How Your Charity’s Marketing Can Adjust to COVID-19

Covid-19 is evolving the way we give.

The widespread adoption of technology to effectively communicate, along with changing consciousness has created a notable shift in the fundraising community.

The increased use of technology to mobilize support has created some notable trends: people are personalizing their donations, we’ve seen a rise in crowdfunding and people using Facebook to unite friends and family around a common goal and raise money to celebrate milestones.

With most charities having now closed their offices and shops, face-to-face contact has moved online and physical events are canceled. Like many of us, charities are left disorientated and unsure of how to respond.

The answer is: reconnect with your mission statement.

To attract donors you need to remind people what inspired you to start the charity. The best way to do this is through the art of storytelling. When your story helps potential donors relate with your work, you are more likely to create shared meaning. With people spending more time at home online using technology to communicate, charities must prioritize the design of their webpages. Simple and attractive web pages will hold people’s attention for longer. Creating clean memorable visual experiences is not beyond the realm of any web-based charities. If you are unsure of how to do this, Change Donations is here to help.

During the ‘Response’ phase, many charities are coming up with ways to modify public events and raise money while obeying social distancing rules. People are raising money by running marathons in their back garden and posting their times online. Another popular Fundraising initiative is the, ‘Run 5 Donate 5 Nominate 5’ Instagram challenge that has surpassed all expectations and raised awareness for front line workers in the UK and Ireland. While group coffee mornings and traditional fundraising efforts are brought to a physical halt, the worldwide adoption of virtual meetings gives charities a chance to expand their reach in a new way. Each person may donate the price of a cup of coffee into a digital fund to support the event.

Getting creative with your fundraising events and campaigns will both excite and inspire donors. Whatever your mission statement is, thinking outside the box will create a buzz around what you are trying to achieve. Another idea is calling on people to donate the spare change they would have spent on buses, trains, etc. Partnering with a local transport provider could promote a charity's mission and donate to those in need. The Down Syndrome Centre recently held a virtual event — ‘Dine in for the Down Syndrome Centre’ to connect all of its families and friends while also raising much-needed funding, as the charity is 100% reliant on fundraising.

Collaboration among charities is a good way to support the charities that are less directly connected to the crisis. During this crisis, financial support will fall for some charities due to reduced household incomes, making it imperative that they re-focus their message and reach out to other charities who are viewed as front line. According to the ‘Charities Institute of Ireland’, charities are expected to lose 40% of their projected income. With this in mind, charities need to share knowledge and resources and collectively call on the government to ask for support.

Best practices for marketing during the crisis are forging closer links with members and thinking about the long term future trends. Social media is a good way to keep a consistent level of engagement with followers and bring them into the conversation to share ideas and foster co-creation. Going LIVE is a great way to field questions, share ideas, and bring a community together. Facebook and Instagram are an easy way for supporters to interact. Give supporters plenty of advanced notice allowing them to promote the social media event and grow its exposure. An email or social reminder the day before will make sure nobody misses turning up.

Don’t forget your tried and tested best practices.

Many of the usual best practices that have worked in the past will continue to do so. People still want to hear success/impact stories, volunteer spotlights and other ways to get involved. Not everything has to be Covid-19 related! People followed you long before the pandemic and will continue to do so after we have prevailed. Your post could brighten their day or inspire them to take action.

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” -Albert Camus