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Most charities are under pressure. Funding is harder to find, demand is increasing and staff and volunteers are already stretched.
That's why we're building Charity Excellence 2.0 – a new way for infrastructure organisations, councils and charity networks to work together to provide practical support at scale, whilst still keeping it local and personal.
This is not a technology project.
It's about helping charities access the support, funding opportunities, tools and resources they need, in ways that are simple, accessible and designed around real-world needs.
For the pilot, we are looking for infrastructure bodies, councils and networks that would like to help shape what comes next.
Taking part in the pilot is straightforward:
We simply provide web links or buttons that connect people to the services you choose to offer.
If your users wish to make use of AI-powered tools, they can do so. If they don't, they can still access all the other resources and support available.
You decide what works for you and your community.
This pilot will directly influence what Charity Excellence 2.0 becomes.
We want to understand:
How would you like support to be delivered?
How should it fit within your existing services, website and relationships with local organisations?
What would genuinely make life easier for charities?
Funding support? Volunteer recruitment? Policy templates? Governance help? Grant finding? Training? Something else entirely?
You can tell us through our pilot discussions and through our sector survey.
Pilot organisations will:
During the pilot, organisations will have Register and Login buttons on their website to access the Charity Excellence system comprising:
We can also provide web links to install website buttons for any or all of the capabilities below:
You can install which ever of the above you want and how you use these capabilities will be up to you; all at our usual price £0.
We are trying to create something different.
Not a national organisation telling local organisations what to do.
Not an AI-only solution.
And not another system that increases workload.
Instead, we want to build support around what charities actually need.
A system where everyone contributes, everyone benefits and everyone has a voice.
Our simple goal is to help charities:
Survive → Stabilise → Thrive
There is no deadline and no limit on numbers.
We will continue developing the pilot until we have learned what the sector needs and built something that genuinely works.
If you would like to be involved, contact: Ian at ian@charityexcellence.co.uk or Kate at kate@charityexcellence.co.uk.
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The only way to deliver large scale functional support to large numbers and at very low cost, is by building a digital platform to do that. That's Charity Excellence 1.0.
But you told us that whilst you love what we provide,. you want local/specialist provision not national and you don't want AI only solutions. Charity Excellence 2.0 resolves that un-reconcilable need by managing data and systems centrally but deploying these to individual bodies and networks. Embedded within the model is our Righteous Cycle that ensures you get everything you told us you want and in a way that creates a powerful self-reinforcing loop. |
Better support → Reduced workload → Stronger networks → More income → Greater influence → Even better support
Its purpose is to help non profits to survive, stabilise and then thrive.
No. Charity Excellence 2.0 is not an AI project and there is no requirement to use AI. The pilot focuses on making useful support, tools, resources and data easier to access. Some services will include optional AI features, but you decide whether to use them. Organisations that never want to use AI can still benefit from the wider support available.
No. For the pilot, we will simply provide web links or buttons that connect your users to the services you choose to offer. No AI software is installed on your website and there is no technical integration required. Phase 2 will add additional AI capabilities you can opt-in to have if you wish to.
No. The pilot has been designed for organisations that have little time, little money and no specialist technical knowledge. If you can add a button or web link to a website, that's generally all that's needed.
No. The purpose of AI is to help reduce administrative workload and free up time for the things that people do best, such as building relationships, providing support and making decisions. We see AI as a tool that supports people, not replaces them.
Protecting data, confidentiality and trust is essential. Any future AI services developed through Charity Excellence 2.0 will be designed around responsible, ethical use of data. We will work with pilot participants to ensure appropriate safeguards, transparency and governance are built into the system from the start.
That's completely understandable. Many charities are still exploring what AI means for them and some prefer not to use it at all. We believe organisations should be able to adopt AI at their own pace, in ways that suit their needs and values. Nobody will be forced to use AI and there will be no expectation that organisations become technology experts. We are able to provide training and advice to your team.
Because it has the potential to enable us to exploit resources and capabilities in ways that have never been done before and deliver huge benefits in doing so, but that's the technology that brings the resources together. And technology is only valuable if it solves real problems. That is why the pilot starts with understanding what charities need, not with implementing technology. The focus is on better support. AI is only one possible way of delivering some of that support.
We have led the sector in developing AI best practice since 2022. One of the ambitions of the pilot is to help organisations become "AI Ready" by developing practical approaches to governance, transparency, ethical use and data protection. We want charities, funders and stakeholders to have confidence that any use of AI is responsible, proportionate and aligned with the values of the voluntary sector.
Absolutely. Many organisations may initially want access only to services such as the funding directories, policy library, health checks, training resources or data tools. You can choose only the services that are useful to you and ignore the rest.
That's fine. There is no contract, no cost to participate and no obligation to continue. You can remove any links or buttons from your website at any time.
No. It's about helping charities survive, stabilise and thrive. The pilot is about listening to the sector, understanding what support organisations need and building a practical, affordable support system that works for everyone. Technology is simply one of the tools that might help us achieve that.
