The Big Society Network has announced a new programme in partnership with the Nominet Trust and Nesta to promote technology-enabled philanthropy.

Spring is an online research and collaboration centre which will look at how technology is being used to promote giving and then establish the best way forward to increase it.

Steve Bridger, a partner at Visceral Business and adviser to charity start-ups, is leading the project. He told civilsociety.co.uk: “The first thing we are going to do is map all the innovations out there because at the moment it is all fragmented so charities don’t really know where to invest.”

Spring hopes to work with entrepreneurs, technology leaders and people from the voluntary sector and invites anyone to submit a blog or discuss the issues on its LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

Steve Moore, chief executive of the Big Society Network, said: “New technology innovation has the potential to create extraordinary new opportunities for all of us to give and share time, money and expertise.

“Spring exists to challenge charities and engage donors. We want to transform the experience of giving and to help British charities to become the most innovative in the world.”

Spring plans to decide which areas to follow up by mid-November after completing the mapping process.