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#BeMoreDigital Fundraising Day: Building Better Relationships with donors
08 Oct 2020by Aidan Paterson
These three sessions from the upcoming #BeMoreDigital Fundraising Day will explore how you can create better engagement with supporters and donors
When we held the inaugural Digital Fundraising Day all the way back in November 2019, we had no way of knowing how both digital fundraising and virtual events would shape the charity landscape in 2020.
As we continue to operate in a climate where traditional fundraising avenues remain either closed or made logistically difficult by the longer-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital fundraising continues to be at the forefront of discussion within the charity sector.
The pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on charity fundraising, with the NCVO and Charity Finance Group estimating a fundraising shortfall of £10 Billion. Amidst these troubling reports, digital fundraising has provided a lifeline to many charities, with almost 70% reporting positive fundraising results during lockdown (Blackbaud status of UK fundraising report). But what can be done to help the other 30%?
COVID-19 has fundamentally changed charity fundraising. Organisations are caught between a rock and a hard place and must balance increased demands on their services with severe disruptions to existing fundraising strategies.
Supporter expectations have also changed. As the general public spends more time online than ever before, people hold charities to the same high digital standards as large corporate organisations and tech companies. They expect a seamless, personalised and dynamic experience. In order to match these raised levels of digital expectation, charities must engage with supporters through their preferred digital channels.
For many charities, this will require a total rethink. In order to build better relationships with donors, you will need to meaningfully connect with your donors in their preferred digital spaces. That’s what these three sessions have in common.
The event returns for a sophomore edition on October 15th, 2020 - as #BeMoreDigital Fundraising Day - with over 10 hours of free, online content to help your charity plan and implement successful digital fundraising campaigns.
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Who did you last donate to?
Over one-third of donors (37%) cannot remember the name of the last charity they gave money to online. This figure is far higher amongst younger charity supporters - rising to 56% among Gen Z.
An increasing number of charities can only be a good thing for our sector and wider society. But it does create an element of competition. A greater number of charities are competing for a shrinking pool of resources. Charities with similar names and missions are easily confused with one another. In fact, the average person can only remember the name of nine charities.
Without a unique donor experience, online giving can feel intangible. We are entering an era of ‘Give and Forget’. If donors can’t remember your brand, they are highly unlikely to become long-term supporters. Using insights from their recent Donor Pulse study, virtual events specialists Enthuse will provide you with an action plan for making your cause memorable and distinct online.
How Text Giving is bringing us closer to donors in a socially distanced world
With many traditional fundraising avenues rendered no longer viable, many charity campaigns are showcasing great creativity and ingenuity.
More than 2,000 charities used Donr’s text giving platform to run campaigns during lockdown. Donations on the platform between March and July were 653% higher than at the same stage of last year.
In this session, Donr will be joined by delegates from leading charities to celebrate some of the best text donation success stories of the last 6 months, providing valuable information and inspiration to carry into your own digital fundraising strategy.
(Digital) Fundraising favours the bold
The sudden change to fundraising strategies forced on the sector by COVID-19 affected small charities the most. One of those organisations was Become - a charity supporting children in care as well as young care leavers.
With their traditional methods of fundraising blocked, Become had to think fast and come up with a new way of raising vital funds. They evaluated internal processes, adapted to a digital way of thinking and, and within weeks of lockdown, rolled out #BecomePlayers.
Much discussion about fundraising in lockdown focused on what people couldn’t do. Become started by asking what people could do. Their digital fundraising initiative asked supporters to make the most of their time at home by diving into the world of gaming. Gamers could choose to raise funds over different marathon lengths (6, 12 and 24 hours) and had specific fundraising targets to hit depending on their choice. Once selected, marathoners would set their page up on JustGiving and tap into Become resources to engage their own communities and networks using #BecomePlayers.
About #BeMoreDigital Fundraising Day
#BeMoreDigital Fundraising Day will help charities navigate this new era of digital fundraising.
The event will consist of 10 sessions across 2 streams, all designed to empower charities with the knowledge of how other organisations are successfully adapting to the new fundraising environment.
The day’s programme will provide specific information on the tools and tricks charities are using as well as guidance on how they have overcome obstacles to digital fundraising.
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Sign Up For #BeMoreDigital Fundraising Day To Learn More
Aidan Paterson
Aidan Paterson
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