The world is a very different place from ten years ago. Reuben Turner explores how technological advances could generate new income for your charity. 

Something’s gone wrong somewhere. Banks and corporations now exist to create value for shareholders and staff bonus pools rather than society at large. Big names on the real and cyber High Street want to be part of the fabric of our society, but won’t contribute to it through taxes. There’s horse in your beefburger.

Meanwhile, the computing and transaction processing power that was once the preserve of big institutions with mainframes in their basements have been put into all our pockets. Which means the transactions and connections they enable have too.

No wonder we’ve seen the rise of many parallel ways of doing what we used to.

Box schemes and informal markets now allow you to buy your food direct from the farm; New forms of banking allow us to lend to and borrow from each other – individuals and businesses – without the need for a bloated, venal, arms-dealing institution attached. New online retailers Hive connect you with local small shops rather than putting them out of business. Why rent a car from a man in a polyester suit when you can rent one from your neighbour? Apps allow anyone with a smartphone or tablet to become a retailer. Why buy bread when you can own a bakery? You can even use parallel money like the Totnes pound or Lewes pound to buy your bread and milk.

What do these mean for the ‘good’ sector? They mean new forms of social enterprise that unlock ethical money. They enable forms of useful barter and exchange we haven’t seen since the Middle Ages. They mean new forms of contract – financial, moral, social and otherwise – between people, and between people and organisations. 

For charities they may mean the possibility of becoming a bank, an investment broker (or opportunity), a mobile phone provider, a retail network! Ways of offering value exchange that complement and in some cases even replace giving as offers, products and income generators. (We’ve seen elsewhere how utility, value exchange and even entertainment are now key differentiators for new brands in every sector).

None of these will replace giving any time soon – perhaps good news for both RoI and societal values – but they offer ways to unlock money which is currently not being given, from people who won’t just give it.

So here’s a challenge. What could technology and these new, parallel forms of transaction mean to your organisation? Make a list. Imagine the possibilities. They could be real sooner than you think.