Technology has, undoubtedly, impacted all of our lives drastically. There’s no real way to get away from it. Luckily, for the most part, technology has improved our day-to-day lives. Through technology, we can now carry pocket-sized supercomputers, have machines perform tasks for us at the flip of a switch and even have our cars drive for us. We truly are living in a tech utopia.
With that being said, I wanted to talk a bit about philanthropy and how it is benefiting from technological advances. Here are some great ways in which tech has helped philanthropy.
Marketing and Advertising
Admittedly, technology has changed marketing and advertising for every single industry, but philanthropy benefits so greatly from it. Before the Internet, charitable organizations relied on phone calls, letters and good old-fashioned public solicitation to get people’s attention. Now, with television, radio and the Internet, the options are limitless on how charities can reach out to donors. Television and radio ads are quite popular, but other, more personal, methods have become possible. Social media allows charities to directly reach out to followers and fans; email newsletters are only made possible through technology, and they’re a great way to get the word out on a charity, event or fundraiser.
Communication
Again, technology has drastically impacted how the entire world communicates. For multiple charitable organizations, there is a great deal of communication that is necessary in order to function; this is true for any business, non-profit or otherwise. With cloud computing, charities can store documents, spreadsheets and any other vital information which allows access to multiple users from virtually anywhere. It assists in streamlining communication and can really decrease the amount of time a project takes to complete.
Technology is such a major part of our lives today; it has, quite literally, revolutionized our world. As we continue to advance our tech, we will see many industries, philanthropy included, benefit from everything it has to offer. Who knows what we will be able to do in just a few short years?