Understanding your industry: Not-For-Profit

As the uncertainty of Brexit continues to dominate the news, many industries are preparing for the likely changes coming. The Not-For-Profit sector is not excluded, as many charities are making plans ahead of October 31st.

There will certainly be some challenges, but the future is exciting as the sector embraces new technology and charity work is encouraged in workplaces.

• 85 charities call for the Prime Minister to engage with the sector over Brexit
  Over 85 charities from across the UK (including sector bodies) have co-signed a letter to the Prime Minister over their concerns of the impact of a no-deal Brexit. The letter highlights that civil society faces the same Brexit related impacts and uncertainties as business. It calls for stronger involvement with civil society throughout the next phases of the Brexit process, including throughout the devolved countries.
• Charities with European staff should ensure they have support in place
  Employment laws will be hugely affected by Brexit, but are unlikely to change dramatically overnight in the event of no deal. EU staff in the UK will have to apply for “settled status” to be able to live and work in the UK indefinitely, or “pre-settled status” if they have lived in the UK for fewer than five years. Charities should familiarise themselves with Home Office guidance and ensure support is in place for existing European staff during what could be a confusing and stressful period.
• Macmillan Cancer Support uses artificial intelligence to improve the recruitment of its supporters for the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning Fundraising case this year
  Working with technology platform Automated Creative, the charity is able to run an unlimited number of variations of its adverts to test and learn which approaches work with different types of people. These adverts are running across channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. They encourage people to sign up to host their own Coffee Morning to fundraise for Macmillan via the charity’s website.
• Workplaces need to do more to allow employees to contribute time to charities
  Research has shown that over 60% of employees do not receive any days off for volunteering. According to a study by employee experience platform Perkbox, 63% of employees in the UK do not receive any days off work to volunteer. With personal time already limited, employees must fit volunteering into their evenings and weekends, leading them to juggle obligations. By enabling employees to give back to the wider society and charitable causes that matter most to them, it can fulfill a significant feeling of purpose and enable individuals to use their abilities differently from their day-to-day job, in turn contributing to employee and team happiness as a whole.