AI-powered robot takes the bias out of recruitment

In a previous blog, we talked about how unconscious bias (the assumptions, attitudes, and stereotypes we have about other people, without realising it) can negatively affect the recruitment process.

Well, Swedish recruitment agency TNG may have come up with a solution.

Meet Tengai, the AI robot…

Since October 2019, the company has been using Tengai to conduct interviews in place of human recruiters.

Measuring 41cm tall and weighing 3.5kg the robotic head sits on top of a table across from the candidate. She then asks a series of questions.

To put candidates at ease, her voice and face are designed to mimic human inflections and expressions.

How does Tengai negate the problem of unconscious bias?

Unconscious biases include assumptions about someone's competence based on factors like gender, ethnicity, voice, education, or appearance.

They can also be a result of informal conversations before or after an interview.

For example, say a candidate mentions they’re mad about golf (a game you’re also passionate about), and you engage in a lively pre-interview discussion about it. Chances are, you’ll unconsciously favour the candidate, as a result of similarity bias.

Tengai doesn't engage in pre-interview chit-chat and isn’t subject to unconscious bias.

She poses questions in an identical tone, in the same order to each candidate.

After each interview, she generates text transcripts to help recruiters decide which candidates should move to the next stage of the process, based on the answers alone.

This is thought to create a fairer and more objective interview.

Tengai's makers hope that, at some point in the future, the robot will be able to 'decide' for itself whether a candidate should move to the next round of interviews.

You can see Tengai in action here.

The consensus

The feedback has been promising. Hiring managers have confirmed that Tengai has saved them time, provided a positive user experience for candidates, and has effectively assessed candidate’s personality traits and skills, without bias.

Will robots replace recruiters?

Ever since humans heard the phrase ‘artificial intelligence’, there’s been a fear that robots will take over the world, or at least our jobs.

Many industries have adopted AI automation, and it’s making a buzz in the recruitment industry.

Naturally, the rise in AI’s popularity has been leaving recruiters feeling uneasy. But is this fear founded? Will AI replace fundraising recruiters?

The short answer is no.

While AI can automate some tasks, many aspects of the recruitment process need a human touch.

For example:

• Personal Interaction: AI can make the recruitment process more efficient, data-driven, and augmented, but a robot can’t build a great rapport with candidates. And it can’t analyse soft skills.

• Persuasion: If a candidate is on the fence about a role, having a robot try to sell it to them is the equivalent of interacting with an automated customer service call - dull, tedious, and uninspiring.

  On the other hand, human recruiters have the ability to engage, inspire, and excite candidates with their knowledge and passion for a charity’s culture and benefits.

• Developing new processes: AI tech can be programmed to send out an email to request feedback on candidate’s experience. But it can’t take action on that feedback unless it’s programmed to do so.

In summary

Robots can assist in the recruitment process, but they’re no match for humans.

Rest assured, we at Bamboo are not robots and there’s nothing artificial about the way we work with our clients.

Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 to find out for yourself.

Dame Deborah James: A one-woman fundraising machine

On June 29, the world lost an inspirational fundraiser, campaigner, and influencer in Dame Deborah James. She passed away at the age of 40 after stopping active treatment for bowel cancer.

In 2016, the former headteacher was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. Following her diagnosis, she started a blog and social media account under the handle @bowelbabe, where she spoke candidly about her experiences with the illness.

She also wrote a regular column in The Sun, penned a book called F*** You Cancer: How to Face the Big C, Live Your Life and Still Be Yourself, co-hosted the BBC Radio 5 Live podcast You, Me and the Big C, and raised millions for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, Bowel Cancer UK, and Cancer Research UK.

Fundraising Queen

Deborah underwent more than a dozen operations, and multiple rounds of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy over the years. But through it all, she pushed herself to run marathons and take part in a host of challenges to raise awareness and money for bowel cancer charities.

One of her final acts was to launch the Bowelbabe Fund, a JustGiving page with which she aimed to raise money to fund clinical trials and research into new bowel cancer treatments.

On the page, she wrote: “All I ask is that next time you pop for a coffee or grab a drink with a friend, please consider donating the cost of one extra for me.”

The fund surpassed £1m in less than 24 hours, smashing her initial goal of £250,000.

Her incredible fundraising efforts saw her receive a damehood from Prince William.

What inspired so many people to donate?

Dame Deborah inspired us with her incredible zest for life, despite facing her own mortality. She refused to let cancer define her and enjoyed every day, whether she was dancing at home with her kids or cracking jokes from a hospital bed.

Her indomitable spirit, coupled with her infectious sense of fun endeared her to millions and inspired us to donate over seven million pounds.

As Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said following her death, “Dame Deborah James has left an incredible legacy and changed the national conversation around cancer. These figures reflect the powerful and lifesaving impact she has had – inspiring countless people across the country to get informed, get checked, and speak up”.

Final Word

Dame Deborah James was a phenomenal fundraiser who touched many people’s lives. If you’re inspired by her story and want to make your mark in the charity sector as a fundraiser, give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk.

What is a trustee?

Looking for an exciting and rewarding role in the charity sector with a ton of responsibility?A trusteeship might be just the thing you need.

A trustee is a volunteer who serves on the governing body of a charity, as part of a board of trustees.

The board has overall control of a charity and is responsible for making sure the charity is doing what it was set up to do.

Most boards meet monthly or quarterly, and trustees carry out their responsibilities alongside their full-time jobs.

Who can become a trustee?

As a general rule, anyone aged 18 or over can become a trustee. However, applicants will be disqualified if they’ve:

• been declared bankrupt, or had an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA)

• got any unspent convictions

• on the sex offenders’ register

Responsibilities of trustees

Trustees aren’t involved in the day-to-day running of the charity, but they are responsible for making sure it runs sustainably, effectively, and fairly.

The Charity Commission outlines six main key responsibilities:

1. Making sure the charity benefits the public.

2. Ensuring the charity follows the law and its own governing documents.

3. Holding the charity to account.

4. Making and supporting decisions in the charity’s best interests.

5. Managing the charity’s resources responsibly. This includes making sure the charity’s money, reputation, and people are managed properly and ensuring the charity has the resources needed to achieve its mission.

6. Acting with “reasonable care and skill”. This means using their knowledge and experience to make the right decisions.

Why do charities have a board of trustees?

They provide a crucial failsafe to keep the senior leadership on track and accountable.

Also, charities can’t be registsered with the Charity Commission without a board of trustees.

You can spend hours scouring the job sites for the perfect trustee role, or let us do the hard work for you. Its your choice.

Want to take the stress out of the search? Call us on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.

6 fantastic fundraising campaigns from around the world

From the London Marathon and Children in Need to Race for Life and Movember, we hear about inspirational fundraising campaigns from the UK all the time.

But amazing fundraising events take place across the world, every day.

Let’s take a look at a few.

1. Saigon Children’s Charity – Asia

COVID-19 put a kibosh on events around the world. But Vietnamese charity SaigonChildren didn’t let the pandemic stop them. Instead of cancelling their annual fundraiser in support of children’s education, the organisation innovated.

Their in-person gala became a hybrid gala.

Rather than dine at the venue, guests were encouraged to host private dinner parties at their homes. Food prepared by the city’s top chefs was either cooked on-site or delivered to them. TVs were set up to broadcast the live show and auction booklets with QR codes were sent to guests for remote bidding.

The charity was allowed to send volunteers to each venue so no matter where people were, there was someone from the charity on-hand to ensure everything ran smoothly.

2. Share My Super – Oceania

In New Zealand, people over the age of 65 receive a government pension known as the New Zealand Superannuation, or NZ Super, regardless of their income or savings.

Share My Super is an innovative approach to fundraising that connects people who don’t need a pension with charities fighting child poverty.

This is a great way to encourage people with spare money to do something meaningful with it.

3. APOPO – Europe

Founded in Belgium, APOPO is an unusual charity that now operates worldwide.

In the 1990s, the charity discovered that rats could be trained to sniff out landmines.

The charity has been training rodents to make the world safer ever since.

A few years later, they found that rats can detect tuberculosis, and have been training another group of ‘HeroRATs’ to do just that.

To fund their work, APOPO invites people to adopt a rat via their website. They also give supporters the option to buy dinner for two… rats, of course.

4. PSYDEH – North America

PSYDEH is an award-winning non-profit that supports women from indigenous, migrant, and rural communities in Mexico through empowerment and education. Their aim is to create an equitable country where women can make their own decisions.

PSYDEH uses photography, film, and animation to raise awareness of the issues affecting these groups. From exhibitions to short clips shared on social media, their artistic approach helps to generate awareness, empathy, and donations.

Considering the human brain processes images up to 60,000 times faster than words, it’s not just emotionally powerful, it’s efficient too.

5. Lar da Menina – South America

What do you get if you bring together a group of Brazilian nuns, a Volkswagen Beetle, and a viral video? $55,000 to support children living in poverty.

The nuns of Lar da Menina decided to host a raffle to sell their VW Beetle, to raise money. A bizarre start. But it gets better. The video they made to promote the stunt wasn’t an emotive appeal highlighting the work they do and how people’s donations could help. It was all about the chance to win a car that had been owned by nuns – dubbed ‘their Blessed Beetle’.

In Brazilian culture, VW Beetles especially are a big deal, so the campaign caused quite a stir.

The video was shared so much, it caught the attention of the national media. The nuns appeared on TV, helping them sell thousands of raffle tickets.

For an investment of $3000, the savvy nuns saw a $45,000 return. Amen to that.

Looking for a creative fundraiser to supercharge your next campaign? Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to find out how we can help. 

The fundraiser’s guide to the Christmas Party

In the corporate world, people get into the festive spirit with pay rises, hefty bonuses, and fancy black-tie Christmas soirees. They slowly take their foot off the work pedal in the week leading up to Christmas and grind to a complete halt around December 21.

This is in stark contrast to fundraising where Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year.

Rather than a pay rise or bonus to ease the cost and stress of Christmas, a £10 Secret Santa and a glass of Lambrini is often the only salvation.

If you fall into the latter category, look upon it as a stroke of good fortune. We’d rather be in the local Youngs with a small team of people we like than at The Savoy in a £150 rental tuxedo with 500 people we barely know.

If you’ve been to one of these events, you’ll know that they’re often cringe-worthy, mutual back-slapping affairs that begin with a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation about the growth of the company, the very antithesis of Christmas.

We also get the distinct impression they’re used as pseudo appraisals of how people present themselves after a few drinks … if you’re sat next to a senior manager from some other team, are they secretly taking notes on how well you’re doing? Are you asking the right questions about the intricacies of their job? Are you coming across as boring because you’re only talking about work?

It’s a minefield that people often choose to cross with the aid of alcohol.

All too often, we’ve seen the negative feedback loop of dulling the sense of awkwardness with wine. From a glass of red thrown over a pristine white shirt to a foam fire extinguisher being set off, the damaging effects of over-the-top Christmas parties outweigh the positives.

The best-case scenario? You get to sit at a table with some friends, eat your food in peace, and have a couple of drinks. Something you can do with ease on a shoestring at your local pub - something fundraisers know how to do better than anyone.