Insight Articles
Our straight-talking articles and guides are designed to cut through charity professional industry jargon and answer your pertinent questions.
Charity marketing – Part 3: Why good copywriting and storytelling matter
By Claire SmithThis year marked 10 years of freelance copywriting in the charity sector for me. How many words...
Investing charity assets – getting risk and strategy right
When it comes to charity investment portfolios, putting in place the right strategy and finding the correct ba...
Case study: CEO recruitment
“We went out to tender with three other companies and Action Planning came in significantly cheaper than a cou...
Admincontrol Joins the UK G-Cloud 14 Framework !
We’re excited to announce that Admincontrol is now officially part of the UK Government’s G-Cloud 14 Framework...
Budget 2024: Chancellor gives with one hand, takes with other
Budget 2024: Chancellor gives with one hand, takes with otherThe Chancellor gives with one hand and takes with...
ARC Charity Indices Report - September 2024
Purpose and OverviewThe ARC Charity Indices track the performance of discretionary charity portfolios to provi...
Charity marketing – Part 2: Three surprising differences between charity and commercial marketing
By Ned Wells When Melissa Fretwell asked me to write an article for White Camino comparing marketing for ...
How charities can support job sharing
With the sector facing a skills shortage, job sharing is one way to access a greater range of skills and exper...
Charity marketing - Part 1: Tactics and relationships
Among all the services we offer to the charity sector, the one that receives the most demand is help with fund...
INGO structure models for a fast-changing world
By David Bull The emerging “crisis” facing International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) centres a...
When initiative becomes disruptive: the dangers of "doing it in my own time" for non-profits
By Andrew MiddletonIn the non-profit sector, it’s not uncommon to hear the phrase, “I’ll do it in my own time....
Charity Investment Consulting Partnership launched to drive better outcomes for UK charities
· The CICP will work with the Charity Commission, membership organisations, asset managers...
Admincontrol's Board Portal - Used by Charities across the UK
Admincontrol' s Board Portal is utilised by Charities right across the UK. If you would like to learn more and...
Discover the new Admincontrol Board Portal iOS app!
The brand new Admincontrol iOS app is designed to optimise access to business-critical information and speed u...
Fundraising for a specific project? Why it pays to carry out a feasibility study
By Andrew RainsfordWhen you need to fundraise for a specific project, it may seem counterintuitive to begin by...
How much can charities spend from their investment portfolios?
How much can charities spend from their investment portfolios? This is a simple question, easy to answer. Firs...
How to protect your organisation from fraud in 2024
Charities are not immune to fraud and can even be more vulnerable to it. Learn how to protect your charity fro...
5 ways to improve your organisational planning
Good organisational planning covers a number of facets, from strategic planning to management, communications ...
How to combat online misinformation
We outline the best strategies for tackling inaccurate information The digital age has exposed many people all...
How to protect your savings from falling interest rates
https://www.utbank.co.uk/savings-and-deposits/protect-savings-from-falling-interest-rates/
How OpsPal can help charities governance an operations
Here is a link to a document that explains how we can help any charity improve their governance and how they o...
UK Charities Could Generate Extra Income Equivalent to Six London Marathons a Year by Earning Just 0.5% More Interest on Cash Reserves
https://www.utbank.co.uk/savings-and-deposits/how-uk-charities-could-boost-income/
How to boost your charity’s marketing: Five top tips
There’s an almost endless list of things for your charity to consider when developing or polishing up a strate...
£31bn of Charity money sat idle?
RACHEL TITCHEN, Charities and Investment Director at consultancy BROADSTONE, calls for a more flexible and ad...
Meeting an MP? The one question you must be ready for
By Claire MathysAny change of Government or Prime Minister brings with it new faces for campaigning organisati...
How charities can avoid 'revenue leakage'
Mistakes and poor organisation are costing charities more than £6bn a year, latest research has found. We look...
Can a charity borrow money from a bank?
Can my charity borrow money from a bank? Is borrowing possible for a charity? Does a charity need express powe...
Small charities need a louder voice
By Clare McIntosh and Laura Treneer“Underfunded and overlooked”. This is how grassroots charities are describe...
Investing for Charities - a helpful guide
A book that cuts through the investment industry’s mystique and jargon to show you how you can set an investme...
Everything you need to know about the Charity Commission
We explore how history of the Charity Commission, the role of the Commission in today’s society, how the Commi...
Legacy fundraising: now or never?
By Claire Smith“We know we need to do legacy fundraising, but we don’t know where to start.” That’s a query I ...
FJ announces new principal consultant
FJ Philanthropy, a specialist management consulting firm, is delighted to announce that Anne Hayward is j...
Get that grant! How to add some bang to your bids
By various Action Planning AssociatesFunders receive tens, if not hundreds, of applications – how can you make...
Revolutionising Charity Governance - A great CEO insight to Admincontrol' s Board Portal offering for Charities.
Mark Bishop, CEO of Dynamic Earth, implemented the Admincontrol board portal as one of his first decisions whe...
Workshop: A step-by-step guide to managing financial budgets
APPLY NOW Managing charity budgets can be a daunting prospect, particularly in times of economic uncertai...
How to make better decisions with charity data
It is no secret that charities are home to more data than ever before. With the advent of digital fundraising&...
Big Give Christmas campaign – now is the time to start planning
By Emma GouldsIf you are like me and thinking about Christmas in Autumn makes you groan, the idea of doing any...
What is digital ethics?
As charities move to digital in many of their activities, we examine the importance of a code of digital ethic...
Scrabble without the rules – It all spells creativity
The 13th April was National Scrabble Day, and to play his part in the celebration, David Saint shared an activ...
How to make volunteering more inclusive
Volunteers are a lifeline for many charities, so it’s important to treat them with equity and fairness. Everyo...
How to handle Flexible Working requests
By Tracy MadgwickWhat does the new Flexible Working amendment mean for you and your organisation? How should y...
Welcome to Admincontrol' s Board Evaluation Tool
Admincontrol' s Board Evaluation is developed through years of experience with evaluating boards and optimisi...
Action Planning and the Stephen Lloyd Awards – incubating brilliant ideas
Now in its 10th year, the Stephen Lloyd Awards is an invaluable catalyst for bright ideas. Since 2015, wh...
Happy Easter from Admincontrol!
We hope you had a productive first quarter of the year and are looking forward to the Easter Break.At Admincon...
Charity boards that are short on women are missing out
How many women do you have on your board or senior leadership team? The answer for most charities is, not enou...
What do charities need from digital? Join our steering group
Charity Digital and Dot Project are collaborating to deliver year three of a digital resilience programme fund...
Why you need cyber security?
Cyber security is important because our devices have become essential to our ability to deliver services, rais...
4 lessons from supporting 5 social enterprises - simultaneously
As my work supporting five social enterprises to become more adept at marketing and business development comes...
Your Guide to the Boardroom in 2024
Admincontrol' s essential guide to the global trends shaping boardroom agendas helps board directors focus on ...
The delicate dance of donation diplomacy
New guidance from the Charity Commission seeks to guide on the principles of gift acceptance. hashtag#philanth...
How to stop repeating your recruitment mistakes
In case you missed it, Friday 2nd of February was Groundhog Day, a date that has become synonymous with r...
Foundations of a Robust Charity Investment Strategy: Risk, Return and a bit of maths
This article continues our exploration of Strategic Investment Framework for Charities, a series of articles f...
Foundations of a Robust Charity Investment Strategy: Thinking About Risk
This article continues our exploration of Strategic Investment Framework for Charities, a series of articles f...
Foundations of a Robust Charity Investment Strategy: Setting your objectives
This is the second article in the series on Strategic Investment Framework for Charities that we worked on in ...
Foundations of a Robust Charity Investment Strategy: Starting with the Basics
Introducing our new series of articles on Strategic Investment Framework for CharitiesWe are excited to announ...
The importance of taking independent investment advice
The importance of taking independent adviceNavigating the world of investments can be difficult and often da...
February freebie – what will you do with the extra day?
How often do you hear yourself saying, “I wish I had more time”? Well, every four years your wish is granted –...
One from the heart – How to add some love to your fundraising campaigns
By Tim Glynne-Jones, with Naomi Buckler, Supporter Communications specialist, and Faith Chrisp, Customer and S...
An A-Z of charity terms and definitions
We have compiled an extensive glossary of all phrases and terminology related to the charity sector, philanthr...
10 reasons why we built our digital operations software
Here is a quick guide on why we built our digital operations software:Click here to review1) Staff and volunte...
OpsPal overview - making your operations digital
So we here at OpsPal have teamed up with Charity Intelligence to offer you a highly discounted rate on our dig...
Sustainable Finance: Balancing Financial Goals with Social Impact
In a recent discussion at the Navigating Change event, our audience heard from Guy Davies Co-Founder of Ch...
Five ways to improve your fundraising copy
By Claire SmithYou have an incredible opportunity this Easter – an opportunity to love your donors, remind the...
Telling research for reaching young people
By Laura TreneerThis month Youthscape has published the first part of its ambitious ‘Translating God’ research...
Broadstone Small Charities Investment Consulting Service
Broadstone launches investment consultancy service for small charities• Innovative subscription service for sm...
How A.I. can help charities confront the Cost-of-Living crisis
The benefits of using emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are vast. Here are some of ...
Top tips to set you on the road to net zero
What does net zero actually mean?The UK Government has pledged to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2050. That means that ...
Building on COP28 – next steps for the charity sector
By Tim Glynne-JonesAnother United Nations climate summit has been and gone (that’s 28 now), so what has been a...
Good governance
This time last year I was in the middle of a national speaking tour on governance for a network of food banks....
How artificial intelligence is impacting finance
The ramifications of artificial intelligence (AI) are widespread across the local and global economy. The fina...
12 priorities for 2024
Find out the top tips that emerged as we asked Action Planning Associates to complete this sentence with chari...
Compelling findings from recent donor research
By Laura TreneerDigital fundraising tech company Enthuse carries out donor research and publishes its findings...
Buyer personas: the most powerful tool in a marketeers toolbox?
Author: Ned Wells, Director at Cicada ConsultingEmail: [email protected] a person...
Free advice - resist change!
In Paul Johnson’s book, ‘Follow the Money’ he explains that all governments know the top three things they sho...
Unlocking the power of customer experience (CX) for non-profit leadership
By Faith Chrisp How seriously do you consider your customers’ perception of your organisation? While cust...
What does the Bible say about being a charity trustee?
By Kate NicholasThe Bible is full of wisdom for charity executives, but what about being a charity trustee or ...
Foregoing the fundraising: how can charities harness the power of marketing to increase their unrestricted revenue?
It’s not a great time to be a charity.There it is. Not an easy thing to hear, but it’s probably not news to yo...
Embracing Cybersecurity in the Charity Sector
In today's digital age, charities are not immune to the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats. As s...
How charities can bridge the gap in Black and Asian representation on trustee boards
By Malcolm John, founder of the campaign organisation Action for Trustee Racial Diversity and a trustee of the...
What is a CIO and do I need one?
Beware the additional costs of outsourced investment services.
How to write an incredible blog
Here we outline some of easy-to-follow steps for blog content. Blogs have evolved since the journal-type forma...
Free Guide on HR & Health and Safety complaince checklist
We have put together a guide of some information needed to ensure you stay compliant in your buisnesses. click...
Christmas planning: plan like a church leader if you want to reach churches
By Laura TreneerJanuary may be the start of the calendar year, but for many church leaders the real launch mon...
Putting your charity on the map
This article was written for Action Planning by Dr Diego Arenas and Nicole Holgate of DataKind UKHow mapping c...
Top tips for charity Chief Executives on board effectiveness
The Board of Trustees is fundamental to the success of any charitable organisation but keeping it running smoo...
Social Enterprise business models - how does yours work?
Author: Ned Wells, Director at Cicada ConsultingEmail: [email protected] the summer of 2023 I fou...