It was also a great eye-opener for me, person who attended it to learn more about the sate of social media in the sector. I must admit I was a bit annoyed by the continuous mentioning of QR codes as the 'new thing' during the first day and I had a very critical post ready at the end of Monday. However, I realized that this type of judgment lacks thinking outside of the box and that I am at the event to understand the challenges, not to judge them!

So on the second day of the conference I have asked Steve Bridger and Howard Lake - two very experienced people when it comes to digital media for the 'giving sector' to have a chat with me and explain how they think things work in the UK currently. (listen to it here).

photo (from the left): myself, Steve Bridger, Howard Lake

Later I also attended a presentation Discover the Secrets of Online Fundraisers by Jonathan Waddingham from JustGivng - largest UK fundraising on-line engine, which provided everyone with great statistics. Have a look at it, and listen to what Jonathan had to say after his presentation to get a feeling of where the giving currently is in the UK when it comes to the usage of digital media.

Jonathan presenting social media landscape

Finally, and as a follow up to Jonathan mentioning iPadio (which I really like as an open and reliable tool), here is a tip for those who look for definition of good on-line tools - if the tool is good, it cares for the users and time to time appreciates them by featuring (see: amplifying and promoting) their content. This way this largest UK fundraising conference received nice iPadio support and great audience, which is always appreciated - and believe me, it can make a difference! (below a screen shot of the iPadio main webpage on the second day of conference featuring Howard Lake and my podcast).

Do you have local on-line tools supporting giving? Do they have and share the intelligence coming through their site? Do you know about their co-operation with other companies? And finally: what is the state of on-line giving in your region?

Update: I read this entry just now and realized that you might get the impression I am practicing shameless self-promotion here. Please note: this is not the idea - the point I am making with all those interviews and iPadio is that with good set up of skills, tools and relationships really cheap and valuable insights are prossible though on-line communication and solutions. Hope it makes sense;)