Following arguably the most challenging year for the charity sector on record, Charity Tech has emerged as one of the solutions that has enabled some of the UK’s most inspiring organisations to continue operating against the odds.
With many third sector businesses relying heavily on physical donations for the income that funds their vital work, the continuation of social distancing measures has had a devastating impact on their ability to operate.
While the pandemic has meant that the public have been unable to donate to good causes through more traditional means, it has also elevated awareness of social issues and a desire to contribute more than individuals may have done previously.
Unable to physically contribute to causes they care about, we have had to look at alternative means of doing our bit, and this is where the Charity Tech sector has come into its own. Offering a huge variety of digital solutions, there are several players in the space making real strides forward helping charities continue to engage their audiences and giving donors new innovative ways of supporting the causes they care most about.
Here we’ve shone a spotlight on some of the industry’s most exciting Charity Tech businesses.
Enthuse
Founded in 2012, Enthuse are one of the UK’s most established and exciting Charity Tech businesses. Helping charities with fundraising, online donations and virtual events through their digital platform, Enthuse give third sector organisations the opportunity to leverage their technology whilst retaining their own branding to ensure a consistent journey for their donors.
The business has recently launched a new Virtual Journeys product that helps charities combat virtual event fatigue. While virtual events have been a much needed and well-used resource over the last year , this new product gives charities an exciting and fresh way of reaching their supporters. Based on Google Maps, it provides a series of routes and milestones that supporters can work together to complete in support of their charity of choice. By using this product, charities have an exciting and fresh way of stimulating participation and encouraging support.
Beam
Another business that has utilised innovative technology long before the pandemic is the crowdfunding platform, Beam. Having only been founded in 2017, Beam has picked up a number of accolades and has attracted high-profile backers including the Mayor of London for its work supporting homeless people across Britain. Beam’s platform gives the public the opportunity to crowdfund money to go towards training for homeless people that can support their journey off the streets and into a stable life.
Having pivoted at the start of the pandemic, Beam is now supporting homeless people into roles that have seen a rise in demand since the beginning of the outbreak. A lot of these roles are those occupied by key workers, so not only is Beam helping the homeless, it is helping the whole country get back on its feet.
TapSimple
The recent recipients of almost £1m in new investment, TapSimple are another fast-growing business helping make charitable giving more accessible. Incredibly, the business grew in size throughout 2020 despite the challenges that causes so many start-ups to struggle – a sign of just how valued their technology is to their charity partners.
Launched with the Clip, a device that enables contactless as well as Chip & Pin donations, throughout 2020 the business launched one of the more innovative virtual events platforms on the market. The platform enabled charities to host their own virtual events using integrated video conferencing as well as online donations.
Already trusted by some of the largest charities in the UK such as Cancer Research, the NSPCC and Macmillan, 2021 is set to be a pivotal year in TapSimple’s growth.
Now-u
Somewhat of an anomaly in the context of this article, Now-u is a tech for good app that was born out of and inspired by the acts of kindness observed during the first lockdown.
Having noticed a tangible desire from people to support others but a lack of knowledge about specifically what they could do, Now-u was born to point these people in the right direction. The app connects willing donors and members of the public with charitable campaigns and helps them to discover ways in which they can help.
While there aren’t many positives to be taken from the pandemic, the birth of Now-u is undoubtedly one of them.
Givergy
With offices around the world, Givergy’s global reach has enabled it to facilitate more than £500 million in donations since it was founded in 2009.
Also operating within the online fundraising sector, the organisation’s twelve-year track record means that it is well placed to support charities of all sizes meet their goals. The preferred provider for many of the world’s largest charities including Marie Curie, GOSH and The Prince’s Trust, Givergy also offer incredibly competitive transaction fees as well as a wide range of features that can help charities through the ongoing pandemic.
Is your Charity Tech brand looking to raise its profile in the media? Why not get in touch with our team of experts today to find out how we could help.
If you’d like to read more about our work, here are some links you can use to find out more about our experience across the charity and tech sectors.