Over £10 BILLION a year available for UK charities!
That’s how much is donated within the UK on an annual basis. Yet, many smaller charities are not yet digitally fundraising and many of those that do, don’t do it well. Here are 10 of my digital fundraising tips:-
- Pick a platform that works best for you, not the first one you find! Here, Charity Digital highlight the top 20 platforms: https://charitydigital.org.uk/topics/the-best-online-fundraising-platforms-for-charities-5324
2. Understand who your potential donors are. Who are the most likely people to donate to your cause and where can you find them? RedFox Research have identified the “Fundraising Four” (https://research.redfoxres.com/the-fundraising-four). You may wish to also identify more specific ones for your cause.
3. Understand how social media works. Your post WILL NOT reach everyone; generally it will only reach the people that have recently liked, commented, or shared your post; i.e. those already converted. Promotion requires perspiration.
4. Mix up your fundraising activities. Don’t limit yourself to a donate button on your website; get your provider to give you a QR code that you can take into the ‘real world’ and combine it with your more traditional fundraising activities and/or put it on your T shirts, Mugs, fundraising buckets etc.
5. Tell people what their money will be spent on. Which of the following is more appealing to you?…. “Help us by donating £5” or “£5 will provide 5 meals for the homeless”? People will be less sceptical and may even give more money if they can see the impact.
6. Use the “3” principle by providing 3 different donation options of different value. Psychologically, many people pick the middle offer.
7. Your headline is everything! If people don’t read your headline then the rest is simply redundant; no one reads further and no one donates. Capture attention and be emotional.
8. Use Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” approach to frame your narrative; Why should people care? How can they help? What can they do about it?
9. Make it easy! Don’t hide your donate button at the bottom of your website, or on a separate page. Make it one of the first things people see.
10. Build a relationship rather than the ‘single donate deal’. Supporters are your most powerful advocates. They will comment and share your posts that will in turn spread the word!
If you’d like to have some help with digital fundraising, then this is just one way that the Newid project (https://www.newid.cymru), could help you. Newid is a Welsh Government funded project, delivered by Cwmpas, WCVA, and ProMo Cymru that is supporting the Welsh Third Sector and social enterprises better engage with the digital world. Eligible to Welsh Third Sector groups and social enterprises with an annual turnover of over £20k, we provide 1:1 support, training and events. Please DM me if you’d like to know more.
