Anyone know where I can find a toilet?1

IT | Niki May Young | 21 Sep 2010

iPhones are a gift from the mobile gods to charities. Niki May Young explains why.

I spend around four hours a day on my iPhone. Worrying? – probably. Brain-numbing – arguably. But enlightening? – definitely. In the words of an advert I heard copiously as a child “You never know unless you go”, and now that I’ve immersed myself into the world of tap, slide and tilt I can’t help but love the way the iPhone encourages you to interact with it, and how it encourages organisations to enter another realm of creativity. Inevitably, the same applies to charities.

Let’s not beat about the bush. Even in times like these there’s a lot of money out there. The iPhone offers charities another slice of the money pie, but whether you can devour it will depend on your creativity, how much you embrace its functionality, and how far you wish to push the boundaries.

Depaul’s iHobo made headlines when it revealed its Tamagotchi-style interface allowing do-gooders to feed, clothe and look after a virtual homeless person. It brought to the fore the predicament of living on the streets, but critics claimed that both its name and concept were demeaning. Yet not only did it beat any other charity app on downloads but it topped the download chart for all free apps. Sometimes, controversy pays. But that’s not to say it’s the only way to build awareness or make money.

There are a multitude of charity apps available for your iPhone serving duplicitously to raise awareness and funds and in some instances, providing a service for iPhone users worthy of their invested time or money. It’s worth taking a look at some of the ways the iPhone can help your charity. Here’s my three favourites of 21 September 2010:

The Tap-n-Give application gives users the opportunity to pick from a selection of charity-related wallpapers giving them easy access to donations while beautifying their iPhone with your related image.

The WaterAid toilet finder provides not only, I think you’ll agree, a vital service for its users but also a really innovative approach to highlighting WaterAid's cause of providing water and toilets for all.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the USA is streaks ahead of the UK in developing exciting iPhone apps for the sector and one in particular, The Extraordinaries, has pulled me in. It asks organisations looking for volunteers to sign up with details of the tasks they need help with and the time it will take, any user then who has downloaded the app can volunteer their services while they wait for a friend, are on their lunch break, sitting in a park etc etc. It’s a speedy way to hook up with volunteers. I’ll salute that!

But admittedly, my three faves don't make the best use of the iPhone's functionality so, here's a cheeky few more charity apps to whet your whistle and inspire you in all sorts of creative ways:

The AI candle

Mind finger marathon

Battersea Dogs and Cats home pet finder

Oil spill cleanup

Shazam Red

Directory: WaterAid

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Howard Lake
21 Sep 2010

You're right Niki. Smartphone developments have truly moved mobile, digital and location-based issues to the forefront for many charities. For several years, 'mobile' has always been next year's big development, so charities could always hold back a little.

But with smartphone purchases, the resolution of key issues like VAT and 100% of gift for SMS donations, the increase in social media consumption via mobiles, and the move from the web to apps, APIs and other ways of accessing digital info, I'd say that last year was the year of the mobile. In other words, mobile in its many guises matters to charities now.

Re apps in particular, when I explored in June how many in the UK actually featured any direct fundraising, I was disappointed. And that's not down to Apple's policy of not approving any in-app donation tools. Still it is early days and it's fascinating to watch charities trying to work out how best to monetise the move to mobile digital.

My summary of fundraising apps appeared on UK Fundraising at

http://www.fundraising.co.uk/blog/2010/06/29/fundraising-apps-iphone

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