Successful fundraising has always been pivotal to the success of the non-profit sector. In the past two years, fundraising has faced a tough time, with donors having a higher expectation than ever due to factors such as:
- Increased regulation
- Cuts to traditional funding streams
- Increased competition for donor attention
In recent years, the development of new technologies and new ways of donating has reshaped the fundraising landscape in a number of significant ways.
Online fundraising is now an integral part of raising funds, many non-profits are realising the importance of digital channels such as social media. Similarly, mobile giving is making a huge impact with the amount of money donated, via mobile devices increasing significantly. With the rise of payments through Apple Pay, contactless and SMS, ensuring mobile donation is at the heart of your fundraising strategies is critical.
At fundraising events, the millennial generation can often be the most likely to donate or to donate smaller amounts but more frequently. This social media savvy generation is however often overlooked as charities target older donors.
So what are some of the key fundraising trends we can expect the sector to focus on more in the future?
Donor Retention
You need to understand, intimately, the journey your donors are on. By knowing their motivations and giving habits, you can create relevant, targeted communication and fundraising material to keep them engaged and retained for longer. Social media is a useful tool for this with the ability to target advertising to certain personas or even make use of influencers and celebrity supporters.
Big Data
It is easy to think of big data as a dark art and something best left to large commercial enterprises. With often limited resources, charities need to focus on efforts that are most likely to succeed. With fundraising in particular, a strategic review of field-wide data significantly helps organisations target proposals to well-aligned, appropriate foundations.
Making it Easy
This might sound obvious, but some charities make the task of donating hard – even for committed givers. According to Target Analytics, many donors (47%) were turned off by usability problems relating to page and site design, including unintuitive information architecture, cluttered pages and payments problems. Charities need to put a focus on giving donors the best experience possible in order to maximise donations.
Innovation for Impact
Experimentation with video, chatbots and mobile marketing can help charities reach a wider audience. Social media platforms have become mainstream communications channels, but many charities face enormous challenges using them strategically. According to the Global NGO Tech Report, only 32% of non-profit organisations have a written social media strategy.
Mobile Optimised
With 90% of media interactions taking place via a screen, and 38% of those taking place on a smartphone, there is no longer an excuse for non-profit websites not to be optimised for mobile devices.
To learn more about how these trends can drive your fundraising activities into the 21st century, get in touch and speak with one of our experts today or to read more, download our Not for Profit Whitepaper.