What is vega?

Vega is a global technology company providing fundraising and supporter engagement software for the community, club and not-for-profit sectors. Vega combines workflow automation, supporter engagement, and campaign and financial management from your website to your back office. All you need for your supporter engagement in one place. 

"For the first time a complete management, communications, engagement and fundraising platform is provided in one platform"

The company is the vision of Tony Lindsay, founder and CEO, who as a lifelong technologist and the author who saw a gap in the marketplace. ‘When Rod Drury blazed a trail with Xero, launching an accounting package for a small monthly subscription with colleagues, we thought, ‘we can do that for fund-raising and community engagement too.’ 

‘Having spent a lifetime volunteering in and then working in the not-for-profit sector we knew that leading organisations like Greenpeace, Amnesty International or Oxfam are built on passion, commitment and importantly, great technology. Our mission was to bring similar great technology to social organisations everywhere, at a subscription price they could afford.’

‘On Monday you can be helping save the Kiwi, on Tuesday, helping to combat domestic violence and on Wednesday, putting shoes on children in impoverished communities. All the time at Vega, we are dealing with people who are doing inspirational work – and doing it in a lovely, friendly and exciting environment.

The story behind the vega name

Let's talk about a star first

Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra and is considered one of the most luminous stars in the Sun's neighbourhood.

Vega has been extensively studied by astronomers and selected for navigation and orientation, leading it to be termed “arguably the next most important star in the sky after the Sun. 

Now the inspiration behind Vega 

In June 1972, Greenpeace yacht Vega sailed into the forbidden zone outside Mururoa Atoll to stop the upcoming nuclear test by its presence. This was an extremely dangerous protest action, as the crew could be exposed to nuclear fallout from the explosion.

David McTaggart (the skipper), Nigel Graham and Grant Davidson made blocks to seal the vents, to stop radioactive fallout from entering the cabin. It was agreed that if they survived the nuclear blast and shockwave one crew member would expose himself on the deck to start the engine and motor out of the danger zone.

After being ordered to leave, McTaggart refused to follow a French naval vessel out of the zone. This resulted in a chase where the Vega was rammed and McTaggart and crew were put in detention. Although the test went ahead, the Greenpeace action raised global awareness about the issue and put pressure on France to stop testing.

Vega Works is born
Click the image below to meet our founder