After an unreliable year in the charity industry, it is no wonder charitable donations have decreased. Charities have faced lots of fundraising challenges. Many of these have been financial and caused by the pandemic. A lack of in-person fundraisers, large scale events and a decrease in public finances are all factors which have contributed.
At Givey, we believe charities work best together. We work with small and medium sized charities to help support their fundraising efforts with our platform and resources. We’ve come to the conclusion that the most common challenges have simple solutions.
Would you like to know how we can help your charity fundraise more effectively?
Read on to discover some common fundraising challenges and how you can overcome them.
Less individual donations
According to research from the Charities Aid Foundation UK Giving Report 2021, the amount of people donating to charities remains lower than average this year. This is not surprising with ‘44% of people reporting that they were worried about money’. There is also the added complication of a change in how we are fundraising for charity. With a shift from more traditional ways of fundraising to the new digital world of online efforts, charities are having to learn how to reach people in new and sometimes unfamiliar ways.
To overcome this financial barrier charitable organizations need to look for more innovative ways of reaching potential donors. After multiple lockdowns and social distancing restrictions, social media platforms and online fundraising events are the way forward. Cashless donations are becoming increasingly more popular after Covid-19 regulations. We are already seeing the benefits of cashless donations, as those who have donated throughout most of the first eight months of 2021 have been donating more charitable gifts.
Lack of industry connections
Funding for charity, particularly when many are struggling with a lack of financial means, can be difficult to increase. Looking to businesses is a great way forward. By creating a corporate-charity partnership, your charity will benefit from the opportunity to gain more funds, support and visibility. How can you ensure your charity can make said connections?
If you are searching for a corporate sponsorship to promote your charity, then ensure that both the charity and company have the same values and target audience. It would also be beneficial to ensure that the work you do together is creative, ongoing and memorable.
One example of a charity corporate sponsorship was a partnership between CV-Library and homelessness charity Centrepoint. CV-Library managed to raise a fantastic £7,509.49 for Centrepoint. They beat their original target of £4,000 and created some interesting fundraising events too. These included a pub quiz, hiking along the Yorkshire Three Peaks, an office cycle challenge, multiple raffles, bake sales and more.
P & O Cruises raised an incredible £300,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Their partnership started in 2015. To earn donations, the P & O Cruises team hosted summer fete events, foreign coin collections and use ship ticket sale donations. They have also taken part in sponsored marathons in London and Edinburgh. Their ‘Trek the Deck’ challenge features a 5km walk aboard the ship and costs £10 to take part. Participants also gain a t-shirt from both the corporation and charity. This event normally takes place every year and has done since 2018.
Relying on one way of fundraising
Some charities tend to focus on donation funding too heavily. However, there is another way to raise money for good causes. Recently, there has been an increase in social enterprise. There is such a wide variety of organizations who give customers a product they want, whilst tackling worldwide problems too. It would be a missed opportunity if your charity didn’t explore this.
One company called Trinity Oaks runs a ‘Trees for the Future’ initiative. This aims to help reduce the negative, global impact of deforestation in tropical locations. To help amend this environmental issue, the company will plant a new tree for every bottle of Trinity Oaks wine you buy. This initiative has helped plant over eighty million trees since 1989.
Take a moment to imagine what you have available to your charity right now. Are there any ways you can give back to the community as well as your customers? You could rent out spare office space as a workspace for others. You could help train people with the specialist knowledge you have learnt from your charity work. Or, you can even make a product or resources which will help further your charity aims.
Disengaged donors
You need to be more creative now more than ever before. Especially when it comes to engaging your donors with covid restrictions on the horizon. There are some ways you can do this in a safer environment. You can build a rapport with your donors by hosting a virtual event that fits with your charity. For instance, if you’re working towards helping young people with their mental health, you could create a free meditation session to promote good self care practices. If your mission is to help house the homeless, you could livestream a gaming marathon to raise funds for homeless shelters to provide facilities to those who don’t have a home.
Slow digital expansion
In a place where everyone is on the internet, there is a great variety of fundraising websites, social media accounts and adverts to promote different charities. However, lots of charities have been finding it difficult to keep up with technological change. The need for digital know-how and fast reactions to conversations on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even LinkedIn, have placed an importance on how your charity is presented online. Building connections with potential donors and other charities has become increasingly vital. Fundraising platforms can be useful for people to raise money for your charity, particularly if the platform uses social media to promote your fundraiser in todays digital climate.
The charity sector has always been known for its resilience. Throughout the pandemic, charities have faced many barriers to overcome. We are hopeful that your charity can be creative, digitally advanced and innovative for this next year and beyond.
To find out more about our fundraising platform and how it can benefit your charity follow this link: https://blog.givey.com/2020/11/27/switch2givey/
Written By Ella Dunthorne.
References:
https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-research/uk_giving_report_2021.pdf
https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/jul/15/corporate-sponsors-look-for-charity-partnership
https://kindful.com/blog/6-ways-fundraisers-can-connect-with-their-donors-without-meeting-in-person/
https://www.goodbox.com/2021/10/biggest-challenges-in-fundraising/
https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/01/28/12-corporate-partnerships-benefitting-uk-charities/
https://www.consciousconnectionmagazine.com/2016/02/social-enterprise-examples-and-principles/
https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/04/18/10-corporate-partnerships-benefitting-charities-uk/?fbclid=IwAR1F9vzcsu26j64SVrT0sBrZSugKcV5XaP6gNit2DNkE2elgMCtbrMuEZ7w
If you found this article helpful to read, check out the following posts to overcome your fundraising challenges:
https://blog.givey.com/2021/10/06/5-virtual-fundraising-events-to-learn-from/
https://blog.givey.com/2021/09/27/discover-local-fundraising-opportunities/
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