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In many charities, a key step on the digital journey is getting support from senior leaders. If the chief executive and board don’t buy in, progress will be slower. In some charities, this isn’t a barrier. The chief executive is where it all starts. They’re the one who demands the introduction of new technologies and […]

Why inclusive learning experiences are important An inclusive learning experience considers your audience and the barriers or challenges they may face when engaging with learning.  This is particularly important online, as you have less information and context about your learners and no longer have the immediate cues as to any barriers they may be experiencing.  […]

Charities collect a lot of information every day – and analysing this data can transform their services for the better. But where should you start? What do we mean by data and data science, and how can you tell if your organisation would benefit from using it? DataKind UK and the Data Collective help to […]

This video will teach you about GDPR and managing data. You’ll learn why a lot of it is common sense. By the end you’ll have a basic understanding of everything you need to understand and comply with GDPR in your organisation. It’s led by Lucy Knight and Martin Howitt from The Data Place. It was […]

Many charities reacted quickly to the constraints imposed by COVID-19 in 2020, adjusting their ways of working to keep their organisation active and deliver key services in communities and across the nation. In many cases, this meant placing greater reliance on digital technology. With the pace of change it was easy to ignore the need […]

You want to move ahead with a digital service, maybe moving some of your existing service online, changing or expanding the service you offer. Have you carried out a risk assessment to help you decide how to do so safely? This article presents a robust process and downloadable guide to get you started. Why risk […]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It’s precious as a pearl. So in 2018 the Tech for Good Hub asked six services the Tech for Good programme funded what hindsight advice they would give charities wanting to build digital services for the first time. All six had been successful. They were demonstrating impact after their grant […]

“In my work with charities I see confusion over the differences between different types of ‘design’. Sometimes this grappling with terminology leads to unnecessary angst. It would be super helpful to be able to signpost them to something.” – Ellie Hale, Digital Teams Lead at Catalyst That’s how this article came about. It’s a mini-guide […]

Charity is about community. Almost every charity serves a community, and most charities are interested in bringing the members of their communities closer together. For the most part, charities have focused on doing this in person. But now, in the time of lockdown, the only way to bring your community together is online. The thing […]

Over the past six weeks, Founders and Coders have been delivering our Collaborative Digital Training Programme in partnership with CAST. Working closely with the two participating charities Social Action for Health and Pursuing Independent Paths throughout the progress has emphasised the strength of a collaborative approach to designing digital products. In this article, I’ll outline […]

Got an idea for a new digital service or product? Want to develop or change something you are already doing? Designing and building a new website? Iterative working could help! Iterative working is a design methodology that helps you learn and improve your product or service as you go. It’s a continuous cycle of learning, […]

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” ― Isaac Asimov While driving last week a red sports car undercut me – at about 90mph.  That was an unsafe, overconfident, law-flaunting individual in the other car, wasn’t it? When I was […]