The Next Big Thing in fundraising – Bryan Miller was right!
Howard Lake | 2 February 2009 | Blogs
Imagine being able to put your poster in a public place and have people use their camera-phone to take a picture which clicks them through to your website campaign page.
Below is a QR codes which does just that – take a picture and through you go. If you haven’t got the right software on your phone go to http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/ and if you want to create a code for your site go to http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/about-qr-codes/
So why is this ‘the next big thing’? Essentially because it is an enabling technology bridges the gap between the failing direct mail, inserts, print ads and our, not yet half as productive as we would like, internet fundraising activities. Each of these techniques may be brought back to life by using QR codes, but it will affect most other techniques more – think about giant poster sites (cheap in a recession) or London underground posters; consider legacy memorial sites with codes linking to the deceased’s web site and their favourite charity (Japanese bikers do this already).
Indeed QR codes are massive in Japan from biz cards to posters that can be read a mile away to restaurant menus, with this technology you are only limited by your imagination and the first charity to use them on any scale with scoop the jackpot. As Bryan reported in his earlier blog Bullying UK won an award; and was probably the first, so you have missed that prize.
As mobile phones with cameras and internet access are quickly becoming ubiquitous this will really take off. And we thought the camera was to take a picture – bless. I remember when we all thought that about faxes too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/logout/3134718173/
John Baguley
www.internationalfundraisingconsultancy.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.