The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 47: Feb/March 2020 | Page 28

TECHNOLOGY
On the OJO Tech Couch
OJO provides strategic digital thinking and beautifully
crafted technology to help organisations see what’s
possible... and make it happen.
OJO has put itself at the forefront
of technology for the charity and
not-for-profit sector on both a
local and national scale, making
this a prime focus of its activities in
the last few years.
In 2019 the team spoke at a
range of national events, including
the Charity Technology Conference
and The Charity Times Conference
as guest speakers discussing
digital transformation in the Third
Sector. OJO was also included in
the tech Parliamentary Review
showcasing how technology is
transforming the way services are
delivered in the Third Sector.
OJO won the Social Impact
Award at the Techies Awards
Swindon & Wiltshire 2018 and
won in the Best User Experience
category 2019.
Recently, the team have worked
with Wiltshire Air Ambulance to
launch a new game, Helifun, to
help engage a fresh audience with
the charity. They have also worked
with other local charities including
St John’s Foundation, Dorothy
House and Wiltshire Community
Foundation.
OJO is set to speak at The
Business Exchange South West
Charity Conference at Bath
Racecourse on Thursday 6th
February 2020. The session will
look at how people, processes,
culture and technological
capabilities can shape the digital
organisation you want to be.
We caught up with OJO
Director, Nathan Baranowski, to
find out more about their work in
this sector.
Why are you so passionate
about supporting the Third Sector
with tech?
I believe we all have a
responsibility to make a difference
and use our skills, knowledge and
influence to level the playing field.
We live in a time of remarkable
opportunity, yet one which is
ever becoming unequal. The
work charities do in addressing
this imbalance, be it through
raising awareness, driving policy
or supporting those in need is
absolutely vital in today’s world.
As a sector, digital can and is
playing a vital role in innovating
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and enabling charities to do more
with less, allowing them to deliver
services in ways which reach those
in need and engage supporters
in an ever competitive and noisy
environment.
The whole OJO team is
passionate about developing digital
strategies and technologies that
help great enterprises to support
lives and livelihoods.
Do you feel that not-for-profits
are behind when it comes to
embracing tech benefits?
It is a bit of a sweeping statement
to say all not-for-profits are
behind the curve. We work a lot
with maturity models that help
organisations to understand
where they are on their own digital
journey. In simple terms you
can’t be one day digitally illiterate
and the next a digital guru, nor
do we necessarily need to be.
There is however a definite trend
in not-for-profits struggling to
understand how to drive forward
their digital capability and realise
their potential. Barriers to this
can include budget and the feeling
that technology is too expensive,
having too much choice and not
being clear on the right route, or
simply feeling out of depth in a
world which can at times feel like a
different language.
How are you working with
organisations to use tech
for good?
We take what we learn in the
commercial world including
innovative projects that use AI or
other emerging technologies and
we apply this to the not for profit
sector. Two great examples of
this are the work we are currently
doing for Bristol Credit Union and
DeafPLUS.
For DeafPLUS are seeking to
make information accessible in
a deaf friendly way through sign
language video and BSL (British
Sign Language) translated content
to provide an intelligent integrated
information and advice hub.
For Bristol Credit Union we
are seeking to take out pay day
lenders, enhancing the financial
wellbeing for those whose
circumstances make it difficult
www.tbeswindonandwilts.co.uk
to access banking or credit using
digital lending and open banking.
What is the most exciting project
you’ve worked on in this sector?
That’s a great question. I am
not sure I can answer from
an exciting perspective. Most
fun, the whole team would
say Helifun; a fundraising and
supporter engagement game
for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
The most challenging has to be
The Disabilities Trust and taking
them on their transformation
journey from no tech to hi-tech.
The most rewarding has been
Solace Women’s Aid which
involved developing and launching
their digital strategy in response
to eradicating violence against
women and children in London.
What are your learnings from
attending and speaking at
national conferences supporting
the sector?
I would say charity leaders want
to embrace technology and the
digital era but don’t know where
to begin. There is a lot of fear of
digital and it is still seen in the
main as something separate.
Most leaders (and I appreciate
that is a sweeping statement)
are in their late 40s and beyond
and not educated with digital as a
default. There is a lot of talk about
digital leadership, however, it is
just leadership. Digital needs to
be part of the every day. Too often
my simple advice is to ask ‘how
can digital help us do this better or
differently?’
There is a huge recognition
that there is need to innovate and
learn too. There is however a real
concern at senior management
and too often at trustee level that
spending money to learn and most
likely fail isn’t an option.
Fundraising is becoming
increasingly harder within a
saturated market to an ever
changing demographic. One which
has been turned off and becoming
more and more distrusting of
charities... Wanting to know where
their money is going is an upward
trend and a huge challenge for
charities. Using digital to drive
targeted measures and engaging
supporters online whilst delivering
transparency is something that
comes up time and time again.
What are you discussing in
your seminar at The Business
Exchange South West Charity
Conference
I will be talking with Steve from
The House. We aim in the session
to explore how to build a resilient
and maturing digital charity by
looking again at why we exist and
what our purpose truly is. How do
our people, processes, cultures
and technological capabilities
shape and create the digital charity
we want to be?
Our aim is to share insights,
challenge current thinking and
provide practical steps for effective
digital transformation and we
hope for some lively debate from
participants too on their own
transformation journeys.
often sensitive data, digitally and
on paper, in ways which do not
meet the basic requirements of
data protection.
Secondly, drive forward on digital
marketing and engagement. Get
your CRM and online fundraising
working for you. If nothing more
ensure your website is user
focused and delivers in the way
you need.
If you don’t have one then I
would recommend developing
a digital strategy – either
independently from your business
strategy or as part of it to ensure
you can evolve your activities and
drive greater impact.
What are the burning issues that
the not-for-profit sector need to
address this year?
Unfortunately, I have to start with
the dreaded GDPR and related
data question along with cyber
security. Not for profits need
to get to grips and understand
GDPR and marketing regulations.
There has been a lot of confusion
around this and it is causing a
lot of unnecessary harm and
missed opportunity. In addition,
charities need to understand
their responsibilities to keep data
safe and put in place the right
measures and controls. Many
charities hold a lot of personal and
For more info:
www.ojosolutions.com
@ojosolutions