Five of the most inspiring people in the charity sector
As we enter an era of rapid digitisation, charities are navigating new or heightened challenges and opportunities. From debates on social issues played out across social media to fast-paced digital transformations and innovations.
Some digital experts have adapted to the changing digital environment and adopted or created new tools at hyper-speed, giving us all inspiration.
We spoke to five of the most inspiring people in the sector about their work and their hopes for the future.
Becky Steeden, Strategic Social Media Manager, RNLI
In the summer of 2021, the RNLI found itself on the receiving end of some negative press coverage and social media commentary after rescuing migrants in distress from the Channel.
The RNLI social media team, led by Becky Steeden, were faced with comments that were racist and abusive at times. “My team took on this challenge with courage and integrity and supported one another admirably,” Steeden says. “To us, there was no question: we exist to save lives at sea – to save everyone, without prejudice or exception.”
Steeden’s team collaborated with colleagues to tell the powerful stories of this lifesaving work. The content generated a huge spike in income and thousands of new, younger regular givers.
For Steeden, emerging digital tools are creating exciting opportunities for charities because they “empower those on the frontline...to share their stories first-hand”.
Anna Rawcliffe, Social Media Lead, National Trust
The National Trust has found itself mired in the so-called ‘culture wars’ debate this year and had to manage waves of discontentment directed at their social media accounts. “Social media has always been a place where you can see the best and worst of people...Looking after ourselves, being kind and finding ways to build our resilience have been important over the last year,” says social media lead Anna Rawcliffe as she reflects on 2021.
Rawcliffe is proud of the Trust’s annual #BlossomWatch campaign. The hashtag had more than 65,000 uses in 2021. “After a tough year, it was incredible to see our members, supporters, and people new to the Trust sharing their blossom photos,” she says.
The role digital and social media has played in communicating the Trust’s experiences of climate change and ideas to tackle it are cause for hope. Rawcliffe says that “creative ways to tackle climate change, such as planting sphagnum moss, particularly sparked the imagination of our followers”.
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Abdul Basit Ali, Interim Head of Marketing, Islamic Relief
Abdul Basit Ali has worked hard to bump digital up the agenda at Islamic Relief. “I am proud to say that our digital engagement team is now always inundated with internal social media requests, and various teams are always thinking about what new content is needed on the website.”
He’s excited about using digital tools to reach younger audiences in the future. He says: “The content charities are creating now to reach a younger audience is something many wouldn’t have dreamed of...just five years ago...I think we’ll see the use of digital continue to evolve in some really interesting ways we haven’t even thought about yet."
Polly Cook, Head of Service Transformation, Parkinson’s UK
Polly Cook leads the Parkinson’s Connect team – an ambitious service transformation project at Parkinson’s UK. Cook is proud to have “brought together a cross-functional team with skills across digital, data, design, service delivery, and more, using a person-centred approach and harnessing pioneering technologies...to reach everyone affected by the condition at the point of diagnosis and provide proactive, personalised support”.
She hopes to see more charities bringing new skills and approaches into the sector to get ahead of the curve on service design. “I’m excited by seeing ways of working within organisations in the sector really shifting, with service design and agile being embedded at an organisational level.”
Nana Crawford, Social Media Manager, British Red Cross
Nana Crawford is proud of the way she and her team have made the Brtish Red Cross more relatable through TikTok. “As a team, we’ve loved the challenge of taking our complex work in the UK and around the world to break it down for TikTok audiences. It’s personally made me think about content in a different way.”
Crawford is excited to see other charities using new digital tools in innovative ways. “I’ve noticed some charities using Twitter Spaces, some on Clubhouse and more joining TikTok. However, with these new features being added, I would love to see more charity collaboration in a world of digital competition. We have similar goals and passions, so why aren’t we joining forces more to take advantage of the strength in numbers?”
Whatever the future holds for charities, It’s inspiring to see it being shaped by these digital champions and innovators.