You can't talk about technology, charities and fundraising for long these days without someone mentioning the word 'gamification'.
As an IDEA blog points out, gamification doesn't necessarily mean playing games – it's more about incorporating some principles of gameplay, such as building online communities, education or marketing, into a project.
Plenty of charities are already employing gamification. Marketing Week reported that Tearfund had turned to gamification to engage young supporters. Pedestrians' charity Living Streets also used gamification as part of an online campaign during Walk To Work Week.
But it has its sceptics too. US fundraising consultant Jason McNeal has said that he fears that gamification has two real flaws – it doesn't engage the whole donor and it doesn't educate the donor.
In this live Q&A, we'll examine some of the the big questions around gamification, including:
• How can gamification make money for charities?
• Examples of where gamification has been used successfully by a charity
• Is gamification just for engaging with young people? Must it be online?
• Where can charities learn more?
You can leave your views and questions in the comments section below now, or come back to join the discussion live from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday 20 March. If you'd like to join our experts on the panel, email Kate Hodge.
Expert panel
Michael Green - author, Philanthrocapitalism
Michael is the co-author, with Matthew Bishop of the The Economist, of 'Philanthrocapitalism: how giving can save the world'. He was formerly a senior civil servant at the Department for International Development (DFID). His new book about the future of money, 'In Gold We Trust?', has just been released.
Twitter: @shepleygreen
Charlotte Beckett - head of digital, The Good Agency
Charlotte is the agency's digital planner and strategist, putting together ideas for digital fundraising, online advocacy, digital communications, advertising, website builds, apps, mobile, creative testing - whatever the challenge, she's ready to work out a digital solution. A believer in integration but not matching luggage, she's likely to use words like 'transmedia storytelling', 'social giving' and 'gamification'. Most importantly, she believes in 'make, measure, learn' – turning data into actionable insight.
Twitter: @londoncharlotte / @thegoodagency
Ed Cox - managing director, Reason Digital
Reason Digital is a digital communications and engagement agency that has conceived and implemented gamification projects and techniques for charities and other socially-motivated organisations. Their gamification experience includes the My Living Streets social network and a forthcoming mobile app to encourage co-operative purchasing for the International Year of Co-operatives 2012.
Twitter: @ReasonDigital / @edcox
Jude Ower - founder and chief executive, Playmob
Jude designs games that are fun, raise awareness and link to real world causes. With 10 years of experience, Jude has designed games for corporates, the government, education and awareness. PlayMob are currently working on a games platform, GiverBoard, which connects existing games to good causes and allows the player to collect a history of all the good they do across games. Players can also share this with their friends and invite friends to play with them.
Twitter: @playinthecloud / @playmob
Dr Chris Greenwood – director of development and communications, Fauna & Flora International
Chris is an experienced fundraising and communications charity specialist having worked at RSPCA and NSPCC amongst others, and with RSPB, Crisis, Macmillan and a whole host of others when with an agency.
Twitter: @FaunaFloraInt
Tony Armstrong - chief executive, Living Streets
Living Streets is the national charity working to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets, where people want to walk. Tony has a background in neighbourhood regeneration and health improvement, and has held a number of senior policy adviser roles in government. He also worked in a local New Deal for Communities partnership in East Brighton, where he focused on working with residents and local agencies to improve local services.
Twitter: @livingstreets
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