New Year, New Updates to Bright Works!

Jan 5
By benmatthews |
Posted in BrightWorks, News | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

 

Happy New Year to you all ;)

To kick things off in 2012, we’ve got some new updates to Bright Works, our microvolunteering platform that lets causes connect with skilled volunteers in a simple, effective and easy way.

Here’s the run down:

Slippy Tank

We’ve upgraded the platform so that we can now have projects that run outside of the main screen. This is rather affectionately known as a “slippy tank”.

Think of it like Google Maps, except you can locate projects on the site by clicking on these pink markers:

So if you need to find a project that interests you, simply navigate using the pink dots and you’ll find something that suits your skills and passions.

We’re aware that this makes finding individual projects tricky, but remember that each project has it’s own unique url, so note that down if you find something you like. We’re also working on search and bookmarking functionality, so keep an eye out for them in the near future.

Submit Projects

Now that we’ve got the slippy tank, we can publish more projects!

Up to now, we were only sourcing project for Bright Works from Bright One’s curent client base. This was so that we could test the platform, work through any bugs or kinks in the process that we found, and ensure that the whole experience was right for both charities and volunteers.

There’s still lots more things we’d like to do, but now we’re delighted to be accepting applications from charities from across the world.

It’s easy to get started, just fill in this application form.

Hide the Dashboard

The Dashboard on the right hand side of the page is your key to all the useful things happening around Bright Works – tasks that you’ve taken on, tasks that have been verified, tasks you’ve completed, and other useful alerts.

But while you’re scrolling around for tasks and projets you can help out on, you might well want to hide the dashboard. Simply click on the “hide dashboard” link at the bottom of the page and it will roll up to the top so you have the whole page to look at.

Check out that view!

New Tour Video

Thanks to our rather wonderful friends Sam and Louise, we’ve got a video tour on the site that quickly and easily explains how Bright Works, er, works. What do you think?

Other Updates

There’s been a few other tweaks behind the scenes, including an upgrade to the software that Bright Works is built on and some slight tweaks to the help and FAQs, but we won’t bore you with that.

Instead, why don’t you sign up to Bright Works and get started on helping charities with their projects?

Or if you’re a charity, why not submit your project now?

And we’re always looking for your feedback and ways we can improve, so leave a comment below or fill in this feedback form if there’s something you want to let us know about.

We look forward to hearing from you!

- Ben and the Bright One team

Bright One Seeks Project Managers

Jan 3
By Tove |
Posted in BrightOne News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It’s a new year, and with it comes new opportunities and challenges. If you’ve been looking for an interesting and rewarding volunteering role we’ve got one for you!

In order to expand and grow in 2012 Bright One is in need of knowledgeable and experienced individuals to assist with clients and project management. We are looking for volunteers who would like to make a difference by using the experience and skills they have already.

Specifically Bright One is in need of voluntary account consultants to oversee and manage live projects with charity and not-for-profit clients, managing them and a dedicated volunteer team efficiently while delivering realistic targets on time and on budget. Many aspects of the position do not require you to come into the office every week and many tasks can be completed remotely for those with time constraints and other commitments.

Working with your Bright One account team you will:

  • Manage the scoping of the project and briefing process with the client
  • Manage team resources and where required assist with client deliverables
  • Retain good working relationship with client on a monthly basis (day to day responsibility will lie with the account manager)
  • Ensure client and project goals are achieved
  • Deliver project according to pre-set objectives and metrics
  • Oversee project and provide input at crucial milestones
  • Contact relevant people for progress reports, agreeing next steps of plans and dealing with any issues that may arise with the account team or client
  • Maintain a great working relationship with the clients

 Relevant skills and competencies:

Essential:

  • Experience of project management
  • Experience of managing a small team
  • Good time management
  • Working to deadlines
  • An understanding of PR and Marketing in any capacity
  • Able to commit a minimum of 2 hours per week

Desirable:

  • PR and Marketing experience specifically in the charity sector would be useful but it’s not essential

To Apply

To apply send a CV and Covering Letter to sarah.jason@brightone.org.uk or for more information on Bright One contact ben@brightone.org.uk.

Interviews will be held in January 2012

Digital is Dynamite

Dec 14
By sophiemunro |
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The buzzword is digital and the result can be dynamite; the question is how do you use the former to generate the latter? The answer is: using traditional customer-oriented marketing in a new-fashioned way!

In line with various white papers on the subject, the key to driving engagement with your supporters and service users is to create a more personalised experience on and offline. In this digital age where the internet is the first port of call for information, Bright One is looking at the internet’s role in building charities’ brand experiences.

The ‘Social Graph’ uses personal information that people put online and looks at how they relate to their social connections. This commonly uses the social networks that you are probably on: Facebook; Twitter; perhaps LinkedIn – as well as scoping the rest of the internet. It gives you the ability to target markets via both their own online social activity (such as Likes) and that of their social connections. Take Facebook for instance: there are fans or ‘Likers’ of a brand, and their friends. The latter is a whole new target group for your brand – ready set with accessible contact details.

The ‘Social Graph’ potentially allows you to reach a larger number of people. It also allows you to use your markets’ online information to target them with personalised messages, which are statistically far more effective than generic messages. The British Heart Foundation is just one charity including this approach in their strategy; is it time for you to take notice of the tangible results that social media can generate too…?

Bright One and Bright Works – First Impressions

Dec 14
By benmatthews |
Posted in BrightWorks, Case Study | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

 

This is a guest post from one of our new Bright Workers, Jessica. Want to join her? Head over to Bright Works now!

If it wasn’t for Twitter I wouldn’t have discovered Bright One. In my follow-happy early days as a novice tweeter, I scoured Twitter for any organisation that consolidated my two main interests; charities, and PR. And Bright One appeared.

I read the description of Bright One as a ‘volunteer-run communications agency for social ventures’ without really taking it in (more fool me). It wasn’t until recently that the ‘volunteer-bit’ really sunk in. I spend 50% of my working day volunteering for a homeless charity, so I know the importance of a voluntary workforce, especially for start-ups and businesses that need low overheads.

Volunteering has given me a mass of experience and boosted my CV in so many ways, and most importantly has given me a sense of purpose and a feeling that I have really made a difference. I’ve volunteered with quite a few different charities over the last few years, so the idea of volunteering with an organisation that can put me in touch with even more causes in an easy and accessible way seemed ideal.

The Bright Works app is perfect for me. I volunteer in the mornings, and work as a Receptionist in the afternoons, which is generally very quiet apart from the odd visitor and phone enquiry. It means that I can spend time online exploring other interests (don’t tell my boss…) and trawling Facebook for hours on end is hardly the most fulfilling of pursuits.

So as long as the project isn’t too extensive and I can pick it up/put it down at will then I can do it!

I’m looking forward to the Bright Works app adding the same sense of purpose to my afternoons that I already get from my voluntary work in the mornings. I’m also looking for more experience so I can one day get my dream job of working in PR/Marketing for charities, so Bright One ticks another box there.

Join Jessica and our other Bright Workers in completing small tasks for charities – whenever you can and wherever you are. Head over to Bright Works and sign up now!


Learn about Volunteering Opportunities at ‘Meet VSO’

Dec 7
By Tove |
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Are you looking for a volunteering opportunity overseas but don’t know where to start? Would you like to know more about potential countries or roles? Would you like to meet experienced volunteers who could give you advice? ‘Meet VSO’ might be something for you.

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) arranges regular events where you can go and chat with VSO staff and returned volunteers about volunteering. They share experiences and expertise in order to give you an insight into what it’s like to volunteer.                                                                                                                                               

The next ‘Meet VSO’ event is taking place tomorrow, Thursday 8 December at 7pm, so go along for your chance to ask questions and learn more. At the moment VSO is recruiting for skilled professionals within areas such as healthcare, education and business.

The event is free but booking is essential so take a look at the website and book here

Bright Works Awarded in European Volunteering Competition

Dec 7
By admin |
Posted in BrightWorks, events, News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

 

We’re delighted that Bright Works, our microvolunteering app, received the award for third place in the Discover E-Volunteering competition, the only competition in Europe which aims to promote the most interesting projects in which volunteers help others via the Internet.

Over 80 applications from organisations from 19 European countries were received and were great examples of various e-volunteering activities happening: free web counseling, forming assistance and self-help groups, e-tutoring, sharing professional skills and knowledge and many more.

The International Selection Committee chose the best 12 initiatives, with over 18,000 people then voting for the best e-volunteering projects in an online poll. The official announcement of the winners took place on December 1st in Warsaw at the Gala of Volunteering, the final event of the European Year of Volunteering 2011.

We were delighted to be awarded alongside some other amazing projects and look forward to developing Bright Works further following this success.

You can see who the other winners are here and find out more about Bright Works here (and make sure you sign up too!)

Bright One Announces PR Industry’s PR Prom

Dec 1
By Tove |
Posted in BrightOne News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

We’re very excited to announce the date for Bright One’s inaugural PR Prom that will take place on February 23rd 2012. The PR Prom is a fundraising event in support of Bright One and will be held at the fabulous London venue, Shoreditch Town Hall. There will be food, drinks, live performances by She Makes War and The Olympians, dancing, the opportunity to take classic prom-style photos, a silent auction and other surprises.

According to Ben Matthews, founder of Bright One “The PR Prom promises to be a fantastic event and will provide some much needed support to the valuable work that Bright One does. We want to see the industry come out to support their own and have fun while doing good.”

The night is looking to be a lot of fun – and there will even be a Prom King and Queen that you’ll be able to nominate and vote for on Twitter ahead of the night, like this: ‘I nominate @xxx for #prpromking’ or ‘I nominate @xxx for #prpromqueen’.

We’ve had some fantastic support in organising the PR Prom, especially from Amanda Rose, founder of Twestival and advisor to Bright One. Amanda said: “For our inaugural Bright One fundraising event we wanted to put together something special and quirky that everyone in the UK PR industry would look forward to each year. Many of the events out there are limited to those PR companies winning awards or at a price that only a few staff can attend – we hope to see lots of new faces out for PR Prom.”

The campaign to promote the event features well-known faces from the PR and communications industry, who Bright One thanks for their support; Kerry Bridge (Dell), Jon Silk (Waggener Edstrom), Kate Matlock (Ketchum Pleon), Reda Haq (Cohn and Wolfe), Jordan Stone (We Are Social) and Nik Thakkar (Exposure). Stephen Waddington, MD of Speed, has also lent his support to the event, “Bright One makes a huge difference to the reputation of charities through the work of its volunteers. PR Prom is a chance for everyone in the PR industry to contribute to Bright One’s work – and have a great night out. Have you booked your ticket yet?’

 

Details:

Date: February 23rd 2012

Time: 7pm till late

Venue: Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, City of London, EC1V 9LT

Tickets: £25 – on sale at www.prprom.eventbrite.com

Follow @prprom for more info or check out the website www.prprom.org

 

We can’t wait and we hope to see you there!

Infographic: Lasa’s Annual Review

Nov 30
By benmatthews |
Posted in News | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

 

Bright One board member Zoe Amar (@zoeamar) has been hard at work with Lasa,  the charity that provides technology and welfare rights advice, as well as influencing policy on advice, legal services and third sector technology.

Lasa’s new annual review demonstrates the impact it has had in its work with thousands of charities and government bodies across the UK. And what better way to get that impact across in a clear and simple way than an infographic?

We really like the idea and are thinking about doing something similar for our upcoming annual report. To find out more about the difference that Lasa has made this year, you can also download a copy of their 2010-2011 Annual Review.

Lasa infographic summarising 2010-2011 annual review

 

Proposition is Principal – Case Study: Macmillan Cancer Support ‘Every Step of the Way’

Nov 29
By sophiemunro |
Posted in Case Study, News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Everyone keeps going on about the gloomy economic climate and inevitable double dip… and while we leave such judgments and forecasts to the professionals, where does this leave charities and how can Bright One help?

In order to cement their place in the ‘marketplace’, one of the most important things a charity can do is to ensure their proposition is bang on target. Bright One can help clients achieve this focus and ensure it is concisely and clearly communicated.

Macmillan Cancer Support is one such charity that recently felt the need to address its public image and counter the common misconception that the charity just provides palliative / end of life care to terminally ill patients. While Macmillan nurses are a key part of the charity’s service, Macmillan wanted to draw attention to its entire suite of services.

The charity’s new integrated brand campaign Every Step of the Way centres around a TV advertisement, which you may have seen, along with print, digital and radio too (keep your eye out on the underground). Targeted at a broader audience than Macmillan has previously targeted, it encourages the public as a whole to reassess the charity’s role. Macmillan’s suite of services is spelled out in every step of the advertisement, from the nurses and therapists helping you through treatment, to the advisers telling you which benefits you’re entitled to and the community supporting you online. An effective twist is that the filming focuses on the feet – reinforcing the message that Macmillan supports you every ‘step’ of the way.

The response to the TV advertisement has been varied to say the least. While some have condemned it for lack of emotion (an impression given by the lack of eye contact), others have praised it for accurately portraying, without ostentation, the situations that one faces when affected by cancer: ‘flashy it isn’t – but it shouldn’t be’.

It is a far cry from Macmillan’s previous campaign, Good Day, but the creative brief was wholly different… Does that mean it is more effective or less so? Please post your comments below.

Bright Works Update: New Projects, New Features and Competition Finals

Nov 29
By benmatthews |
Posted in BrightOne News, BrightWorks, events, News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

 

Bit of a update on Bright Works for you:

Bright Works Feature Update

We launched Bright Works, our micro-volunteering app, back in July to a warm welcome. We knew that was when the hard work began though and we’ve been working with the lovely team at Dharmafly to make that happen.

With that said, the next iteration of Bright Works will soon be with us with the introduction of a “slippy tank” (think a similar interface to how Google Maps works), so we ‘ll soon be able to add lots more projects and help more charities. The above image is a sneak peak and there are some final tweaks to be put in place, so make sure you sign up to Bright Works to be alerted of when the feature goes live.

Add your project to Bright Works

And if you’re a charity, social enterprise or other non-profit who could use help from a global community of volunteers – for free – simply send us an email and we’ll get going on adding your project to Bright Works.

We’re working on a self-service option and should have that up and running in the near future, so that you can add projects to Bright Works yourself.

Current projects on Bright Works

That being said, there’s still projects being added all the time that you can help with.

For example, The Bloomtrigger Project are pioneering a new, visual model of online fundraising to empower people to help protect rainforest in a simple, affordable and a creative way. They’re looking for help with their PR campaign and need to contact business and companies that might be interested in the project, so if you think you can help then sign up and claim one of the tasks now.

There’s also AfghanAid, Unlock and more to help, so there’s never been a better time to get microvolunteering!

Discover E-Volunteering Competition Finals

We let you know a few months ago about the Discover E-Volunteering competition, where Bright Works had been shortlisted for the final voting.

We’re delighted to have been been invited to the final, so thanks for all your votes!

The announcement of the winners will take place on the 1st December during the Final Gala in Warsaw, Poland, which is being organized as an event accompanying the Final Conference of the European Year of Volunteering 2011.

We’ll be reporting back on how we got on, so cross your fingers…

–

Phew! That’s all for now – happy volunteering!