Crowdfunding which uses a micro-donations platform to fund citizens' projects with a social impact, should be open and transparent. At least, this is what Goteo Foundation seeks by setting as its mission the promotion of a more collaborative and ethical society. This is why we are constantly looking at how to improve the technical and communicative functions of our crowdfunding platform Goteo.org

We have been listening to our community, campaign promoters and donors. Also, we aim to reward those who use our platform by improving its design, thus making it easier to use and communicate citizens' projects.

We are, therefore, happy to announce that our participation in Europeana DSI project has led us to introduce some new technological developments to our crowdfunding platform, which is now not only more open and transparent but also clearer, nicer and, in particular, more functional.

Information is more transparent when it is more detailed, relevant for users’ needs and accessible across diverse technological platforms. Goteo.org now has a responsive web application that works multi-device i.e. can be properly displayed on any type of device, incl. tablets or phones. The platform shows the relevant information by default, and allows users the ability to display extra information when required.

Information is more open when it is well structured and clearly communicated. The information structure of the Goteo platform is now intuitive for better usability, as items related to calls to action are more visible. When possible, key actions such as co-supporting, commenting or non-monetary contributions are divided into different processes. Also, the goals achieved are now shown differently as new stages of the project are attained.

We also have a new way of presenting information campaigns. It is more visual, streamlined and includes new displays with three main tabs: Project, News and Participate. Each tab shows the detailed project information in a drop-down text module, a gallery with more fluid images and interactive graphic displays, offering greater clarity.

Dissemination is critical for the success of any crowdfunding campaign. We have, therefore, added two new social media sharing buttons to send campaigns to contacts directly via Telegram and Whatsapp. Users can now enjoy a more interactive website and engage with their communities via their preferred online media. And, since time is an important factor, under the "campaign thermometer" showing the amounts received by the campaign at every stage, we have also included a "remind me" button which causes the system to send an email reminding the user to make a donation before the end of a campaign they may want to support.

This is a short summary of improvements made within the Europeana DSI project, but for a real experience of the new features, do come and visit the Goteo.org platform. Try it out by co-funding some projects or even by launching a campaign. If the latter is your choice, come back here soon to read more about our new 'matchfunding' programme tool where institutional or private funding is matched with crowdfunding for a multiplier effect.

As published by EuropeanaLabs