There are plenty of fundraising innovations going on right now, but often rediscovering or reinventing tried and tested techniques can work well too. Here are five things fundraisers should be thinking about right now:
- (re)Building relationships. We’re living through an era of fast-paced social, economic, technological and political disruption. The proliferation of technology connects us superficially, but it can also be alienating. The after-effects of the pandemic have increased social isolation for many. People want to feel connected to something bigger, and part of a positive cause – if you can get that cause to be your charity, the donations will follow. Make sure your communications with supporters are authentic and genuine, to combat prevailing skepticism about other institutions.
- Rediscovering old tools. Those little computers we’re all carrying around in our pockets actually started out as telephones – devices intended to allow people to have a conversation. In terms of building relationships, rediscovering this can be a great way to reconnect with donors in an empathetic way. The human voice, even if transmitted electronically, carries something that a text or an email doesn’t. Try calling your donors to say thank you, without asking them for anything else, or asking them for some non-financial support, and see what happens.
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Thinking about ‘giving’ differently. Many different sources of funding are under pressure from rising demand, especially statutory and foundation funding. Corporate giving is an area of potential growth, but it can be a different and tricky proposition. Local companies may not have big CSR teams or big budgets to throw around, but they might be able to make one-off donations, sponsor events, or contribute skills, premises, volunteers or other in-kind support over a longer time. Decision-makers in local companies will be part of your community – so approach them that way.
New online tools like Neighbourly have been developed in recent years to help connect businesses and charities, so check them out. They can help connect people to build the relationships, via a brokering service where you can input your details and get matched with companies that might want to help your cause.
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The impact of Artificial Intelligence. AI is going to affect fundraising in many ways which are still hard to predict. For example, giving us new ways to interrogate donor data or to predict and model how individual donors might respond to different types of communications and approaches. One area that is already being affected is with writing grant applications. We’re currently seeing a surge in the level of applications to foundations which in part is being driven by AI.
Even free-to-use programmes like ChatGPT or perplexity.ai can shorten the time a fundraiser spends per application, by helping do the busy work of pre-populating forms, allowing more bids to be submitted over a given period. However, using these tools in the wrong way could increase the number of poorly targeted, inaccurate, or poorly written applications, so you need to focus on making the right applications to the right funders, and ensure you have a human overseeing the voice, quality, and control over any sensitive or confidential information.
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New tech, new generations, old techniques. Gen Z has grown up with constant access to the internet and is now entering the workforce. They are known to be not just ‘digital natives’ but highly socially conscious, and open to donating to or fundraising for social causes and organisations that match their values and make the right approaches. Many of them also had their childhoods interrupted by lockdowns during the pandemic and are looking for ways to build social connections.
Crowdfunding platforms and social media are crucial to engaging them because they don’t generally write letters, have landlines, or use cash! But tried and tested community fundraising can work with Gen Z too. Think about, for example, advertising local fundraising events with Instagram images or videos, rather than just on the community centre billboard or in the local newspaper. This can also bring in older generations who might not be able to get out and about so easily or may be new to the area.
You can learn more practical tips, guidance and the latest trends at the ‘What’s hot in fundraising’ webinar hosted by the Benefact Group on 22 May – find out more and reserve your place here.
Jay Kennedy, Director of Policy and Research, Directory of Social Change (DSC)
Jay has worked at the Directory of Social Change since 2003 in a variety of roles involving research, policy and public affairs, and senior management. In 2024 DSC published Jay’s Speed Read on Campaigning, which is an accessible, introductory guide for charities wanting to influence the UK political system.
Jay is responsible for DSC’s Research Team, which researches information for DSC’s fundraising publications and its funding website www.fundsonline.org.uk, and conducts bespoke research for a range of grant-makers and other charity clients.