The Docklands Light Railway is under construction, it’s freezing cold in London so the bike isn’t getting out as much as it should and, as a result, I’m doing loads more walking. I pass a number of Starbucks on the way to work. I don’t…

Here’s another example of charities using iPhone Apps. This time it’s to raise funds. It’s called A Real Tree and is a very simple idea. You buy the app for £0.59 in the UK ($0.99 in the USA) and the purchase price is used to…

I’ve managed to get my hands on some more secretly taped recordings. This time it’s an agency brainstorming some ideas for a TV ad for the RSPCA. You can hear what was captured by clicking here. Not quite sure which agency it is, but i…

I've found another great example of a charity using the iPhone to engage volunteers. This time its the Salvation Army (over in the US). They are offering people a chance to download a bell (you can get yours here). A downloadable bell on a telephone…

Where do great ideas come from? I don’t know. John Cleese gets his from Mr Ken Levinshaw who lives in Swindon. He gets them from Mildred Spong who lives on the Isle of Wight. She refuses to say where she gets them from. I know…

As I first walk through the doors of a charity, I often find myself having an Indiana Jones type moment. It’s nothing to do with dodging boulders or poison darts. What comes to mind is the closing scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark –…

Having written and overseen the writing of hundreds of charity communications, I’ve come to the conclusion that the instructional approach that so many brand guidelines take to defining ‘tone of voice’ simply doesn’t work when it comes to specifying how non-profits must use language. Most…

I was alerted to the International Network for Enabling Poverty Development by a message on twitter from one of their UK staff, @InepdMercedes. A field worker, Shane Thomson had been locked up in a jail somewhere in Africa for a crime that, as far as…

There's a great post on Jonathan Waddingham's (from Just Giving) blog. He noticed that Stephen Fry had RT'd (that means shared a link) to Mel Cupper's, Big Issue fundraising page on his Twitter account, saying… "He just needs a tiny-winy bit more cash and he's…

It’s been around for a while, but this guide on how to make viral videos has some great tips that charities could benefit from. In under 4 minutes it shows you: Why content is not king How to get on the most viewed pages Title…