http://bit.ly/4lczZu9

Diagram of the coaching spectrum, adapted from Myles Downey's book, Effective Coaching (2003). The spectrum ranges from directive - solving someone's problems for them, such as telling, instructing, giving advice, and offering guidance – to collaborative - problem solving in unison, including giving feedback, making suggestions, and asking questions – to non-directive - helping someone solve their own problems through summarising, paraphrasing, reflecting, and listening to understand.

The coaching spectrum by Myles Downey helps managers support talented colleagues to achieve their best work, from moving between directive approaches to non-directive and coaching techniques. We’re resharing a blog on how to coach as managers and tame your advice monster: https://bit.ly/4f5HjG9

As the membership community for charities, voluntary organisations and community groups in England, we want to know what you think about the Civil Society Covenant.

Share your thoughts by 1 August to help us support you in the best way possible: www.ncvo.org.uk/get-involved...

An open book against a dark purple, sparkly background with text that reads: 'The next chapter of charity storytelling. Join us as we explore why charity storytelling deserves your attention - and how you can strengthen your storytelling for even greater impact.' At the bottom, there is a yellow bookmark with the text 'Chapter one' on it.

We’re turning the page with the next chapter in charity storytelling – a series exploring how you can tell stories with even greater impact. Read the first chapter on why storytelling must be re-examined as audiences seek more authenticity and connection: https://bit.ly/4mbPjrM

CharityComms Summer Events Wrapped, including two key takeaways from recent events: 1. Impactful social media campaigns - Conduct a pre-mortem to identify potential challenges and pitfalls for a social media campaign, looking at what has worked well or not so well in the past. It can be a great tool for anticipating issues and making informed choices, such as language and imagery, before a campaign launches. 2. Empowering internal brand champions - Pay attention to the details and value every perspective, including constructive criticism. Even a minor concern can lead to larger conversations, so addressing these issues can build trust and a stronger connection with brand champions.

CharityComms Summer Events Wrapped, including two key takeaways from recent events: 3. Measuring the impact of internal comms - Effective measurement of internal comms is about choosing what is right for your charity’s size, resources, and culture. From making the most of free data to using conversations, emails and more to understand the why behind the data. 4. Being bold in creative work - To create bold content, keep in mind the following: allocate sufficient time for creativity, showcase impactful examples to inspire internal support, establish a clear sign-off process, start small, and remember that bold content will look different for everyone.

5. Navigating crisis comms with confidence – Crises can strike any organisation. It’s important to understand the landscape you’re operating in and follow a clear processes, including planning scenarios, drafting a strategy, training your team and leaning on your purpose during the crisis. 6. Building better content – Work on striking the right balance by looking at your content from different perspectives. Bridge the gap between what audiences need and internal stakeholders expect.

It’s been just under two weeks since we wrapped our #CharityContent Conference, marking the end of our summer events calendar at #CharityComms. Here are some key learnings from the last couple of months.

Missed any events? Catch all recordings, resources and more on-demand: https://bit.ly/46qbk1s

A green banner on the top reads, 'With our Stepping into Comms Leadership workshops you’ll have the opportunity to:'. Beneath are two black banners with key benefits to joining the workshop series that include: 1. Hear first-hand from CEOs and senior leaders who have transitioned successfully into leadership. 2. Gain the tools, perspectives and space to think beyond day-to-day delivery.

A green banner on the top reads, 'With our Stepping into Comms Leadership workshops you’ll have the opportunity to:'. Beneath are two black banners with key benefits to joining the workshop series that include: 3. Build confidence in your ability to lead strategically and with impact. 4. Connect with a network of peers facing similar challenges and ambitions.

A green banner on the top reads, 'Stepping into Comms Leadership workshops' followed by a black including key event information that reads: Join our three-part series helping senior leaders transition with expert insights and support. 9 Sep, 7 Oct, 4 Nov, 9:30am – 12:00pm, online.

If you’re looking to make a step up from senior management to leadership, our workshop series offers a focused space to make that transition with confidence. Join a small cohort of peers in our Stepping into Comms Leadership workshop series starting on 9 September: https://bit.ly/3ICjfPg

Remember, all of the above takes time – sometimes hours or days – but they’re equally as important as the visible outputs to be effective.

What would you add to the list? What do you do to surface hidden work? Share in the comments.

Split screen with the top half on a white background representing the 'tip of the iceberg' showing visible charity comms outcomes, including: social media posts, press releases, internal updates, case studies, newsletters, ads, websites, campaigns, videos, impact reports, logos, and blogs. The bottom half of the design depicts the hidden work, 'underneath the iceberg,' on a light green background. Examples include: strategic thinking and planning, audience research and relationship building, creative problem-solving, continuous learning and knowledge sharing, impact measurement and data analysis, managing expectations and internal approvals, crisis comms planning, and experimenting and testing new approaches.

Charity comms folk, let’s talk about the full scope of what we do. From working in PR to overseeing a comms team, the outcomes are just the tip of the iceberg. Behind every campaign, email, social post or press release lies a foundation of work that is not always seen.

Squirrel peeking from a tree branch against a pink background with text that reads: Ready to climb the career ladder? Check out our jobs board to see where your skills could take you with the CharityComms logo and #MembershipMonday.

Ready to climb the career ladder? Check out the latest opportunities on our jobs board to see where your skills could take you: bit.ly/CCSectorJobs

#MembershipMonday

A page from the Notes app on a light green background with the CharityComms logo, titled 'Friendly Reminder - Perfection Isn't the Goal.' Five signs you might be stuck in a perfection loop: 1. You’re afraid to post or send off until it’s “just right”. 2. You’re avoiding a project or task entirely. 3. You’ve rewritten the same paragraph ten times. 4. You’re waiting for inspiration to hit instead of creating momentum. 5. You’ve spent more time planning than doing.

We’re kicking off Monday with a friendly reminder to aim for progress over perfection. Here’s are five signs you might be stuck in a perfection loop.

Hands up if you need a push to start this week!

A blue vintage microphone in front of white and light blue digital network points. To the left, white text on a dark blue background reads: Speak at our AI Conference 2025. 13 November. Share your experience and raise your profile with the CharityComms logo.

We’re looking for in-house and freelance charity communicators with the latest insights and techniques for leveraging AI.

If you have the skills to share, apply to speak at our #CharityAI Conference on 13 November 2025. The pitch form is open until 6 August: https://bit.ly/3GOz5pn

Should you be posting on every social channel during a crisis? Mel Berry and James Armstrong from Social Firefly share what they've learned about when to post, where to post and why it matters during a crisis.

Should you post on every social media channel during a crisis? This question was a topic of discussion at our recent seminar, and @sofirefly.bsky.social‬ shares what they’ve learned about when to post, where to post and why it matters in our latest blog: https://bit.ly/46JJ4a0