This graphic shows a snapshot of our impact over the past year - but, as ever, it would have been impossible to achieve this in isolation: we'd like to thank all the wonderful charities, partners, digital specialists & funders we've worked with this year. More about our impact 👉 buff.ly/FLcs5vG

The CAST team will be taking a break from 24th December, returning on 5th January. If you need to get in touch during the holiday period, please email [email protected], as this will be monitored periodically. Happy holidays to all 🩵

👀 Our new AI survey is live! We’re gathering your views and needs so we can shape support for the year ahead. Your feedback has already led to our AI courses, experiments library & resource hub: help us build what comes next. Please take 10 mins to complete the anonymous survey 👉 buff.ly/fsvJaZr

💡 Exploring ‘Worthwhile AI' At CAST, we use the term 'Worthwhile AI' to ensure our AI usage aligns with our values, & to help shape AI that is ‘worthwhile’ for all. Check out our new Q&A, in which CAST's Director Dan Sutch outlines the term 👉 buff.ly/cWLxHrA - & please let us know your thoughts!

🗂️ AI library: new content! We’ve just added four new experiments to our AI library, with RSPCA Coventry & District, British Red Cross, Street Support Network & SCVO sharing how they used #AI #tools including ChatGPT, Copilot & Calendly. Check out these and 30+ other experiments 👉 buff.ly/GFZP45O

VocTech Activate opens 6 January 2026 £30k to £60k grants available for innovative ideas using tech to improve learning for work Step 1: Check if your project is eligible using our checker Step 2: Book an online workshop to help prepare your application Start here: ufi.co.uk/grant-fundin...

We're delighted to be working with @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk, @lbfew.bsky.social & a host of other partners on the 'Investing in the Power of Civil Society' pilot. It will explore a new model of tailored support for charities, to help them build resilience, adapt to change & thrive 👉 buff.ly/AKeGl0Q

🆕 Newsletter out today! Featuring: 👀 Our new AI survey! 💡 Exploring 'Worthwhile AI' 🗂️ AI library: new content! 🆕 AI for Grantmakers: three perspectives 📑 CAST at 10: Impact report 📩 IVAR on AI and funding applications 💻 Optimising for AI search: a guide for charities And more! 👉 buff.ly/70FLlpp

📑 CAST at 10: Impact & next steps. Our new report explores not just the ‘who, what, how & why’ of our activities with charities, funders & support organisations - but also illustrates the impact that this has had, & highlights opportunities for getting involved as we move forward 👉 buff.ly/FplPiv2

👀 Our new AI survey is live! We’re gathering your views and needs so we can shape support for the year ahead. Your feedback has already led to our AI courses, experiments library & resource hub: help us build what comes next. Please take 10 mins to complete the anonymous survey 👉 buff.ly/fsvJaZr

💡 Exploring ‘Worthwhile AI' At CAST, we use the term 'Worthwhile AI' to ensure our AI usage aligns with our values, & to help shape AI that is ‘worthwhile’ for all. Check out our new Q&A, in which CAST's Director Dan Sutch outlines the term 👉 buff.ly/cWLxHrA - & please let us know your thoughts!

🆕 AI for Grantmakers group: three perspectives Two years on from the first meeting of the AI for Grantmakers group, we spoke to Dan Sutch (CAST), Alex Parker (IVAR) and Brian Yim Lim (Barts Charity), about the purpose of the group, the way it's evolved and the value it brings 👉 buff.ly/OzDTkzv

💬 Here's what our AI course participants are saying... Since launching our free self-serve AI course earlier this year, we've had some wonderful feedback from participants - including these responses! Try the free AI course for yourself 👉 buff.ly/4gfaOEF

🚀 Two free AI courses! We've created two #free, self-serve courses: one providing an introduction to #AI, and another aimed at those people who feel they are advancing with AI, and want to support their colleagues to do the same. Intro course 👉 buff.ly/4gfaOEF Follow-on course 👉 buff.ly/1KSivpU

🧪 Five ways funders are experimenting with AI. Ellen Smyth takes a look at five ways in which funders are using AI, with content from @londonfunders.bsky.social, @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk, @healthfoundation.bsky.social, The Masonic Charitable Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. 👉 buff.ly/am8u7Qs

❓ Ask us anything! We answer your questions about CAST and AI In order to provide timely responses to your questions about CAST and AI, we’ve set up a new webpage dedicated to your questions - and our answers. Read our introductory blog 👉 buff.ly/J7TatxG, and access our Q&A here 👉 buff.ly/pRX7mz2

🆕 Library of AI experiments! Check out our growing collection of 30+ AI experiments, shared by 18 orgs. Topics include user research, AI policy creation, data analysis & transcription - with contributors sharing what worked well, what didn’t, and the advice they’d give to others 👉 buff.ly/GFZP45O

Looking for comms inspiration? As this year winds down, many of us are thinking about how we can stretch our campaigns and comms further in 2026. Get inspired by what #InspiringComms Award nominees have achieved. Register to join us on 10 Dec on LinkedIn Live: https://bit.ly/3KCBCV3

❓ Keen to meet new charity contacts and find out how they're using digital? ☕️ Try Coffee Connections, the free service that matches you with a peer every two months for a virtual chat. 🗓️ New matches will take place next Thursday (Nov 27th); find out more & register for free today 👉 buff.ly/3FWxeuI

👀 Check out the latest Shared Digital Guides! ➡️ Euan's Guide on recruiting staff using Airtable ➡️ RSPCA on helping staff find info using a chatbot ➡️ Noise Solution on using GenAI to analyse video content ➡️ Citizens Advice SORT on automating case notes with AI See all 90+ Guides 👉 buff.ly/3zIbdzS

📊 Quick survey: Are AI summaries affecting your website traffic? We've put together a short survey (just three multiple-choice questions) to gauge the impact that AI summaries are having on charities' web traffic. All responses are anonymous. Access the three-question survey here 👉 buff.ly/cYs7zat

❓ Could you share your tips on using digital tools? If so, we'd love to hear from you! We're sharing charities' experiences of digital tools via the Shared Digital Guides site. It's v simple: we turn your experience into a Guide - you don't need to do any writing! Find out more 👉 buff.ly/3K3kcNX

🚀 Two free AI courses! We've created two #free, self-serve courses: one providing an introduction to #AI, and another aimed at those people who feel they are advancing with AI, and want to support their colleagues to do the same. Intro course 👉 buff.ly/4gfaOEF Follow-on course 👉 buff.ly/1KSivpU

🆕 AI Together: Data & Privacy Tori Ellaway shares the key discussions & actions that came out of our latest AI Together internal learning session on data security, including seven practical tasks designed to strengthen the ways in which we handle data & privacy when using AI tools 👉 buff.ly/X1S0x8F

💡 Check out all #AIWeek talks! Thanks so much to everyone that came to our Digital Leaders AI Week talk! Ours was just one of many charity-led talks, covering topics including ethics, accessibility & strategic thinking. Access all talks for free at Digital Leaders' site 👉 aiweek.digileaders.com

❓ Keen to meet new charity contacts and find out how they're using digital? ☕️ Try Coffee Connections, the free service that matches you with a peer every two months for a virtual chat. 🗓️ The next matches will take place on November 27th; find out more and register for free today 👉 buff.ly/3FWxeuI

📅 Free workshop: user research and AI In tomorrow's 'The Curve' workshop, Tori Ellaway will share simple methods designed to help you discover your users’ needs. You'll learn how to plan and run research with limited resources - and where AI can be used to help lighten the load. 👉 buff.ly/hHIv0HF

📊 Quick survey: Are AI summaries affecting your website traffic? We've put together a short survey (just three multiple-choice questions) to gauge the impact that AI summaries are having on charities' web traffic. All responses are anonymous. Access the three-question survey here 👉 buff.ly/cYs7zat

🆕 Newsletter out today! Featuring: 📅 Free user research & AI workshop 💡 AI Week: access all sessions 👀 Free UKCharityCamp tickets 📊 Survey: AI summaries & web traffic 🆕 Free AI law courses 💬 Agencies for Good: creating inclusive spaces And more! Read 👉 buff.ly/BJyt5jW Sign up 👉 buff.ly/3xqPV99

👋 The Digital Leads Network is open for membership! The DLN is a vibrant community of 400+ members, dedicated to peer learning & sharing across the sector. Members gain access to events, networking sessions & an AI peer group. Joining is free; fill out the short form at our site 👉 buff.ly/4agzkCk

📅 Open invitation: AI for Grantmakers peer group If you work in #grantmaking and are interested in the challenges & opportunities presented by #AI, please join us on Weds 19th Nov from 1-3pm, as we bring together #funders of all sizes for a peer discussion. Book your free place 👉 buff.ly/49dF4MS

💡 Getting Started With AI: A free self-serve course. Keen to get to grips with AI, but not sure where to start? Our AI course is here to help! Each week for seven weeks, you'll receive an email with support & inspiration, helping you discover how AI can make your work life easier 👉 buff.ly/4gfaOEF

❓ Keen to meet new #charity contacts and find out how they're using #digital? ☕️ Try Coffee Connections, the #free service that matches you with a peer every two months for a virtual chat. 🗓️ The next matches will take place on Nov 27th; find out more and register for free today 👉 buff.ly/3FWxeuI

❓ Are you a #grantseeker / #fundraiser? ❓ Do you have a view on the UK #grantmaker/s you've sought funding from? ❓ Could you share your views anonymously to help funders & peers? If so, please head to GrantAdvisorUK & start reviewing! Or simply check out the 550+ existing reviews 👉 buff.ly/3esmUuk

🚀 New free AI course! If you feel you're advancing with #AI and you'd like to support your organisation to do the same, then our new course is for you! You'll receive a weekly email for 8 weeks, full of tips, tools & templates that build to help you support your org step by step 👉 buff.ly/1KSivpU

🧪 Ten ways in which organisations are experimenting with AI CAST's Programme Lead Ellen Smyth outlines ten ways in which #charities and #funders are experimenting with #AI — and shares a link to our AI Experiment Library, which now contains 30+ experiments from 18 organisations 👉 buff.ly/BuHD4iR

🆕 AI Together: Data & Privacy Tori Ellaway shares the key discussions & actions that came out of our latest AI Together internal learning session on data security, including seven practical tasks designed to strengthen the ways in which we handle data & privacy when using AI tools 👉 buff.ly/X1S0x8F

🆕 Library of AI experiments! Check out our growing collection of 30+ #AI experiments, shared by 18 orgs. Topics include user research, AI policy creation, data analysis & transcription - with contributors sharing what worked well, what didn’t, and the advice they’d give to others 👉 buff.ly/GFZP45O

📅 Digital Leaders AI Week: Join our AI trends session! As part of Digital Leaders AI Week, we'll be hosting a session focusing on five key #AI trends for digital leaders, drawn from our experience of convening peer groups for charity digital leads and grantmakers. 12.30pm, 20 Oct 👉 buff.ly/1qtlyiM

👀 Digital Leaders AI Week is happening now! Check out all the free #AI #charity sessions! Digital Leaders have gathered some key speakers to offer insights into the ways in which AI is being applied by the sector, and the key things to consider when using AI in a charity context 👉 buff.ly/iZ87PpC

👀 Ten simple AI tools - with tips, demos and experiments to try for yourself! David Scurr provides an overview of ten simple AI tools, outlining which tasks each tool is best suited to, and sharing a host of tips & demos - as well as tiny experiments you can dive in and try today! 👉 buff.ly/8nEq6zb

👀 Last few free tickets remaining for this year's UKCharityCamp! We're delighted to be attending UKCharityCamp - the UK’s only unconference event for third sector digital - in Birmingham on 13th Nov. If you'd like to be there too, head to the website now and grab a #free #ticket 👉 buff.ly/mRY8a3b

📅 Digital Leaders AI Week: Join our AI trends session! As part of Digital Leaders AI Week, we'll be hosting a session focusing on five key #AI trends for digital leaders, drawn from our experience of convening peer groups for charity digital leads and grantmakers. 12.30pm, 20 Oct 👉 buff.ly/1qtlyiM

👀 Free workshop: AI Experiments for Charities. Join David Scurr and Ross McCulloch at 11am this Weds, 8th Oct, as they cut through the AI jargon & show how charities can experiment with AI today. Access free tools & templates - and bring your own questions for an open discussion 👉 buff.ly/Esg5ipy

🆕 AI Together: Data & Privacy Tori Ellaway shares the key discussions & actions that came out of our latest AI Together internal learning session on data security, including seven practical tasks designed to strengthen the ways in which we handle data & privacy when using AI tools 👉 buff.ly/X1S0x8F

🆕 AI learning platform! Digital inclusion charity @goodthingsfdn.bsky.social has created the AI Gateway: a free, interactive platform designed to demystify AI, enabling you to learn at your own pace and gain confidence to use AI in your daily life. Explore the new platform here 👉 bit.ly/ai-gateway

👀 Free workshop: AI Experiments for Charities. Join David Scurr and Ross McCulloch at 11am next Weds, 8th Oct, as they cut through the AI jargon & show how charities can experiment with AI today. Access free tools & templates - and bring your own questions for an open discussion 👉 buff.ly/Esg5ipy

📅 Digital Leaders AI Week: check out all the free #AI #charity sessions! Digital Leaders have gathered some key charity speakers, to offer insights into the ways in which AI is being applied by the sector right now, and the key things to consider when using AI in a charity context 👉 buff.ly/iZ87PpC

🆕 Shared Digital Guide! @citizensadvicesort.bsky.social share the steps they took when building CaseNote, a speech‑to‑text and AI summarisation tool. The tool is designed to halve the time spent writing case notes, whilst still preserving advice‑quality standards and data privacy 👉 buff.ly/7Ilx5D4

🧪 Ten ways in which organisations are experimenting with AI CAST's Programme Lead Ellen Smyth outlines ten ways in which #charities and #funders are experimenting with #AI — and shares a link to our AI Experiment Library, which now contains 30+ experiments from 18 organisations 👉 buff.ly/BuHD4iR