Biomni launches AI-powered virtual assistant for charities, plus other agency & supplier updates
Melanie May | 23 January 2023 | News
As well as Biomni launching its AI-powered virtual assistant for charities, international jobs board Global Charity Jobs has relaunched, ClearCourse has acquired Clear, JustGiving has announced its fundraising total for 2022, and GivePenny is now letting charities refer other charities for a discount.
Biomni launches AI-powered virtual assistant for charities
Software provider Biomni has launched CharityBot, an AI-powered virtual assistant designed to enable charities to respond to, and in many cases resolve, the growing volumes of enquiries, using self-service.
Instead of manually searching the charity’s website or Google, or making a call, users can ask CharityBot their specific questions and be instantly directed to the resources they require without having to share their personal data. Whilst personal data is not tracked, the number and nature of questions asked can then be used to gauge which services are most in demand or if an answer is not available; CharityBot can alert admins that additional resources are required.
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Angus Gregory, CEO of Biomni said:
“Charities already possess a huge amount of resources that are invaluable at this challenging time. We are proud to utilise our 20-years of enterprise AI expertise to help them create no-code, low-cost AI Q&A to centralise these resources. Building tailored virtual assistants that give users 24/7 access to resources, whilst freeing up teams to provide more complex support.”
Biomni recently partnered with Charity Excellence, giving it access to Biomni’s AI platform to build the AI Tech Bunnies that feature on its homepage. The service is free to use and people can ask as many questions as they wish completely anonymously. Each time a tech bunny is asked a question, it learns from that interaction.
Ian McLintock, Founder of Charity Excellence commented:
“The AI Tech Bunnies provide our community with immediate support 24/7 and also support them in accessing and using our digital ecosystem. We’ve also created a knowledge bank of support for individuals and families that connects them to free help and financial support.
“Biomni’s generosity in giving us use of their software has not only significantly improved our ability to deliver our crisis support programme for the charity sector, but also to connect any member of the public who needs it to crisis support at any time.”
A link to a webinar that shows how CharityBot can help can be found here.
Global Charity Jobs relaunches with new look & functionality
International jobs board Global Charity Jobs has relaunched, having been redesigned and digitally optimised with a new look, feel and functionality.
For more than two decades Global Charity Jobs has been connecting candidates with organisations. Now, in 2023 it has reached over 900 satisfied clients, with 90% recurring.
Additionally, there 25,000 subscribers to its weekly jobs bulletin, including job seekers and nonprofit HR staff keeping track of what is happening in the international recruitment market.
Daryl Upsall, President, Daryl Upsall International commented:
“Who would have known back in 2004 that Global Charity Jobs would be such a success and be so in demand in the international nonprofit recruitment and job seeking world. Here’s to the next 20 years!”
ClearCourse acquires fundraising system Clear
Clear, a fundraising system used by charities such as Oxfam, the NSPCC, and Cancer Research UK to manage their legacy donations has been acquired by London-based technology firm ClearCourse.
Focusing on market-leading software solutions for the nonprofit and transport sectors, Clear will expand ClearCourse’s footprint while creating new opportunities within the transport sector.
Clear’s flagship product in the not-for-profit space, FirstClass, is a legacy donation management software that helps over 100 charities and not-for-profits maximise their income from legacy donations. Clear supports over 100 charities and businesses such as Oxfam, the NSPCC, Cancer Research UK and National Express.
Based in Chorley, Lancashire, and with a team across the North West of the UK, Clear’s acquisition represents a further expansion of ClearCourse’s presence in the region following the opening of its Northern Tech Hub last year in Preston. Clear’s solutions can integrate with ClearCourse’s offerings in a number of ways. Brands within ClearCourse’s Membership Services Division will be able to integrate with Clear’s FirstClass offering for instance, while Clear’s customers will also benefit from ClearCourse’s horizontal solutions, including integrated payments, investment, resources and expertise.
JustGiving raised over £590mn for charities in 2022
JustGiving raised over half a billion pounds as raised for 23,000 charities and good causes in 2022.
Insight from the platform shows that despite the rising cost of living crisis, people dug deep throughout 2022 to support charities and individuals, with over 850,000 new crowdfunding and fundraising pages were set up throughout the course of the year.
Pages created to support the people of Ukraine garnered the most donations, with over 21,000 pages set up and £52mn raised. This was followed by those taking part in the London Marathon, who collectively helped raise over £40mn, which is the most ever raised on the platform for the marathon.
Meanwhile, over £10mn was donated to the Mighty Hike and the late Dame Deborah James raised almost £9mn for the Bowelbabe Fund.
Activity saw over 300 million miles recorded on Fitbits and Strava apps, and more than 3,000 people raise almost £2mn by shaving their heads for good causes.
Overall, Bristol topped the list as the most generous area, followed by Bedford and Luton.
Charities can refer other charities to GivePenny for a discount
Charities are now able to refer other charities to GivePenny to get themselves up to 100% discount on their own subscription to the platform.
The charity fundraising platform connects apps to fundraising challenges, integrating with sports, gaming, and events platforms including Strava, Spotify, Twitch, Fitbit, and Runkeeper.
Last year it announced it had secured £1.25mn in investment to help further enhance its technology and expand its client base from the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.