Giving in a digital world – about THIS blog

Howard Lake | 1 July 2007 | Blogs

As I write this introduction it is July 2007. But, with the ever faster advance of digital technology and the news every day of a recently launched web company being snapped-up by investors for amazing amounts of money, it feels more like the digital gold rush of 1999 to 2000. Just before the market dot-bombed.
The difference about today’s digital gold rush is that now consumers have caught-up with the technology. We have 70% of UK households online with over 80% of them now on broadband, and mobile phones in almost everyone’s pockets. More people go online during the day than watch TV and online advertising spend has passed outdoor and press levels and is fast approaching that of dear old direct mail.
According to the ePhilanthropy Foundation, in the US online donations went up by over 50% between 2005 and 2006 – to $6.87 billion. Whilst I can’t seem to find anyone reporting the equivalent data for growth of UK online donations, I’m sure it’s seen the same sort of stepchange. Justgiving.com alone has reportedly seen the income it has raised go from £500k in 2001 to £73m in 2006.
All of which makes it an incredibly exciting time for anyone interested in using digital communications to help charities more effectively engage with consumers.
And that’s why I agreed to write this blog. Because I am genuinely excited by the opportunities available and I’m keen to share my excitement and get other people excited too.
The future of effective digital communications is all about collaboration – taking advantage of the interactions made possible through digital channels to enable people to connect and engage more actively with things they’re interested in – including charities.
So, with this in mind please do feel free to collaborate in the creation of this blog.
I’ll publish posts about things I feel might be of interest to fundraisers and other charity marketers who want to make more of digital communications. And, if you happen to come across something you think people should know about – then let me know.
It’s a very big digital world out there – but if everyone chips-in we’ll at least have a chance to keep tabs on what’s going-on.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.