As an Aussie who has spent two of the last three years fundraising in Canada, it has been an odd transition moving back home. Not because I picked up any peculiar traits such as saying 'Sorry' when someone bumps into you, or using 'Eh?' (pronounced 'A') to seek approval for something I've said, rather, the fact that I have a better understanding of fundraising in Canada than I do in Australia.

Don't get me wrong, things aren't vastly different! Charities are not madly faxing out solicitations nor do they fervently believe that face-to-face is the work of the devil. It's more of a cultural thing.

For example, Australians are known for our love of all things technological. We like to test the latest and greatest gadgets and we have high up-take rates for anything with a chip inside. I believe that's fascination with technology is culturally embedded into our fundraising too, where data integration is seemingly much more important than in Canada. In Australia it's all about having that centralised view of the donor.

Fortunately I've noticed that there are also a lot of opportunities for charities in Australia. The clear standout for me is leveraging the power of the web to support traditional offline fundraising programs. Having recently taken a look at what Australian charities are doing online, in some cases it almost appears that their website is an afterthought, when it could be a strong fundraising channel.

Of course, this is not the case with everyone. Organisations like The Cancer Council and the Leukaemia Foundation are building innovative digital campaigns that really set a high benchmark for those who follow in their footsteps.

Mostly I'm excited about the potential we have here in Australia, and as one of the newest employees of Artez I know I will learn a lot as well as about where the future of online fundraising is headed.

Hopefully I'll have a chance to talk with you this year!

Duncan Owen is the new business development manager for Artez Pacific. Prior to starting at Artez he worked at The David Suzuki Foundation in Canada and at World Vision Australia.