Member Article

Virgin Money partners with Campus North to deliver Tech for Good weekend

The North East’s creative minds, technical experts and entrepreneurs are set to come together in a ‘Tech for Good’ weekend, following a partnership between Campus North and Virgin Money Giving.

Taking place this weekend (14-15 November), the event will cater to the region’s tech fanatics as well as those who have an appreciation of creativity and innovation.

Initiated by Dhiraj Mukherjee, Virgin Money’s Head of Banking Innovation, the partnership’s mission is to create innovative new ways to encourage online charitable giving, through Virgin Money Giving, and to help fundraisers optimise their fundraising potential.

Newcastle is considered to have one of the strongest technical communities in the UK and Campus North is dedicated to supporting technology start-ups and those with big visions who could emerge as the next generation of technology founders and entrepreneurs.

Dhiraj Mukherjee, who also previously co-founder of Shazam, the world’s first mobile-phone music recognition service that allows users to identify music using their mobile phone, said: “I’m delighted to see this event come to life.

“As part of the Virgin family, innovation is in our DNA and supporting our local communities is an essential part of our culture. Ultimately we are aiming to build a better society through our work as a responsible bank, and partnering with Campus North is a great example of innovating for good. I’m really looking forward to the weekend, which is the first in a series of such events, and I’m sure the teams will come up with some fantastic ideas.”

Lyndsey Britton, Co-Founder of Campus North, said: “We’re really pleased to join forces with Virgin Money Giving and the NSPCC to host the Tech for Good weekend at Campus North.

“It’s a fun and creative opportunity for anyone who loves coming up with new ideas and solving problems - whether you are a developer, project manager, designer, marketeer - to come along and contribute to producing something that could help raise more funds for charity. We will provide the refreshments to keep you fuelled throughout the weekend - you just bring your ideas, skills and enthusiasm.”

Jo Barnett, Executive Director of Virgin Money Giving said: “Entrepreneurship and innovation are cornerstones of the Virgin brand and Virgin Money Giving was born when some creative minds came together to generate ideas for how we could use our financial and IT expertise to support UK charities. We are really excited about this opportunity to explore what tech can do for the charity sector and deliver ideas that will offer real long-term benefits for NSPCC, our charity of the year, and for charities generally.”

NSPCC Head of Digital, Helena Raven said: “This event is a really exciting opportunity for finding new ways to support the work of the NSPCC through online giving, and we are extremely grateful to Campus North and Virgin Money Giving for staging it. The NSPCC is committed to creating digital experiences that really work for people who wish to support us and I’m looking forward to discussing new ideas for how we can do just that.”

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