Why AI is like my digital piano - Michael Grimes Have you ever looked inside a digital piano? There's not much to see. But look inside an acoustic piano and you'll find an awful lot going on that a digital piano has to try and emulate.

I've been thinking about how AI is like my digital piano, which is only pretending to be a piano. AI is only pretending to be human, but that also makes it great for removing human friction where it really isn't helpful.

michaelgrimes.co.uk/why-ai-is-li...

Ramadan, Easter, and ESOL – this Is the kind of community delivery work I love doing - Michael Grimes As it's Easter Sunday, let me tell you about a lovely little community project that I ran throughout Ramadan and Lent…

Yesterday I ate a whole bunny and today I ate a whole egg (and two bars of chocolate; I may be sick soon). Hot cross buns next.
Anyway, I’m celebrating: I recently finished a lovely little community project around Ramadan and Easter:
michaelgrimes.co.uk/ramadan-east...

Oh god please stop! 😂

TIL that Charles Dickens first published "A Tale of Two Cities" in two English local newspapers. It was the Bicester Times. It was the Worcester Times.

So, what is a ‘small’ charity? - Michael Grimes NCVO has sparked anger by not fully consulting its small charities panel on its restructure. I have to admit I wasn’t all that surprised – I'm not sure they really know what a 'small charity' is anymo...

What actually IS a ‘small’ charity?
Small charities often seem to be misunderstood, overlooked, or spoken about as if they are all basically the same. And I suspect part of the problem is that the sector is no longer at all clear on what is meant by 'small'.

michaelgrimes.co.uk/so-what-is-a...

Do you make the right things the easy things? Or do you in fact add friction where it should be removed? michaelgrimes.co.uk/making-the-d...

I’m increasingly noticing a gap between how micro-charities are expected to function and how they actually do.

Lean teams. High delivery load. Limited strategic bandwidth.

I’m calling it Micro-Charity Operating Reality, and am interested in how funding/support design could better align with it.

I ran a poll of pressures on small UK #charities:

🥇 Fundraising pressure – 26.1%
🥈 Funding uncertainty & late decisions – 21.7%
🥈 Stretched capacity – 21.7%
🥉 Too many priorities – 13%
❹ Admin gaps – 8.7%
❺ Management of trustees – 4.3%
❺ All – 4.3%

Do they resonate? How can we fix them?

So sorry, Daz.

Even if there were, I’d be reticent about using them.

I feel your pain, Zandy. I hope you get through quickly – or at least that the hold music is bearable!

Small charities are expected to adapt constantly, but without the stability or support that makes adaptation possible - Michael Grimes I’ve been talking to people in different small charities, and I’ve noticed the same problems surfacing again and again – even though their work is very different. I’ve boiled these down to three areas...

CONSULTANTS! Stop "pigeon-shitting" on charities!

"They swoop in, unload everything THEY think you need to think about and do, then fly off and you never see them again"

#charity #SmallCharities #ThirdSector #SocialGood #CapacityBuilding #SocialImpact

🤦

Charities – what's your biggest pressure? - Michael Grimes Over the past year I’ve had conversations with people working in very different small charities. What’s struck me is how similar the challenges sound, even when the work itself is completely different...

From chats with people in very different #smallcharities, it strikes me just how similar their challenges seem – even when the work is completely different.

Am I right? If you work in a UK charity, I’d love to know your answer to this quick poll: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

#ThirdSecotor

Why I try to treat people the way I treat porridge - Michael Grimes I’ve never liked porridge. I could just leave it there, but it seems such a shame to miss out on the many good things that porridge has to offer. I envy people who enjoy the warmth and nourishment of ...

First impressions are often wrong.

A short reflection from volunteering at a Birmingham drop-in – via olives, porridge and spiders.

michaelgrimes.co.uk/why-i-try-to...

#Volunteering #CommunityWork #LivedExperience #BetterDecisions #PurposeDriven #FirstImpressions #ReflectivePractice #HumanCentred

I used to think Whoops! Apocalypse was a farcical satire. I am physically shaking from hearing Trump.

Really? I don’t see any discourse there – just the same old mud-slinging and name-calling I left Twitter to escape from.

B'ham City Council has published its proposed West Moseley Traffic Reduction Scheme. Details, which involves a modal filter on Moor Green Lane South, and a consultation are online.
There will also be two local drop in events. www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/bcc/westmose...

Each shrub has a QR code pointing to information about one of the 27 areas of Ukraine.

On Sunday, Ukrainian refugees planted 27 shrubs in Balsall Heath, Birmingham – one for each area of Ukraine.

Each shrub has a QR code linking to its region's Wikipedia entry – a way to share Ukrainian culture while saying thank you to Birmingham for its support.

#Birmingham #Ukraine #Community

Hello!! Thanks, Simon. Yes, I am now. I started with Duolingo and I'm now having online lessons with a lady in western Ukraine. I can say 'Sorry, I don't understand', and 'This is not my lemon'.

How are YOU doing?

Cut the marketing crap for small charities with 'The Little Big Plan' – what do you think? - Michael Grimes I’ve built a little tool to help small charities and community groups cut out the noise and focus on what actually matters to them. I would love people to try it out and tell me how it can be better. ...

I've built a little tool to help small charities and community groups cut through unhelpful marketing advice and focus on what actually matters to them. I'd love people in the sector to try it out and tell me how it can be better.

Links and more info in here 👇
michaelgrimes.co.uk/cut-the-crap...

Take the headache out of Self Assessment at Moseley Exchange! - Moseley Exchange Are you about to spend the festive season worrying about your online tax return because you just can’t face it doing it yet? You’re not alone, so why not join … Continue reading "Take the headache out...

If you're self-employed in Birmingham and procrastinating about your Tax Return, you can use Moseley Exchange for free on Thurs 12 Dec – with wifi, coffee, and help if you need it.

moseleyexchange.com/let-us-take-...

#birmingham #moseley #SelfAssessment #TaxReturn #MoseleyExchange #MoseleyCDT

They’ll be here soon enough 😐