2020 Shortlist | The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association
The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association
Shortlist – Embracing Digital
Who they are
The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association (BNTVA) was formed to campaign for recognition and restitution of servicemen who participated in the British Nuclear Tests; it has evolved over the years to share knowledge and heritage with people from all walks of life. The British Nuclear Testing Programme ran between 1952 and 1991; it was the largest tri-service operation since the D-Day landings. More than 22,000 servicemen participated in the Weapons Tests carried out at Montebello, Emu Field, Maralinga, Christmas Island and Nevada. British forces also participated in the American ‘Operation Dominic’ series of tests. Descendants of these unique servicemen continue the fight for recognition.
What they’ve achieved
The board recognised the opportunities digital presented to help trustees fulfill their governance responsibilities as well as enable the organisation to fundraise, recruit members and effectively campaign. However, as trustees ranged in age from 40 to 85, were geographically dispersed and possessed varying degrees of technical skill, the board was faced with the challenge of developing robust digital processes and tools that allowed trustees to easily communicate, share and update calendars, and share and update documents. At the same time, the organisation needed to adapt it’s campaign strategy and was eager to develop a digital presence for engaging with members near and far as well as with the UK Government and other veterans charities or associations. The BNTVA Facebook presence was very small, with 684 followers, and there were no other online profiles. The age of members, mainly 65+, was also a consideration.
Tackling board communications first, the chairman (who runs an IT company focussed on supporting charities), helped the board implement Office 365 and take advantage of the Microsoft Not for Profit scheme, providing an easy-to-use and secure platform for trustees. The board also created a Whats App group to streamline discussions and decision making between meetings.
For member communications, the board recruited the professional skills it lacked and appointed a Social Media Manager to lead on content planning and coordinate posts across multiple platforms, involving and delegating some social media activity to trustees and other members as appropriate. Facebook posts in 2017 were reaching approx 22,000 people, but following the appointment of the Social Media Manager, that rose to more than 1,000,000 people. Additionally, a closed Facebook group was established, administered by another trustee, to encourage descendents of Veterans to feel comfortable carrying on private discussions.
A re-designed website created a welcoming, easy-to-use (and even mobile-friendly) information hub for members with an online shop, ability to accept donations and a membership signup/recruitment facility integrated with a new membership database. The shop has raised more than £10,000 for the charity, while more than 320 members (more than 40%) have used the website to set up Direct Debit, enabling the charity to collect payments automatically. New membership are adding to the database automatically, and in general the new database has made it easier to stay to manage other aspects of membership such as communications and gift aid claims (which is now collected at a higher rate than ever before)
A separate website, www.nuclearvets.com, was created with external audiences in mind and generate public awareness of the charity’s mission. It hosts a weekly blog, video content, documentation, and information on international partners or other veteran associations and groups, and is maintained by BNTVA members and guest bloggers
Why they were shortlisted
BNTVA showed how digital has been embedded across all elements of the organisation to enable it to thrive in a digital world and deliver governance and operational requirements using the latest platforms. Driven by the board, adopting digital internally and externally has had a huge impact on a small organisation with a very limited budget.
