2023 UK CHARITY DIGITAL BENCHMARKS STUDY: AN UPDATE & SOME KEY DATES.

Last week saw the launch of the Global Digital Benchmarks Study by our friends across the pond, the wonderful M+R.

The Global Study is an amazing thing. We love it. In fact we loved it so much that a couple of years ago we asked M+R if they’d partner with us and create a UK version of the study.

As you may know they said yes!

The UK Study operates to a slightly different timeline. We recently emailed all UK participants with an update, but, shock horror, we know that some of you aren’t always on top of your emails (we feel your pain).

So here are the key dates:

14 July: Embargoed release of the UK Digital Benchmarks Study!

All participants will be sent a copy of the full UK study ahead of the public release.

18 July, 4pm: UK Study launch webinar for participants, followed by public launch!

All participants are invited to join our friends at M+R and us as we present the key findings from the UK study and answer any questions that you may have once you’ve seen the presentation.

We’ll be in touch soon with the webinar link.

Participants’ personalised reports

A benefit of being one of the 50 participating organisations who submitted data is that you get a personalised report. All personalised reports will be sent out by the end of July.

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Header Photo by Edho Pratama on Unsplash

WE ASKED CHATGPT TO WRITE A LETTER TO OUR MP ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION

We’ve finally broken. Here is our ChatGBT blog post.

We asked ChatGPT to 'Write a letter to our MP expressing our outrage at the need for voter ID to vote, explain why it is undemocratic and encourage them to fight it.'

We’ve pasted the results below. Not a bad first attempt. And potentially very unnerving for MPs who seem to take mass actions less seriously than individual letters.

Dear [MP’s Name],

I am writing to you today to express my deep concern and outrage about the proposed implementation of voter ID laws. As a constituent of your district, I feel it is essential to raise my voice and let you know how strongly I oppose this undemocratic measure.

Voter ID laws are discriminatory, unfair, and wholly unnecessary. They will only serve to create further barriers to voting for already marginalised communities, including low-income individuals, elderly citizens, people with disabilities, and racial and ethnic minorities. The potential impact of such laws is enormous, as it could disenfranchise millions of voters and undermine the very foundation of our democracy.

Furthermore, the implementation of voter ID laws is based on the false premise that voter fraud is widespread, which has been proven time and time again to be untrue. The reality is that incidents of voter fraud in the UK are exceptionally rare, and measures are already in place to prevent any such attempts.

It is imperative that you take a stand against voter ID laws and do everything in your power to prevent their implementation. As a representative of your constituency, I implore you to stand up for democracy and fight against measures that restrict access to the ballot box.

I urge you to use your position to raise awareness about the negative consequences of voter ID laws, educate the public about their true motives, and work towards creating a fair and inclusive voting system for all citizens.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

Then we asked it to make it shorter and more action focused.

Dear [MP's Name],

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed implementation of voter ID laws. Voter ID laws are undemocratic, discriminatory, and unnecessary, and they will create further barriers to voting for already marginalised communities.

As your constituent, I urge you to take immediate action to prevent the implementation of voter ID laws. Please use your position to raise awareness about their negative impact, educate the public about their true motives, and work towards creating a fair and inclusive voting system for all citizens.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

There’s a lot wrong with ChatGPT, but this really shows the potential for campaigning and campaigners. Not a bad effort at all!

UPDATE. A few hours after posting this, Google let me into their version. And with the same prompt it came up with something equally good, maybe better.

Dear MP,

I am writing to express my outrage at the need for voter ID to vote. I believe that this is an undemocratic and unnecessary measure that will disenfranchise millions of people.

There is no evidence to suggest that voter fraud is a significant problem in the UK. In fact, the Electoral Commission has stated that there were only 44 allegations of impersonation in the 2016 general election. This is out of nearly 64 million votes cast, reflecting just 1 case for every 1.5 million votes.

In contrast, there are millions of people in the UK who do not have access to a passport or a photographic driving licence. This includes young people, older people, people with disabilities, and people from minority ethnic groups. Forcing these people to pay for a new form of ID in order to vote is a clear barrier to democratic participation.

I urge you to fight against this undemocratic measure. Please vote against any legislation that would require voter ID to vote.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

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Header Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

LANGUAGE MATTERS: DO YOU ATTRACT OR ACQUIRE SUPPORT?

Language matters. It’s an obvious thing to say: how we choose to express ourselves gives an insight into how we think about the things we do, see and experience.

Take the word acquisition and think about its definition.

Acquisition: the buying or obtaining of assets or objects.

Buying or obtaining.

Assets or objects.

It's a word taken from the corporate world where customer acquisition is a thing. We'd argue that we should reject the term because we are not in the business of selling products or services. It’s a word that depersonalises the public and presents them as commodities rather than people.

Acquisition perpetuates an Old Power mindset of ownership:

My donors.

My supporters.

My staff.

My ideas.

My clients.

We believe in a New Power mindset of collaboration and sharing.

So we use the word attraction.

Attraction: the action or power of evoking interest in or liking for someone or something.

Rally works with clients, and the sector more widely, to champion an attraction-based approach. Together we develop strategies that help achieve our clients’ goals by using their values as a magnet to attract all who share them.

The focus is simple: to inspire like minded people who share our values to join us and actively participate in the change we all want to see.

And while we are on the subject of language. Here is the definition of another widely used sector term.

Retention: the continued use, existence, or possession of something or someone

Possession. Nice.

We wrote about Rally & New Power here.

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Main Photo by Marl Clevenger on Unsplash