Zeina Whalley joined the team in January 2013 as the new Policy and Research Trainee. Zeina’s work focussed on welfare reform and society lotteries. Zeina no longer works for NCVO but her posts have been archived on this site for reference.
For those of us who were or were raising children in the 80s/early 90s, Going Live! was an early morning TV show. Today the phrase is used to refer to the launch of websites, servers and E-Systems. Gadgets, gizmos, tablets and e-readers now populate our lives and homes as commonly as books, encyclopaedias and the good old snail-mail from long-lost friends used to. In the ever-progressing world of technology even I, as a semi-technophobe (having only very recently succumbed to the allure of the iphone), must admit the reality that all things ‘e’ are here to stay. And what’s more, the chances are they are going to become increasingly vital to the everyday running of our lives and CVOs. But I think it is also important not to completely abandon the more traditional systems available to us in the times when I awoke to, a then dark-haired, Phillip Schofield on Saturday mornings.
Giving digitally The web has become an efficient transaction channel; becoming more and more trusted and used year on year. Whilst the actual amount donated online is relatively small when compared with traditional means, it is still significant. Digital giving has been on the increase, almost doubling between 2008/09 and 2009/10. It appeared to level off in the following year but many expect that it will surge in popularity again given the rapid development of microfunding sites, SMS donations and smartphone apps to facilitate giving. Meanwhile, the Treasury has announced a review into and the administration of Gift Aid. We have given them an initial steer on worthwhile areas for exploration and will look forward to contributing further in the coming weeks.
A future without charity buckets? Did we ever imagine a day when we would have book-less libraries? So maybe it is time for us to consider a future of cash-less giving… It is a method that, when done well, saves time, money and energy- something which we all welcome. But it is also important to know what changes are happening, what they mean for your organisation and how to be adequately prepared. Will it mean the end of bucket change giving? I doubt it. Our UK Giving Report 2012 shows that cash donations have consistently been the most common method of giving. I think charities will always use it and people will always have small change they are happy to relieve their purses of.
Zeina Whalley
Posts written by guests who have contributed to NCVO projects and events. 
