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The pandemic has brought huge changes for the charity sector, particularly in terms of fundraising. With face-to-face fundraising methods grinding to a halt, fundraisers have had to adapt and embrace change. They’ve adopted new technology to grow their income, collected money in different ways, including online digital platforms, and used their websites and social media channels to encourage donations.

 

After a challenging couple of years, the sector is figuring out what fundraising will look like going forward. Restrictions are continuing to ease and face-to-face fundraising is set to return in full. Charities are now getting back on their feet and working out how to combine digital fundraising with some of the best elements of physical fundraising.

 

Here are some of the biggest changes that are taking place in charity fundraising:

 

Increasing independence on technology

 

From artificial intelligence (AI) to blockchain, charities are increasingly using new technology to fundraise.

 

A good example of AI is chatbots, which can reduce customer service interactions by answering basic questions without needing a human. They can also provide potential donors with information and promote fundraising activities.

 

Mencap’s ‘Understand Me’ chatbot on its website purports to be a person called Aeren, who was born with a learning disability. It gives users, including potential donors, information about her life and statistics on learning disabilities in the UK.

 

Gaming for Good has also taken off with charities looking to diversify their income and reach out to new audiences. The British Red Cross, Cancer Research UK, and Oxfam have all taken part in Gaming for Good events to raise money.

 

 

Charities are taking a hybrid approach

 

The sector is holding physical events again but not turning its back on virtual fundraisers. This hybrid approach allows charities to combine the best elements of both types of events.

 

Virtual events have lots of benefits including:

• Overcoming geographical limitations
• Increasing audience reach
• Reducing travel costs

 

There are also many disadvantages of holding virtual events:

• It’s harder to build authenticity and lasting relationships
• They don’t create an emotive response in the way physical events do
• Attendees can get distracted

 

With physical events making a return, charities can make sure fundraisers are authentic while reaching a larger audience, overcoming geographical boundaries and increasing their income.

 

An article in Forbes says that “while hybrid events are here to stay, they must do more than simply livestream the in-person experience to the audience at home”. It’s important that fundraisers provide people who are participating virtually with their own experience.

 

Collecting money in different ways

 

With limited options for physical fundraising, charities have optimised websites to make sure potential donors can access them on smartphones. The sector is also doing more to capture data and information from people to boost engagement and increase donations.

 

Following the closure of Virgin Money Giving, charities are turning to other online fundraising platforms to raise income. Some are free and most cost effective than others. JustGiving was one of the first online fundraising platforms on the market. Since then, more platforms have been set up, including Donr’s Giving Pages solution.

 

, but have been particularly popular over the last two years. Charities can use them to direct people to donation forms on websites, on direct mail, or fundraising packs for people to donate and in advertising campaigns. Such is their importance, that some platforms, including Donr will automatically generate a QR code for a fundraising page.

 

 

Using innovative fundraising initiatives

 

More and more charities are turning their hand to more novel ways of fundraising. For example, they’re setting up personalised text journeys to encourage people to donate to their cause. According to Donr, text message marketing has a 98% open rate – compared to 25% for email – so it can be a great way for charities to grow their income.

 

Virtual raffles are also a good way to fundraise once you’ve worked out the practicalities of getting a licence and the best way to sell tickets. Use your social media accounts to spread the word about your raffle. Don’t forget to mention where proceeds are going and what the prizes are to encourage people to buy tickets. If organising the practicalities and regulations of a raffle proves tricky, you can consider a solution like Donr’s Text Raffles, which takes care of everything.

 

Cash is becoming less important

 

People are moving away from cash payments. Before the pandemic we saw debit card transactions overtaking cash as the most popular way to pay for things in the UK. The pandemic has fuelled this growth with cash withdrawals plummeting.

 

This shows how important it is for charities to embed technology and digital platforms into their fundraising strategies, as well as providing donors with contactless donation options.

 

How Donr can help

 

Donr is a mobile fundraising platform, which has helped charities including BBC Children in Need, Samaritans and FareShare to raise over £36 Million since 2018.

 

Donr is currently trusted by 5,500 charities, who use the platform to process donations via Text Giving and Giving Pages, send marketing text messages via Text Journeys, and run interactive competitions via Text Raffles.

 

To learn more about the latest trends in mobile fundraising, read Donr’s latest blog which gives some helpful guidance on how to transform your charity’s mobile fundraising.

 

 

Learn more about the latest trends in mobile fundraising.