4 snippets of charity sector supplier & agency news
Melanie May | 29 November 2023 | News
This round up’s news covers Edit Agency’s acquisition of CustomerKIND, an update from DontSendMeACard.com, Assemble’s launch of a starter package for small volunteer teams, and Lottie’s launch of its annual Nights on Lottie Pledge.
Edit Agency acquires CustomerKIND
Edit Agency, part of The Salocin Group alongside Join the Dots and Wood for Trees, has acquired customer engagement and data strategy company, CustomerKIND.
CustomerKIND specialise in transforming customer engagement and data strategy for multiple industries.
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Janet Snedden, founder of CustomerKIND, is a member of both the Twenty Women in Data & Technology and Data IQ 100 alumni, which lists the UK’s most influential data practitioners. She regularly presents at events and is a trusted voice in many publications. A data and insight evangelist, she has worked with global brands like Diageo, Unilever, Lloyds Banking Group, Morrisons and Jaguar Land Rover during her career. She is also a previous chair of the UK’s Insight in Fundraising group.
Over 1,900 charities have joined DontSendMeACard.com since 2015 launch
DontSendMeACard.com has seen more than 1,900 charities join it since it launched eight years ago.
DontSendMeACard.com launched a pilot of its system in November 2015 with a handful of charities on board, to test its idea of a platform for donations in lieu of Christmas cards.
Charities can register to become a Listed Charity and access a range of fundraising resources. They can then upload their own e-card designs, which are offered to supporters as an alternative to sending printed cards. Both static and animated cards are supported.
Individuals send ecards by selecting a charity and an occasion to send cards for and donating via PayPal. Upon donating up to 100 ecards can be sent to recipients.
Participating charities range from small to large, including The Salvation Army, Dogs Trust, and Stroke Association.
First-class UK stamps increased by 15p in October to £1.25 – the third increase in 18 months.
DontSendMeACard Co-founder Alex Furness said:
“The range of designs on offer now is superb. When we started off our content was minimal, as we only had a few dozen charities on board who agreed to the pilot. However we saw the potential for our model with people still using our initial offering.
“For our platform and brand to have grown in popularity the way it has really is in part down to how brilliantly creative the designs that charities have come up with. You wouldn’t typically think of charitable organisations as inherently creative, but they really do have it in them. You can clearly see this by looking at the designs on offer.”
In addition to designing e-cards, charities are engaging with artists, illustrators, and running Christmas e-card design competitions to add to their e-card collections. Patrons that have offered artwork to fundraise with include Sir Quentin Blake, Harry Hill, and Nick Park creator of Wallace and Gromit.
The designs on offer on DontSendMeACard can be viewed by occasion e.g. Christmas, and by searching through the listed charities and viewing their designs from their landing pages.
Assemble launches starter package for small volunteer teams
The Access Group’s volunteer management solution, Assemble, has launched the Assemble Starter package for small volunteering teams.
The Assemble Starter package is tailored exclusively for organisations with fewer than 250 volunteers. The package is £75 per month, with a flexible rolling monthly subscription.
Its onboarding process helps organisations launch their volunteer recruitment within days, and Uuser-friendly engagement tools enable charities to nurture volunteer relationships effectively. There are also robust data security measures to safeguard volunteer information.
Simon Baines, Managing Director of The Access Group’s Non-Profit and Education division, commented:
“The Assemble Starter Package is a testament to our commitment to giving organisations the freedom to make an impact, and to making a difference in the world of volunteer management.
“We believe this package will empower small teams to streamline the recruitment and engagement of their volunteers without creating a burden on their time or finances, which is so important.”
Later living marketplace offers gifts and vouchers for carers with annual Nights on Lottie Pledge
To mark this year’s Carers’ Rights Day, which took place on 23 November, later living marketplace Lottie has launched its annual Nights On Lottie Pledge, which offers care workers and caregivers a break from their caring responsibilities.
This year’s Christmas Giveaway offers carers the chance to win prizes worth up to £250 each day, including theatre tickets, shopping vouchers, and dining experiences. 10 winners will be chosen at random from 5-15 December, after the competition closes on Sunday 3 December.
Last year, Lottie launched the first Night’s On Lottie, supported by The Care Workers Charity and endorsed by Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke, giving away 1000s of free night stays to carers nationwide.
Lottie is also giving all members of Care Space (its online carers support group) the opportunity to double their entry to Lottie’s Carers Christmas Giveaway.
The nomination form for the Nights on Lottie Pledge is here.
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.