1 in 5 people in the UK are disabled. If your site isn’t accessible, you’re missing out on sharing your work with many people. Let’s fix that. 

Web accessibility is designing your site to be accessible for everyone, regardless of disabilities or impairments. You’re implementing features that level the playing field.  

Accessible features help people with disabilities use content on their own, without any obstacles. 

Think of accessibility as inclusivity. No one likes to be left out, and your website shouldn’t be any different. Certain things need to be put into place to ensure this. 

You should care about web accessibility because: 

In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 legally requires websites and online content to be made accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.   

Putting the legalities aside. Accessibility equals fairness and inclusion. Everyone deserves a fair chance in every walk of life, including while online. 

Accessibility is legally smart, morally sound. Don’t let it pass you by. 

Making your website more accessible doesn’t just help individuals with disabilities or impairments. Everyone gets to benefit.  

Accessible websites are usually easier to navigate, faster to load and much clearer to understand.  

If your site is accessible, you’re widening your audience AND you’re showing them you’re an organisation that gives a damn. 

And it broadens your reach – nearly one in four (24%) of people in the UK have a disability. Imagine raising your targets by that much. 

Accessibility features like correct headlines alt text, and clear navigation don’t simply make life easier for users. They help to boost your SEO score and reach more users organically. 

Bring a ladder. You’ll be climbing the rankings on Google in no time. 

We’ve broken down some small tweaks you can implement to make your site right now to be more inclusive.  

However, make sure that every aspect is tried and tested to ensure it works correctly prior to your content being set live. You don’t want any issues cropping up post-launch. 

Alt text is a written description of an image that can be read by a device’s screen readers. It helps visually impaired individuals understand the content of images they can’t see.  

Alt text shouldn’t be a simple title (e.g. Microsoft’s CEO). It should instead describe the picture, such as “a woman in her 50s wearing a red jumper with long brown hair and glasses looking at the camera and smiling.” After writing it, close your eyes. Can you picture what you just wrote? 

Adding alt text to your site’s images is easy. Just add short, clear descriptions in your website’s CMS.   

Captions and transcripts are text-based descriptions of video or audio content. They can include dialogue, sound effects or music. They make this form of content accessible to people with hearing impairments and allow users in noisy or quiet environments to engage with the content. 

Thanks to AI, there are a million and one tools out there that add captions once a video’s been uploaded. They even help to create snippets or other helpful audio descriptions. 

Motion-heavy content that loops endlessly can trigger vestibular disorders, such as dizziness or nausea, and can overwhelm users with cognitive impairments. Giving users the option to pause, stop or hide them means the content is comfortable for everyone.  

You can add controls to your site to enable users to stop or pause animations. 

Or use the CSS ‘prefers-reduced-motion’ query. This means your site will detect if a user has a setting enabled on their device to minimise the amount of non-essential motion. The browser then knows to remove, reduce or replace motion-based animations. 

Use colour schemes that provide sharp contrast between text and background. They help individuals with colour blindness or low vision differentiate text from its background and make content legible.

You can use contrast checkers such as the WebAIM Contrast Checker to maintain compliance with WCAG guidelines. For a simple rule, opt for dark text on light backgrounds and vice versa.

Headlines enable users to navigate and be guided through your content with ease. For those using screen readers, they organise information, making it easier to understand.

It also helps with SEO, as headlines display the main topic of content, enabling the search engine to index the page appropriately.

To add headlines, use semantic HTML tags like <h1> and <h2> to establish a clear content hierarchy.

Keyboard accessibility benefits individuals with motor disabilities, users who rely on assistive devices, and those who may be visually impaired or unable to use a mouse. 

It involves designing your website so all interactive elements can be navigated and operated using only a keyboard. 

To implement this, make sure that ‘tabbing’ through interactive elements, such as hyperlinks and form controls, follows a logical sequence. Also, use focus indicators that highlight which element is selected. 

Ever zoomed in on a webpage, like really zoomed in – say, 200%? How did it look? Was it still easy to read, or did everything start to overlap and jumble up? 

Everyone should get the same info from your site, no matter how much they need to zoom in to see it clearly. Making your site zoom-friendly means designing with flexible layouts and scalable elements so everything looks good and works well, even at 200% zoom or more. 

While the above tips may seem easy in practice, things get in the way. If your team’s busy or just a little unsure, getting agency help simplifies the entire process.  

Working with Telescopic provides you with the support you need to make your website inclusive and user-friendly. 

We’ve previously collaborated with The Valuable 500 and The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to provide products and services for individuals with disabilities. 

We work alongside your team throughout.  Giving you the expertise and support to make changes without any of the technical headaches. 

Web accessibility is a fundamental aspect of a website’s build.  

It guarantees compliance with regulations and opens your business and services up to a broader audience. You improve your SEO rankings to reach more people organically and make your site more user-friendly. 

Use these tips to make your website more accessible. If you need a little more support, don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

Welcome to our look back at the 2024 tech scene.

AI got smarter, but that’s not all. Outdated systems held some businesses back. Bigger tech companies bought smaller ones, shaking things up (for the better? Let’s see …).

We’ll talk about what’s working, what’s not and where AI fits in. Stick around. There’s plenty to chew on!

AI learned patterns faster, understood language more deeply and spotted subtle trends in data. But let’s be clear. It’s still just a tool.

Though the technology itself is advanced, many businesses aren’t prepared to use it effectively. They’ve got to fix their old ways first.

Don’t get us wrong – AI can help. It can handle coding, data tasks and other mind-numbing chores. But it won’t replace real people. They still matter. Always will!

Think about nonprofits. AI can draft a decent email or tidy up a messy list. But it can’t offer the warmth and empathy these groups need to show their communities. And it certainly couldn’t understand a lot of the processes people actually go through in their day-to-day work. That would be one hell of a prompt.

Speaking of those users, not everyone wants to deal with digital forms and chatbots. Some just need a friendly human who cares. But their interaction still needs to be tracked to ensure a full picture in your reports. Providing easy to use interfaces for internal data collection is key.

Technology should serve people’s needs, not push them aside. For certain groups, a handshake or a kind word will always matter more than any digital shortcut.

The buzz around AI made many organisations realise how outdated their systems are. They can’t jump into AI if they’re still wrestling with old spreadsheets.

This isn’t just about AI. It’s about data and inputs. Even basic automation is still missing in many places. Stubborn old methods slow everything down. Meanwhile, a few simple tools could handle the dull stuff, freeing humans to focus on real work.

Automation isn’t new. It’s about using digital tools for simple tasks that don’t require human thinking. By connecting a few systems together smoothly, many common issues disappear.

Before rushing in to buy every shiny platform, take a breath. Look at your goals. Where’s the bottleneck? What’s actually slowing you down? Then pick a tool that fits, whether it’s AI or just a smarter way to handle your workflow.

In 2024, many small tech companies got snapped up by larger ones. This can unsettle groups that count on friendly, personal support – like nonprofits. They might worry that a big firm will replace their warm, human touch with scripted calls.

Why does this matter? If you need close, hands-on help, these buyouts can open up room for new providers.

For example, say a small IT firm once offered you direct support at any hour. If a big player buys them, that help might change.

However, other specialised providers often emerge to fill the gap. They focus on personal care and can adapt to your needs in ways big brands usually won’t.

This shift highlights an important point: not every task needs a giant, one-size-fits-all platform. Different tasks can be completed using different tools. As long as your systems work together nicely, there’s no need to unify it all.

Looking ahead, consider the risks of your chosen tool being sold:

• Will your data stay safe?
• Will you be stuck with a product you didn’t sign up for?
• Will your team hate the new platform?
• Will it still integrate with all your other systems?

Pick tools with those questions in mind. In 2025 and beyond, flexibility matters more than ever.

People kept talking about having “one source of truth”. They wanted to know exactly what systems they had and what data they held.

As laws changed and security concerns grew, organisations looked for a clear starting point. They didn’t want to lump all their data into one spot. Sometimes, they just needed one reliable entry point.

The standout tools were those that linked everything together. Platforms like Zapier, Power Automate and n8n had their moment. They were the glue, making all these systems talk to each other.

Any system without an open API – an easy way for other tools to connect – was in trouble. Standard integrations didn’t solve every problem and they weren’t supposed to. Custom connections, built for your unique needs, became essential. In 2024, making all your tools work together mattered more than ever.

Don’t expect a huge leap next year. Just more steady progress! Web3 crawls along, AI keeps trying to move past its initial hype. What matters is finding real uses for these new tools, not just showing off shiny gimmicks.

Pure design or development work will get even cheaper and easier. Anyone can spin up a site in minutes. The real value will lie in deciding what you actually need to do. The “what’s next?” thinking will be in demand. Businesses will pay for clear advice, not just quick fixes.

Security will remain a big deal. With so much going on in the world, keeping your data safe is not optional. We know this firsthand. After all, we’re ISO certified.

In 2025, choose tools that work for you. Ask the right questions first. Keep people at the centre, not just the tech.

Ready to take the next step? Let’s figure out what fits your needs and put it to work.

Say hello!

We’ve just got our ISO 27001 certificate. Wipes brow

Was it worth the trauma? In hindsight, yes. Getting ISO 27001 certified shows we’re serious about keeping our client’s data safe.

The process was a headache. Don’t let that put you off implementing ISO 27001, however. It really might be worth it. Understanding our experience should make you better prepared.

If it leaves you more confused, sorry. Maybe give us a call?

It’s useful. Up to a point. Trying to standardise security for EVERY business has its limitations.

Whether we can prove we didn’t turn off the standard browser or web filters and whether that makes anything we do more secure is still up for debate.

But honestly, having set processes to check how we actually deliver our work makes daily life a lot easier. Everyone knows what to expect, and that’s a huge relief. And turns out it actually makes things more secure!

How much does ISO 27001 certification cost? You’ve got fees for the certification body, potentially consultant fees and the expense of dedicating your team to the project.

After certification, you need to maintain and continually improve your Information Security Management System (ISMS).

That’s regular internal audits, annual checks from the certification body and tweaks to your ISO 27001 controls. We might just start a certification body next!

It should be worth it in the end. If you can’t justify the expense with added value in your client delivery, it’s probably not right for your organisation.

It took 6 months to get us certified. Felt like years during certain periods.

If you’re a larger organisation, it will take a year (or more). But getting your ISO 27001 certificate is much easier when the team is smaller. This allows the Information Security Management System (ISMS) to grow with the organisation and slot easily into everyday work.

For a large team spread out over several offices? Changing how everyone works would be a nightmare. That’s probably why these projects often drag for years. Not for the faint of heart!

Encryption. Incident Management. Communications security. Compliance. The idea is that you can pick such so-called “controls” if they make sense for your organisation.

We left out some ISO 27001 controls we thought weren’t needed, but the auditors told us we had to include them anyway.

This caused some heated discussions… it sometimes felt like we were just ticking boxes without any actual impact on our security. But hey, nothing’s perfect, so we ticked the boxes and moved on!

Don’t ever question the definition of “vulnerability”, trust us.

However, the biggest issue to start with was that we didn’t understand how the Statement of Applicability (SoA) fits with the risk register. The SoA is a document that lists all the security controls we’re using and why we chose them.

Turns out, it’s important. It shows how we address those specific risks we identified. For example, using controls to identify risks makes total sense. Take “physical security” – the risk here is that an employee loses their laptop. What impact does that have? What do we do about it? Panic?

In the end, you’ve got a robust plan to mitigate all these risks. We got confused about how to connect this with our risk assessments. It was awkward.

Properly linking these two helps make sure that all our security measures are justified and effective.

Getting our ISO 27001 certificate has been tedious. It made proof-reading this article one of the favourite things on our general to-do lists.

But we did it, and we believe it was worth it because like we said before, the investment is justified if it actually makes your services better.

Just remember, it needs more commitment than a gym membership in January.

Want to chat about it? Message us.

You’ve got to hand it to us. Our podcast always delivers the goods.

Our latest guest is the brilliant Tara Honeywell. She has a background in the commercial sector, over six years at Barnardo’s and serves as a non-executive at GoodPAYE. Impressive, right?

Tara talks about using tech to create sustainable, profitable ventures that funnel back into charity. Here are the highlights of our conversation.

Disclaimer: we’ve paraphrased Tara’s lovely words for this article. Listen to the podcast for her full, unedited insights.

Six years ago, Tara left her corporate job for Barnardo’s. She’s applying her commercial experience for the benefit of social causes:

“I realised the potential in using Barnardo’s assets to launch profitable ventures. The profits from these ventures go back into the charity, enhancing our support for children and young people.”

Leading the Commercial Ventures department, Tara explains: “Our approach blends risk-taking with the need for immediate revenue. We focus on empowering other departments in the organisation with marketable ideas. Guiding them to find market opportunities and develop successful entry strategies.

“We also play a crucial role in securing the necessary funding,” Tara adds. “This can be through Barnardo’s own resources or external sources, including philanthropic investors. Moreover, we seek out external funding for certain projects, always ensuring alignment with investors who support our mission. This approach not only sustains us but also amplifies our impact in the social sector.”

The main challenge in convincing nonprofits to try commercial ventures? Taking on risk:

“Every venture carries a risk and requires resources. At Barnardo’s, we navigate this by spreading risks across a portfolio of ventures,” says Tara. “Recently, there’s more flexibility in investment guidelines for charities,” she continues. “But there’s still so much regulation. For nonprofits looking at similar models, it’s crucial to balance your core mission with strategic, calculated risks.”

Addressing how to manage the long-term aspect of such ventures, Tara elaborates: “By investing in ventures aligned with our mission, like education or mental health, we innovate while staying true to our cause. This strategic, long-term approach is key to adapting to the changing fundraising landscape and reaching (in our case) younger demographics.”

Tara Honeywell rewrites the charity fundraising playbook with GoodPAYE’s tech-forward approach. GoodPAYE, born from collaborative efforts at the Good Lab is a unique venture, co-owned by Barnardo’s, Crisis, The Royal British Legion, RNIB and WaterAid.

“Our goal was to rethink payroll giving, an underutilised method despite its tax benefits,” Tara explains. “Payroll giving, despite being tax-incentivized like gift aid, is relatively unknown. In the UK, only 4% of employees use it, compared to 36% in the US.”

Detailing GoodPAYE’s strategy, Tara adds: “We’re making fundraising more effective by aligning donors directly with causes. By automating and integrating payroll giving, we’re drawing from fintech’s playbook on gift aid.

“Instead of focusing on large organisations, we’re broadening our reach to include SMEs. GoodPAYE is about making charitable giving via payroll easy and accessible, fitting effortlessly into existing accounting and HR systems. This approach is especially crucial in economically tough times, providing a cost-effective way for people to support charities. GoodPAYE is here to streamline and expand this underutilised avenue of giving.”

Ever wondered how you turn tech jargon into plain English for a room full of varied minds? Tara Honeywell at GoodPAYE has been doing just that:

“I’ve become the linchpin for communication, making sure that our executive team, technical advisors and shareholders are on the same page. This role of a translator is essential in a tech project, especially when it involves various stakeholders with different backgrounds and perspectives.”

She points out the importance of managing expectations and understanding the limitations of the initial product:

“Navigating the complexities of a tech project like GoodPAYE involves constant learning and adapting. It’s crucial to communicate these evolutions to our stakeholders, especially when dealing with a minimal viable product that might need to evolve or be replaced as we grow and learn.”

Tara’s work with GoodPAYE offers key lessons. They’re helpful for anyone wanting to know how nonprofits can succeed in using technology. She stresses how important it is to have tech knowledge from the start (refreshing to hear that from someone else!):

“Bring in a tech expert early on. They’re crucial for grasping the full range of technical possibilities and constraints. It goes beyond creating a functional product. You need to craft something that optimally serves your users and aligns with your mission. A tech expert guides you through the intricacies of development. So, the end product is not just operational but also perfectly suited to your objectives.”

Tara further highlights careful planning and a thorough understanding of the project’s scope: “Value the discovery phase – workshops, user journeys, process mapping – and learn from those who’ve done it before. Avoid rushing into the build phase just to get to market.”

The need for a balance is important too, especially with the limited funding typical of startups:

And there you have it – Tara Honeywell, the genius at blending profit with purpose. Her story is a must-hear for anyone in the nonprofit world looking to sprinkle a little business savvy into their cause.

Don’t miss our podcast where Tara’s insights come alive. Listen now.

Efficiency is the art of doing more with less. For nonprofits, it’s the dream of maximising impact by making the most of your resources.

Think of affordable digital tools as your trusty sidekick in this quest. They streamline, simplify and amplify every ounce of effort you pour in.

Whether it’s tools to transform chaotic spreadsheets or digital hacks to make every donor interaction count. Investing wisely in the right tech can significantly boost your efficiency. Making your goals feel more attainable.

Stick around, and let’s dive into the how-to’s.

• Use data to find out which tasks are driving your nonprofit forward and which aren’t
• Make the leap to a case management system and turn data mess into actionable insights
• Streamline the donation journey, making it easy for supporters to chip in
• Update your booking system to offer a quick and simple experience for clients, donors and volunteers
• Seek expertise to help you find tools that are ‘must-haves’, not ‘nice-to-haves’

Extra Brain’s Jessica Gregson and Simon Wakeman joined our podcast to share expert tips on business efficiency.

Here’s a brain teaser from Jessica: “You can be effective without being efficient. But if you’re efficient without being effective, you’re simply doing the wrong thing fast.”

Unravelling that — focus on doing the right stuff. The things that drive your mission forward and don’t just eat the clock. Invest in new tech without this focus? You’re probably fast-tracking the wrong tasks.

The challenge is working out which tasks are generating good results. Collecting data on your team’s activities helps.

This isn’t just about counting the hours your people work. It’s understanding the quality and impact of their efforts. Which tasks are bringing you closer to your mission? Which ones aren’t?

Time to replace chaotic spreadsheets with a case management system. It helps you monitor whatever type of activity you need to understand what’s working and what isn’t.

They can be tailored to fit your budget, workflow, team dynamics and permission requirements. Your team can log their interactions into this system. Data can be grouped any which way you want to generate useful comparisons.

Dashboards unlock more value of your case management system. Users can either get a bird’s eye view or granular breakdown of your data. Then it’s easy to draw insights, such as how individual teams are performing. Or the impact of changes to your processes.

These insights help you refine your operations and hone in on what truly matters. With an effective system of data collection and analysis, you’re in a stronger position to invest in additional budget-friendly technology. Tools or software that can further streamline the right tasks.

Learn more about how case management systems can support your nonprofit.

A case management system + dashboard can drive more donations. Clear data presentation means clear impact sharing. When you effectively showcase what you’ve achieved, donors are more inclined to contribute. Leading to new and repeat donations.

But there’s more to using technology for this purpose.

How current is your website? A modern, easy-to-use site tells your donors, “We value your time, and we’re streamlined for your convenience.” When they feel that, they’re one step closer to hitting that donation button.

Get to this stage and they shouldn’t have to grapple with long load times. Endless fields. Clunky payment gateways. Giving their money away should be easy.

If it isn’t, consider investing in a donation platform or tailored plugin.
Plugins, for example, can be affordable. They’ll integrate smoothly with your website and are optimised for mobile devices. They’ll simplify the entire payment process too. It’s a smart way to make the donation process more efficient without breaking the bank. No need to reinvent the wheel!

Still taking phone bookings? Outdated systems are time-eaters, making things tricky for everyone—be it clients, donors or volunteers.

Your current tech might be slow and confusing. You might be missing out on efficient features like automated confirmations or real-time availability. Besides being a hassle, it hints, “We’re a bit behind.”

Revamping your booking system doesn’t have to cost the earth. With clever integrations, you can slot a modern third-party booking tool into your existing website without a full redo. Check out our TARKA case study to see it in action.

So, we’ve name-dropped useful tools, and there’s a temptation to dive headfirst into each one, especially with the allure of “efficiency.” But hold on.

Deciphering the right tools for your nonprofit can be complex, even with solid data to guide you. This is where a tech partner steps in, offering a clearer perspective on your options.

Bonus points if they understand nonprofits and the hurdles they face. From experience, they can spot and recommend solutions that may not be on your radar. They also work hard to understand your budget before researching your options and putting a plan together.

In the nonprofit world, every penny is precious. The right tech partner can make sure that your investments drive your mission’s success.

Seeking efficiency boosts? We’ve got your back. Let’s chat.