Charity, commonly defined as the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing, is currently undergoing a powerful transformation. We are seeing signs of charity moving from being dependent on generous donations of large organisations and affluent citizens to becoming more decentralised, thanks to emerging technologies such as VR, the blockchain and P2P lending.
New payment technologies are now allowing charity to be ingrained at a grassroots level by enabling people to make small donations in a convenient way through micro-donations. An emblematic example of this scheme is Pennies, a “digital charity box”, created with a purpose to raise funds for a variety of UK charities.
Blockchain technology could improve the transparency of charitable giving by allowing people to track their donations as they go through an organization.