Under-utilised Swiss digital fundraising platform Letshelp.ch closes

Letshelp.ch, the Swiss digital fundraising platform, has closed as of 31 January.

Swisscom launched the platform in 2016 in partnership with industry bodies Zewo and Swissfundraising. In its first phase, letshelp.ch was open to all aid organisations bearing the Zewo quality seal and allowed these organisations to fundraise for projects online, either by crowdfunding, or through inviting individual donations. Charities using the platform included INTERTEAM, Medair, Save the Children, and the Swiss Red Cross.

However, demand for the platform proved to be low, meaning it was under-utilised during its 18 months of operation, making the cost of maintenance, support and acquisition disproportionately high.

Zewo assesses aid organisations in Switzerland and grants them its seal of approval if they meet its standards. Approximately 500 organisations have been awarded this seal and were therefore eligible to use the platform. However, statistics from Zewo suggest that aid organisations in the country have yet to embrace digital fundraising. Its figures show that its certified charities still receive 99% of donations via traditional payment channels such as postal or bank transfers rather than digitally.