There was a time when making a charitable donation meant putting money in a collection plate. In the centuries since the first charitable organisations were established, how we give to charities has changed radically.
Today there are over 180,000 registered UK charities and people can give money in person, set up a standing order, sponsor a marathon runner, volunteer to help, donate online and through mobile.
While some charities have been slow to adopt the opportunities offered by being digitally connected most are now recognising the need to approach potential supporters where they are: online.
There have been a number of hugely successful online campaigns, including the #NoMakeUpSelfie by Cancer Research which raised more than £8 million in six days and the #IceBucketChallenge by ALS, arguably the most successful online campaign to date.
But online is not a static space. The opportunities and challenges are constantly evolving and offering new ways for charities to find potential supporters. In particular it will be interesting to see how innovations in social media will help charities reach supporters and generate direct donations.
#Donate, a new social payment technology, was launched last year to enable supporters with a Paypal account to donate through tweets and retweets using hashtags registered with the platform. Charities can set up the donation amount given with each tweet or allow the supporter to choose the amount to donate.
Facebook has also launched its ‘donate’ call-to-action button for non-profits that sits in the header image or in ads and links to the charity site so supporters can donate directly. The popular social media site is now testing new fundraising tools for non-profits.
While only available to charities and non-profits in the United States, it’s likely that we’ll see this open up to the rest of the world in the coming years, along with Payments for Messenger.
These new tools allow charities to turn their Facebook page into a fund-raising powerhouse. Users will be able to explain what they are raising money for, and generate donations entirely within the social network. Supporters can share their donation and each share will include a donation button, so the message can continue to spread.
Online behaviours are increasingly ‘mobile-first’, and mobile payment technologies are fuelling new ways to donate, shaping the future of fundraising. In October 2014 the SnapDonate app was launched which allowed supporters to give wherever they are. People who use the app can point their smartphone camera at a charity logo. The app will recognise the charity and let users donate an amount of their choice using Paypal or Credit Card. The app holds a database of all charities registered with JustGiving allowing these organisations to make the most of a spontaneous donation “in the moment”.
In January 2015 Cancer Research trialled receiving donations through their shop windows using contactless payment options which then triggered a video showing the supporter how their donation would help. These payment innovations are bringing together online and offline to place donations in a real world moment at the tap of a mobile screen.
New technologies have made the donation process as seamless and immediate as possible, while enabling charities and their supporters to use social media as a way to build campaigns and drive donations.
As the development of personal technology and the online landscape evolves the how, when and where we give to charities will also continue to shift. Charities that recognise this and keep up with changing media consumption trends, communication habits and new technologies, will be able to both maximise their fundraising and future-proof their supporter base.
By Louise Burgess, Founder and COO of equimedia
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