I was recently interviewed by the team at Donorfy (an award-winning fundraising software for nonprofits). Below is that interview, followed by a timeline of my professional life.
Let's start with some background information – who are you, and what do you do?
I'm Bertie, an independent digital consultant helping NGOs with their digital projects: digital transformation programmes, online fundraising, service delivery, team structure and governance, technology signposting, and recently blockchain pilots.
What was your first job?
Music journalist and photographer. At 16, while I was in high school (lycée, as I grew up in France), I launched an indie music show on a local radio and a fanzine. For a few years, I interviewed and photographed bands like Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Blur, Pulp, Jeff Buckley, Björk etc. I even photographed 2 French DJs during one of their first sets but I was asked not to publish my photos as they can only be portrayed wearing masks/helmets.
How did you get into the NGO sector?
It wasn't exactly planned. I set up the first web agency in my hometown of Dijon in the mid-90s but very few companies there wanted a website. I moved to London in 1999 and joined a B2B start-up. After a year, I was keen to work for a large organisation. I knew very little about the charity sector but a recruitment company told me a big charity was looking for someone to set up a 'new media' team, combining my desire for a stable structure and my start-up experience.
My adventure in the charity sector began in January 2001 at the British Heart Foundation (in the basement). At the time, there were only 5 charities in the UK with a full-time web person. I quickly realised opportunities to use digital for services, fundraising, and campaigning were immense. After 5 years at BHF, I moved to Breast Cancer Care to set up a digital department operating as an in-house agency.
Tell us about your digital consulting and your journey there so far?
During my 11 years in-house, I had several 'incidents' where the words of an external agency had more value than mine, although we were saying the same thing (except for the French accent). Rather than getting upset about it, I decided to become an external consultant. I started without a business plan; just the idea of being a 'pay-as-you-go' head of digital.
I enjoy the variety of projects and organisations I work with. To date, I have worked with over 130 organisations, from small NGOs with one person to very big UN NGOs. The part I enjoy most is one-to-one interviews of staff at the start of a project. I'm being told it feels like therapy. I'm always amazed by the talent and passion of people in our sector.
For the next part of my journey, I'm starting to advise more NGOs outside the UK. I call this my Bert-xit strategy – but I have a proper plan!
What are the biggest digital challenges that NGOs face right now?
I think there are 3 core challenges: disconnected technology, siloed departments, and parallel processes. And frankly, they haven't changed much in the past 15 years. New media, online revolution, digital first, digital by default, digital transformation… same thing. It comes down to how NGOs adapt their internal mindset, processes and tech to match the habits of the audience.
Very few charities have a fundraising CRM (I don't mean a database to record donors) and fewer understand what a CRM can actually do. For years, I thought the mindset should change before bringing in the technology. I'm starting to wonder if an investment in technology should come first for the mindset to change.
If you could change one thing to improve the way NGOs communicate, what would you change?
Journeys. Some NGOs are good at communicating their impact but not enough in my view. I test donation journeys on a weekly basis and there's very little reward for the donor. Making a donation should move from a feel-good gift to a social investment – donors want to know how their money was used. A simple email a month or 3 months later showing impact without asking for more cash would be encouraging.
After a one-off donation, I'd like to have the option to repeat my donation every month on card. Netflix, Spotify and many other online services do this. NGOs are clearly missing a trick here.
How do you think digital in NGOs will change in the years to come?
I think social media is becoming the new direct mail. NGOs will have to throw more and more money and resources at it to get a return. The data culling of GDPR leaves NGOs with a more engaged audience that must be communicated to sincerely and nurtured with care. Start developing detailed user experience maps compiling timely opportunities for service provision, fundraising asks, advocacy, etc. Further ahead, blockchain technology will be mature enough to help NGOs track their impact.
Do any digital innovations come to mind that have made your life easier?
Sector-wise, the CharityComms Digital Benchmark is an amazing innovation (a project I've helped launch and been working on since 2013). It's not a technical innovation but a change of mindset. 70+ UK charities are sharing their web stats in a live dashboard plus team size, digital budget, online income, etc. It can be used to set up KPIs based on true sector insight.