I’m in my final days at MVDA, where I’ve worked for over a decade in a variety of roles, most notably setting up and leading We Care You Care. What began as coordinated branding to support partnership working within the local carers forum has grown into a well-established and respected communications and campaigns initiative, raising awareness of unpaid care across South Tees. It’s something I’m incredibly proud of, and I’m now handing it over to Melanie Kendall, who I know will continue to develop and strengthen the project with unpaid carers at its heart.
This moment feels like a genuine transition. I’m wrapping things up at MVDA, passing on organisational communications and the management of We Care You Care, and stepping into the world of freelance work. Over the past few months I’ve felt pretty much every emotion going – excitement, sadness, pride, and yes, a lot of fear. Fear that I’ve made the wrong decision. Fear that I “won’t make it”.
What I’ve learned, though, is the value of leaning into discomfort; acknowledging fear, rationalising it, and not letting it be the thing that stops you moving forward.
Recently, I attended a webinar hosted by Platypus Digital and William Joseph on adapting content and strategy for AI. It really stuck with me, partly because I could see a clear parallel between my own leap into the unknown and the wider challenge our sector faces when it comes to technology and digital change.
As a sector, many of us are using AI – just not always consciously or strategically. You might be pasting a report into ChatGPT for a summary, or asking Copilot to tighten up some website copy. Often this is happening at an individual level, with staff using tools in different ways across teams. What’s less common is stepping back and asking the bigger questions: How do we feel about this? How do we want to use it? What does good, responsible use look like for our organisation?
Policies, procedures and communications strategies often lag behind reality. And yet, one of the key takeaways from the session was that AI is already being widely used, and people are valuing convenience over credibility. This is being reinforced by the Government’s plans to upskill workers in AI usage, with an ambition to reach 10 million people by 2030.
Whether we love it, fear it, or actively dislike it, AI is here to stay. Recent research suggests that while traditional search engines are still used by the vast majority of people, the use of AI tools has grown rapidly in the last two years, with millions of people now using tools like ChatGPT and Copilot as part of how they find and process information. The more we can do to improve the quality of what it draws from, and how accurately it represents our organisations and causes, the better.
Recent data shows that around 58–60% of online searches now end without a click through to a website, with people getting what they need directly from search results pages or AI-generated summaries. That doesn’t mean websites no longer matter. They absolutely do. Trusted sources, clear information and human connection will always be important. But it does mean we need to be mindful of how people are finding information, and make sure our work feeds into the places they’re already looking.
So what can we do?
This is where concepts like SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) come in. In simple terms, SEO helps your organisation show up in search engine results, and GEO helps ensure your information can be clearly understood and referenced by AI tools. These terms can sound technical or intimidating, but at heart they’re about one simple thing: making it easier for people and technology to find, understand and trust your content.
Here are a few plain‑English ways to start, without jargon or big budgets:
1. Be clear about who you are and what you do
If someone landed on your website, or an AI tool scanned it, could they quickly understand your purpose? Spell things out. Avoid internal language and acronyms where possible. Clear, plain wording helps real people and digital tools.
2. Answer real questions
Think about the questions people actually ask: Who do you support? How can someone get help? How can I get involved? Pages that clearly answer these kinds of questions are more likely to be picked up by search engines and AI summaries.
3. Keep information up to date
Out‑of‑date pages confuse users and technology alike. Regularly checking things like contact details, service descriptions and key pages makes a bigger difference than constant redesigns.
4. Use headings and structure
Breaking content into sections with clear headings doesn’t just make it nicer to read, it helps search engines and AI understand what your content is about. Think of headings as signposts.
5. Show your credibility
Logos of partners, short case studies, quotes from people you support, or a clear ‘About us’ page all help establish trust. AI tools look for signals that an organisation is real, active and credible.
Tools like SEO and GEO aren’t about chasing trends; they’re a response to real changes in behaviour. Search engines still dominate how people look for information online, but AI is increasingly shaping what people see first and sometimes all they see. They’re about improving the experience for people trying to find reliable information – something the voluntary community sector has always cared deeply about.
As I move on from MVDA, this feels like a fitting moment to reflect not just on personal change, but on the importance of our sector continuing to adapt. Leaning into the uncomfortable, asking questions, and taking small, thoughtful steps forward can make a real difference.
Change doesn’t have to mean losing our values. Done well, it can help us protect them and make sure they’re visible in a rapidly changing world.
Kelly Hodgson
MVDA
We Care You Care Project Lead