Can you tell us briefly about Guide Dogs?
Guide Dogs have been expertly breeding and training guide dogs for more than 80 years, providing many thousands to blind and partially-sighted people of all ages and from all walks of life. We’re immensely proud of our achievements, ensuring mobility and freedom to people who live with sight loss. There are lots of other things that we do, including campaigning for the rights of people with vision impairments.
Why is digital important to Guide Dogs?
I think digital is becoming pivotal for the future success of most charities. At Guide Dogs, we use a number of digital channels to communicate with a wide range of audiences including guide dog owners, donors, fundraisers, campaigners and volunteers. Increasingly we’re also providing online services which include training, education and running communities for our users. Reaching out to new audiences is also vital for Guide Dogs. We’re always finding new opportunities to reach out to and help people who may have had no previous contact with us. We also use digital to start conversations with people who can help us campaign for the rights of people with vision impairments.
What’s it like to work in digital in the charity sector?
Our fundraisers and donors work incredibly hard to generate the income which allows us to provide digital services. We have to make sure every penny counts and demonstrating a return on investment is as important as it is in the commercial sector, if not more so. The great thing about digital is almost everything is measurable. We can quickly identify what works and what doesn’t and continually improve our services.
The other advantage I’ve found over the commercial sector is how committed our supporters are. When we launch awareness or fundraising campaigns on social media, it’s really heart-warming to see so many people backing us. I suspect that if we were launching a 50% sale on concrete sheds, we wouldn’t get the same response or indeed, the warm fuzzy feeling inside.
What type of people are you looking to recruit?
We don’t just use our own website, but increasingly social media. Also our content is becoming richer, embracing more and more video and audio. So, we’re looking for people with a good understanding of social, and experience using a wide range of media to deliver messages online. Having a data-driven, analytical approach is also very important. We need to understand the goals and measure the impact of a project, and then interpret and utilise that information to deliver more effective projects in the future. Our team has to meet people across the organisation and translate their goals into measurable digital projects, so good communicators and planners are also vital for our success. Finally, there is no point in doing any job unless you’re excited about it. We want people who love digital, and who are passionate about helping people with sight loss.
What makes your organisation a great place to work?
We’re lucky enough to be in the countryside, and I frequently see rabbits hopping around outside. Prior to Guide Dogs I worked in London for eight years, and all I could see out of my window were two Starbucks, a Costa Coffee and a Café Nero. If you love dogs, you’ll love our office as well-behaved pet dogs are allowed to come in with their owners. The digital team dog is called Moses. He hates window cleaners, but enjoys the company of other non-window-cleaning humans. The greatest thing about working for Guide Dogs is the sense that you’re genuinely helping people, whether we’re raising money or awareness, providing someone with training, or vital tools. The one down side? The office is nowhere near a coffee chain*.
*A nice man called Tim comes around three times a day. He has a proper espresso machine in the back of his van.
If someone is interested in becoming a member of Guide Dogs’ Digital Team, what should they do?
We currently have three vacancies in the Digital Team. If you are an experienced digital specialist, and are passionate about helping people with sight loss, we’d love to hear from you.
To find out more about the roles and to apply click here.
Produced by Guardian Jobs to a brief agreed with Guide Dogs.
