October is coming to a close and the nights are drawing in. So grab a cuppa, get cosy and have a read of our 10 charity must-reads from around the web this month.

This month it’s all about virtual events, online advertising, data, decision making and more…

1. The rise of virtual events is a hot fundraising topic. But are they here to stay? Gary Kernahan explores why charity fundraising events are going virtual. And if you’re inspired by that, check out this ebook from Blackbaud on the secret to virtual events success.
2. In the age of instant gratification, people’s attention spans are short. Richard Sved explains why it’s important to be able to explain what your charity does in under 10 words.
3. Earlier this month we heard from Jude Habib on digital storytelling. This month Jude ran a truly inspiring storytelling event called Behind the Story. Don’t worry if you couldn’t make – Gemma Pettman has the lowdown from this year’s event.
4. What can we learn from our international fundraising counterparts, and what can they learn from us? Paul De Gregorio talks globalisation on the Institute of Fundraising blog.
5. In this post-digital revolution age, charities need to be adaptable. Claire Axelrad examines the key issues in effective nonprofit board decision-making.
6. Charities need to be data centric, but sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. Fran Swaine shares three awesome Google Analytics reports to help drive charity digital decisions.
7. And in this post the team at Supermetrics explain why your Facebook ads data doesn’t always match up with Google Analytics. 
8. Sticking with the paid media theme, here’s Econsultancy’s single best way to improve your charity’s online advertising.
9. Hear from the experts on all things paid social – from snapchat to influencers, Econsultancy has the answers.
10. And finally, October’s must-reads wouldn’t be complete without something spooky! Take a look back at how charities celebrated Halloween 2016 on social media.

Thanks to Richard Sved, Dawn Newton, Joe Freeman, Russell Benson and Gary Kernahan for submitting inspiring articles this month! If you love something you read next month and think it would be useful for others to read too, tweet us @JGCauses.