Coronavirus: Digital Fundraising Insight Report

The Charity Sector Data Store

The Data Store anonymously aggregates the information input into the free Charity Excellence Framework platform. The platform works for any non-profit, requires no expertise and everything is free, with your results displayed on an interactive dashboard that allows you to see instantly what your key priorities are. Login now and by tomorrow, you’ll have assessed everything, including your coronavirus preparedness.

The master database holds nearly 500 assessment questions, covering every area of activity. So far, there are just over 300,000 scored assessment statements.

Where Do We Have Most Opportunity?

The system assesses 9 areas for digital fundraising, all of which are at amber. That is, the majority of charities say they are not doing these well. That makes this an opportunity for us.

If you already use the CEF, simply go to the Query menu and select ’digital fundraising’ and/or ’website’ to generate an assessment report for your charity, download an action plan and access the system resources. If not, the 9 metrics are below, with the lowest scoring at the top, as these represent the greatest opportunity for us.

1. In light of the coronavirus, we have considered running virtual events, as an alternative to normal events and to enable us to reach a wider audience
2. We have considered using text donation services and, if using these, the increase in donations makes this worthwhile, given the cost, and we are confident that our provider offers the service we need at a competitive price
3. We have considered applying for the free Google Ads £90k pa grant for charities, particularly if our cause appeals to the general public nationally
4. We have, or at least have considered investing in contactless donations, including making some estimate of the likely increase in donations and the cost of the equipment/services necessary
5. Our website fundraising messaging appeals to our target audience and demonstrates our impact, the fundraising page/donate button is prominent and, ideally, we offer potential donors a choice of donation option
6. We are, or have considered, selling donated items online, such as books, music, DVDs, video games or clothes, either via a dedicated e-commerce platform, or by using sites such as E Bay and Amazon
7. Our online fundraising platform(s) is the best choice for us, in terms of providing the functionality we want, ease of use and cost
8. Our website donation form is mobile responsive, quick and simple to use, with a minimum number of fields in the form and, ideally, does not require donors to login or create an account
9. Our online payment platform makes paying as convenient as possible for potential donors, gives us the functionality we want, and is cost-effective and reliable

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