Digital new year’s resolutions for 2021

Launching your digital fundraising and virtual events

 

Pushing forward with the lessons learnt from the pandemic, digital fundraising and virtual events have taken the charity sector by storm. Putting some new resolutions in place must include launching online events.

 

To get started, charities can turn to the e-book ‘The Secret to Virtual Events Success’ by Blackbaud Europe. The book explores how charities can engage audiences and emphasises the importance of digital fundraising events.

 

 

Getting creative with content

 

Content is king. Charities are already using content to inspire audiences to donate, participate, and engage.

 

To create engaging content, we recommend using interactive media. This type of content is two-way. Charities ask audiences to respond to charity quizzes, polls, and graphics. It’s also an opportunity for marketing teams to generate excitement and buzz.

 

Graphic editors, infographic creators, and editing software can also help teams produce stunning content. And, importantly, when creating media, don’t forget to include evergreen pieces.

 

 

Keeping track of and building relationships

 

Building and maintaining constituent relationships is a strength of the charity sector. Your 2021 resolutions should also include keeping track of audiences, donors, and volunteers.

 

Constituent relationship management (CRM) systems make sense of interactions. These digital repositories are excellent record keepers. They can also inform audience segmentation processes.

 

When choosing a CRM system, charities should bear in mind the number of users, potential integration with existing software, and whether an off-the-shelf solution would work.

 

 

Prioritising mental health

 

Jacqui Morrissey from Samaritans says that: “There’s no doubt the pandemic will have a lasting impact on mental health. We are really worried that issues like job losses will impact further.”

 

Going forward, charities need to be prioritising the importance of mental health. Prolonged social restrictions and work stress have caused a spike in mental health concerns.

 

Charities are going above and beyond in delivering mental health services. Charities like The Mix have dedicated digital outlets to help struggling young people.

 

What’s equally important is charities should also remember their own employees. Mental health resources for charity workers are available. Resources includes digital toolkits and webinars addressing common mental health challenges.

 

 

Keep online fatigue at bay

 

Since remote working is here to stay, there has been news coverage of Zoom fatigue.

 

Looking forward to 2021, keeping charity teams inspired and motivated is a top priority. Keeping your day structured is key to staying motivated. Make sure that you’re mentally ready to do work. Dressing for the job puts you in the right mindset for the work day.

 

Digital tools are also on hand for those who need an added push. Website blockers like Freedom, StayFocused, and WasteNoTime prevent people from surfing distracting websites.

 

Mobile phone productivity apps do similar jobs. They prevent owners from checking in for certain periods of time. AppDetox and Forest help users to be present by locking phones and apps during set times.

 

 

Staying safe online

 

As many charities are changing the way they work, it’s important to stay secure. That includes updating cyber security tools and ensuring that charity workers are protecting their devices. Cybersecurity means more than anti-virus software. For charities, it means preventing unauthorised access to computer systems, passwords, customer data, and physical devices.

 

At Charity Digital, we’ve taken note of the some of the specialised digital security tools out there. For remote working, virtual private networks (VPNs) protect the connection between employees at home and charity databases. Using a VPN, data are encrypted before being accessed over the internet.

 

To ensure that bad actors aren’t using charity data, Skurio detects ill-gotten charity data over the dark web. The software sends alerts to charities if there are data breaches.

 

Free and low-cost versions are available at Charity Digital Exchange.