Two very different audiences
- Supporters: how to donate, where money goes, how to volunteer, gift aid
- Service users: eligibility, how to access help, what to expect
The first automates comfortably. The second needs great care in how it is handled.
Supporter questions
- How do I donate, and what are the options?
- Where does the money actually go?
- How does gift aid work?
- How do I volunteer, and what is involved?
- How do I set up or cancel a regular gift?
“Where does the money go” is asked constantly and answered vaguely on most charity websites. A clear answer available at any hour is worth having.
Service users need a person quickly
Someone reaching out for help should not be navigating a chatbot. Detect it early, escalate immediately, and make the crisis route unmissable at every point.
Where you have an urgent line, it should be visible in the widget before anyone types anything.
The safeguarding line
- Never assess a situation or determine eligibility
- Never ask a distressed person to explain more to a bot
- Escalate on any indication of risk, without hesitation
- Keep the crisis contact visible at all times
- Handle transcripts under your safeguarding policy, not a default
It saves capacity where capacity is scarce
Charities rarely automate to cut cost; they do it to serve more people with the same team. Absorbing routine supporter questions frees time for the work that needs people.
That framing is also the one trustees and funders respond to.