How charities across Europe have embraced digital

Virtual events

 

A key difference is the use of virtual events, which is “much more widespread” in the UK. The survey found that 58% of British-based charities are using this form of fundraising, the highest proportion of any European country.

 

Some of the UK’s most high-profile recent virtual events do indicate that this form of campaigning is successfully engaging supporters. For example, the London Marathon in 2020 still attracted charity fundraisers despite the mass participation event being postponed – and eventually staged as an elite-runner-only event due to social distancing guidelines.

 

In April 2020, when the event was due to take place, organisers instead staged the virtual 2.6 Challenge, which asked people to complete their individual events around the marathon distance themed numbers 2.6 or 26 and promote their fundraising feats via social media. The virtual campaign raised more than £11 million.

 

 

During the rescheduled, elite-only event run in October 2020, charity fundraisers were asked to once again take part by staging their own run and promoting it online. This generated a further £16.1m from donations via online fundraising platform Virgin Money Giving.

 

 

Digital service delivery

 

Moving service delivery online is another area where UK charities are excelling.

 

According to the EFA and Salesforce.org report, the shift to digital services was particularly prominent in the UK, cited by 83% of charities, and in Spain, mentioned by 79% of charities.

 

The work by charities in the UK benefitting from National Emergency Trust (NET) funding to ramp up their digital service delivery for at risk groups is among a raft of examples of how British charities are embracing technology. This includes using chatbots, video counselling sessions, webchat, and social media messaging. As part of the first wave of NET funding, charities supporting people with disabilities have been distributing tablets to tackle digital exclusion.

 

Other ways European charities are transforming services amid the pandemic include increasing telephone services, which is most prominent in Spain. However, charity workers in the Netherlands are more likely to say that they are making no changes to service delivery.

 

 

Room for improvement

 

While the UK is excelling in digital service delivery and organising online fundraising events, its European counterparts are proving more successful in using other digital channels and technology to transform their work.

 

Charities in the Netherlands, for example, are the most likely to use social media (87% compared to 75% overall). Web-based fundraising is most popular in Germany (cited by 82% of charities) and the Netherlands (81%), but significantly less common in Italy (cited by only around a half of charities).

 

Crowdfunding is barely used in the UK, cited by 6% of charities, compared to Spain (28%) and Italy (19%). Meanwhile, text is used by 21% of Italian charities but by only 8% of those in France.

 

While regional differences remain, charities across Europe share many of the same challenges and can learn from each other.

 

As EFA President Eduard Marček said: “This survey shows us that nonprofits have not stood still. They have worked hard to innovate, identifying new ways to fundraise, to build supporter engagement, and to deliver frontline services. This demonstrates the resilience and vibrancy of the fundraising community and of European philanthropy more widely.

 

“The pandemic remains a major threat and, as such, the work of the nonprofit sector will be all the more important as we work together to aid Europe’s recovery.”