How accessibility can enable real change in the Third Sector

Making something accessible is a simple concept, but incredibly difficult to achieve. Throughout our industrialised history, progress has been through automation and simplification of operations. Things that a generation ago would feel unattainable or even impossible have become readily available.

This article isn’t about creating some utopian existence of infinite access to all — what I’m concentrating on today is progress through access, and how by looking at society through this lens we can improve the status quo in the third sector.

Let’s fly

Let’s start in the 50s. Commercial airlines first became available, ushering in the rise in mass-scale international travel. Before the advent of affordable air travel, visiting lands further afield than your neighboring countries was the preserve of the wealthy. Be that through prohibitively expensive early air travel or time-consuming luxury cruises.

This access created an entirely new perspective on how we view (literally and figuratively) the world. Within a few years, the middle classes could escape their local caravan clubs and occupy beaches around the world on their annual summer vacation. Gap years became a rite of passage for students. The world became accessible.

Well, not quite. Unfortunately, all things aren’t perfect and absolutely not universally accessible. We are a long way from genuine travel access for all, not to mention the catastrophic damage air travel has caused to our climate. The focus of this article is on the shift in how we view certain aspects of life. For better or worse, thanks to affordable air travel — seeing the world now feels like a possibility.

Let’s make bank

Jumping forward 60 years, and shifting perspectives, let’s take a look at another area of our world that felt previously inaccessible: Money. Specifically: stocks, shares, portfolios, investments. Words and terms the majority of us are aware of, but probably not engaged with. The barrier to entry was set too high, and the risk outweighed the reward.

Much like travel, investing was the sole preserve of the already wealthy. Worryingly, that divide is getting worse by the day.

However, with the advent of online and app-based investment software companies — all of a sudden anyone can build their own private portfolio of stocks and shares. We can put our money to work, invest in businesses focussed on good causes (such as Tickr), and even invest by measuring our social impact (Nutmeg). In five minutes you can create an account and watch how your investments grow (or… not). All of a sudden, stocks, shares, wealth generation has become accessible. Making money with your spare change is possible, no hard work or homework required.

By now you’ve probably realised that I’ve chosen two pretty inflammatory topics to focus on the rise in access — and for good reason. Traditionally we see aspects of society previously the reserve of the rich and squeezed them down into something digestible for the ‘common man’.

The truth is, creating accessibility for the middle-classes has been the priority for most industries. Few unattainable aspects of society have truly been opened to all. Can you imagine booking a flight to some far-flung location when you’re worried about where the next meal is coming from? How about investing spare cash when your bank account is barely managing to stay out of the overdraft month in, month out? We’re solving first-world-problems at an accelerating rate, but what about fundamental needs?

Access has focussed on wanting something that the wealthy already have. What about wanting something to help those who have nothing to give? As all of the previously inaccessible areas of society are slowly opened out to the general public, one area is still underserved: The Third Sector.

Much like an investment, knowing where to start when it comes to making a difference can be overwhelming. So much information competing for our attention can cause paralysis by analysis. When there are so many worthy causes out there, how can we know what suits best?

There is a good reason why certain charities are generally supported by those directly impacted by the cause they fight for. It’s also why single donations are so much more common than monthly contributions. We see, feel, and hurt temporarily. We feel galvanised into action when we are directly impacted, reminded, or made aware of that issue.

Searching for, and discovering the right place for our money to go to is difficult. Even more so when we’re not sure about the specific impact each cause makes — and worse, where our money actually goes.

Collating all of that information into one consistent, digestible, and accessible way helps make that decision easier. Simplicity, transparency, and evidence build trust.

On impulse

It’s rare for us to make an impulse purchase on the genuine unknown. We need at least some expectation as to the reward post-purchase. I’ll happily impulse buy a doughnut from a newly opened bakery because at the very least I get to eat a doughnut. Yes, some recent experience included. I know what I’m getting out of my investment — good or bad, it’s something measurable.

Charities are a hard sell on impulse without first being inspired or recommended by real evidence. Going back to our international flight analogy — few of us are in a position to impulse buy tickets to a random destination on the first flight available. Unless you’re currently starring in a 90s rom-com, it just doesn’t happen. We research, evaluate, and decide upon the most appropriate choice based on our needs. Very romantic.

Starting from scratch is overwhelming. When you can go anywhere, fly with any number of airlines, at almost any date — where to begin? Without means to collate this wealth of information effectively, it’s hard to make a decision. Enter products such as SkyScanner, LastMinute, etc, dedicated to bringing all of these decisions together. Your tangible result is the right flight, right destination, and a holiday to look forward to.

Likewise, investment. Users don’t want to spend days agonising over the right company to bet their hard-earned money on. These companies exist to enable the layperson to get the reward of wealth while the legwork is taken care of. They make it accessible, with a tangible result of money in your account increasing.

Notice a trend here?

There are countless examples I could give, but not one that successfully solves the issue of charitable giving. If there isn’t a personal, tangible reward (holiday, dividends, doughnuts) then how can an increase in accessibility transition to a happy end result?

Measurable impact

A visualisation and celebration of the tangible change your donations make is the output. You gave X to Y and the result is Z. Accessibility is only worthwhile if you can achieve a tangible end result for the user. Travelers want to explore. Investors want to create their nest-egg. Donors want to make a difference.

Making it easier to donate is just part of the solution. To affect real change in our sector we must factor in access to the right information to enable informed decisions. Once a user has been granted the access to make that leap of faith in giving — they must then be appropriately rewarded.

We’ve brought the world within reach, made investment viable, and now we must focus on making change possible.