As lockdowns halted in-person fundraising and charities increased digital activity, online fundraising, which includes social media, charity websites and advertising banners, attracted the most complaints.

Between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021, 56 of the UK’s largest fundraising charities reported 5,836 complaints about online fundraising to the Fundraising Regulator. This is a 252% increase on the figure reported in the previous year, and is also the first time in four years that it has been the most complained about method reported by the charities in the Regulator’s sample.

However, in comparison with the level of online activity carried out, the number of complaints reported is relatively small. Just 1 in 1,886,192 impressions received a complaint.

The second and third most complained about methods were addressed mail, which received 3,687 complaints, and corporate fundraising, which received 2,504.

Overall, with less fundraising activity taking place during the pandemic, the total number of complaints received by the sample charities fell. 17,800 complaints were received, down by 4% on the previous year’s figure.

The most common cause of complaint across all fundraising methods received by the Regulator was misleading information. This could involve unclear claims about why donations are needed or how they will be spent, or a failure to present information that allows the donor to make an informed decision.

Fundraising Regulator chief executive, Gerald Oppenheim said:

“The Annual Complaints Report provides us with a really important overview of how the fundraising landscape has changed over the past year. This report is an early indicator of the impact of the pandemic on the charity sector and it is a vital tool to help us understand where the sector needs to improve its fundraising practices. 

“It is encouraging to see that the overall number of complaints about charitable fundraising continued to decline during the pandemic, which shows that good fundraising practice has prevailed at a time of unprecedented challenges for the sector.

“We will continue to work closely with charities to support them in some of the areas the report has identified – particularly in relation to online fundraising – and make sure both charities and the public are equipped with the tools to fundraise, and donate, safely.”

Picture by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

The first half of the year saw donations rise 22% In France compared to the same period in 2019 as people responded to the new emergency situation at the start of the pandemic. However, while the final quarter of the year is typically when more than 40% of annual donations are given – half of this in December alone – research shows that only 26% of the French currently believe they will be ready to give by the end of 2020 due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the economic crisis.

Pierre Siquier, president of France generosités commented:

“We salute the support and generosity of the French who have responded to this crisis. However, these emergency donations were made in response to an unprecedented situation and to exceptional needs; and other causes still need to be financed.”

According to France generosités, half of its member organisations are more than 80% dependent on donations for their income, and almost a third have already seen donations and sponsorship fall this year. Some causes, such as those in the sports and culture sectors, as well as less visible organisations, are struggling to raise money altogether, with the cancellation of fundraising events adding to the pressure.

The AFM-Telethon, for example, which raises funds to finance medical research and treatment for neuromuscular disorders, receives more than 90% of its annual donations during its December Telethon, and its associated fundraising events.

Claire Schiller-Heuzé, its director of resource development, commented:

“Fundraising for events is at risk. We must send a strong signal to donors so that they increase their generosity at the end of the year, otherwise we risk missing out on essential resources for our missions.”

And, while some charities have received more donations than usual during the crisis, demands on their services have also risen, meaning they too still need the extra funds.

The French Red Cross saw an exceptional level of donations in the first half of 2020, which have made it possible to finance the exceptional programmes needed this year. However, these extra demands on its services are ongoing, meaning year-end fundraising remains critical.

Jean-Christophe Combe, the charity’s director general explained:

“We have seen an explosion of needs on the ground during lockdown which will be lasting and we need donations to finance them.”

In response to the situation, France generosités is asking the government to implement a series of measures through its 2021 Finance Bill to help stimulate giving. These include changes to the tax system to incentivise younger donors and to increase the tax reduction rate for donors subject to income tax. They also include the creation of a tax credit on general social contribution (CSG) for donors who not pay income tax, and a simplification of the rules for including a legacy in a Will.

Facing the Future is the second global summit coordinated by the International F2F Congress Committee and hosted by the Austrian Fundraising Association (Fundraising Verband Austria). The half-day event will take place twice on Thursday 05 November 2020 (morning and late afternoon CET), aiming to maximise access for delegates from across the world.

Günther Lutschinger, CEO of Fundraising Verband Austria, says:

“It’s been fascinating to see how far and fast the face-to-face fundraising environment has changed in recent months. Fundraising in face shields has rapidly become the new norm, with contactless payment becoming increasingly common. But we’re also seeing some real innovation in the field too. With so much change, it’s all the more important that senior leaders in the field have an opportunity to come together and discuss new ideas to ensure that face-to-face continues to be the vibrant and vital fundraising channel that so many charities rely on.”

F2F fundraising is evolving fast, with new practices and safety measures having been developed this year in response to the challenges imposed by the global pandemic environment. The global F2F summit aims to provide an opportunity for F2F leaders and senior practitioners to explore the future of public fundraising in a Covid world. It will explore new developments, best practice, success metrics and more.

The summit will give fundraisers a global forum to share and accelerate best practice, coordinated in lieu of the International F2F Congress, which was postponed due to the pandemic. It follows the first Global F2F Summit on 03 June 2020, which brought together over 1,000 F2F specialists, discussing ideas and strategies for reigniting public fundraising following lockdown.

Delivered in partnership with Fundraising Everywhere, the #GlobalF2FSummit is supported by the European Fundraising Association and UK Fundraising. It is free to attend, thanks to sponsorship from Formunauts, DialogDirect and ONG Conseil.

The programme is currently being developed by an expert panel of F2F practitioners and sector leaders, including Daryl Upsall (Daryl Upsall Consulting International & Daryl Upsall Associates) and Elsbeth de Ridder (Save the Children International).

The Starling Collective is aimed at helping grassroots leaders discover and share best practices for increasing generosity and driving systems change, and is designed to identify and support those leaders who are working to accelerate particularly innovative approaches to catalysing generosity, empathy, equity and justice. 

The programme will offer coaching, peer learning and connection to GivingTuesday’s global leader network, as well as microgrants, with GivingTuesday to distribute an initial $250,000 USD participants in the programme. 

It is open to organisations and individuals worldwide with priority consideration going to applicants in areas of greatest crisis or lowest resource and to those with particularly innovative ideas for inspiring generosity through projects or initiatives and with potential to scale.To manage the Starling Collective, GivingTuesday is expanding its team by adding global regional directors who will review and select applicants and also serve as mentors/coaches to participants.

Applications for GivingTuesday’s first cohort of the programme closed on 1 September with selected participants to be announced in early October.

The initial round of grants is expected to help at least 50 initiatives around the world, and to range between $2,500 and $7,500 USD. GivingTuesday also intends to offer additional cohorts of the Starling Collective in 2021.

“Generosity is a powerful form of civic participation and grassroots, community-based and community-led efforts will be key to creating lasting change,” said Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday. “GivingTuesday creates a shared space where those who engage with it can see, and work to co-create, the radical implications of a more generous world. We have an opportunity to create an inclusive, mutual learning network that drives grassroots generosity at a global scale. The Starling Collective will provide passionate leaders and movement builders with the tools to rapidly implement their ideas, and with the wisdom and support of one another.”

The Starling Collective is a development of GivingTuesday’s Starling Fund, which ran last year. This saw GivingTuesday distribute microgrants to 46 of its existing network of official community and country leaders to cover essential resources they needed to encourage and inspire givers, businesses, and NGOs in their regions for #GivingTuesdayNow. 

Karl Rohde-Naess, Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation

Karl Rohde-Næss, marketing manager at the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation and chair of the working committee, says:
“For face-to-face to be a success, it’s critical that the public is safe and feels safe. And the same applies to fundraisers too. So, this meant waiting for the right time to relaunch face-to-face and rethinking the way we do it.
 
“We waited until hairdressers were open again, on the assumption that if people were happy to get close enough for a haircut, then they would be more likely to feel comfortable about talking with fundraisers. Most fundraisers didn’t wear face masks or shields as there was no directive from the Government on this and we had worries that knocking on people’s door with a face covering could feel intimidating for the public, but many wear muffs that can be worn around the neck and pulled up when needed.
 
“One of the biggest challenges is for fundraisers to learn to keep their distance. Prospective supporters often step forward during the conversation into the ‘no-go zone’ and it can be difficult for fundraisers, who are used to working hard to engage the public in conversation, to discourage them. That’s where specific practice and training has been so important, helping them know how to handle it and what to say.”
 

Findings from the F2F trials
During the trials, which were conducted this May, one in every 8 conversations recruited a supporter, compared with one in 10 in 2019. Fundraisers reported that interactions in shopping centres and stands on the street were more likely to be positive than conversations held on the doorstep (79% vs 58%). While 12% of the public proactively commented on how good it was to see fundraisers back in action, only 3% made a negative remark.
 
While door-to-door fundraising had a higher sign-up rate ahead of the pandemic, now it is fundraising stands that are yielding stronger results. The tests saw one supporter recruited for every six conversations at a fundraising stand and one for 10 conversations on the doorstep.
 
Rohde-Næss adds:
“We were really surprised by the results; how responsive the public have been and how keen they were to talk.
 
“But the trials did pick up a level of fear among fundraisers that needed to be addressed. Every tenth fundraiser experienced some kind of concern during the process and we worked hard to identify what was the critical moment that made them feel that way. Mostly, it was the actual signing up process. So, we changed the methodology, offering a touch-free solution with software that enabled the donor to complete a declaration on their own mobile device and transmit it back to the fundraiser’s iPad. This helped fundraisers feel much more safe during the process.
 
“We also developed badges stating ‘We keep our distance’. This was a reassuring message to convey to the public, while also discouraging them from stepping forward. Regularly cleaning hands and equipment visibly in front of supporters also helped to reinforce the message.”
 
The national guidelines are now in place across Norway and the committee will continue to monitor feedback from the public as the F2F market opens more fully. Further findings are being presented at the Global F2F Fundraising Summit; a virtual event on 3 June, coordinated by the International F2F Congress Committee, Fundraising Association Austria and hosted by Fundraising Everywhere.
 
Related article: New quality standards for F2F fundraising in a socially distanced world

Launching today, 5^th May – the international day of giving #GivingTuesdayNOW, the new standards have been developed by members of Qualitätsinitiative Fördererwerbung, the Austrian initiative on quality in Face2Face Fundraising. A working group of nonprofits, face-to-face agencies and the Austrian Fundraising Association agreed these standards in a concerted drive to protect this ‘vital fundraising channel’.

Face-to-face practitioners across Austria – those who work on the street, doorstep and at public sites – have signed up to maintain the new standards, minimising contact with the public.

Bringing in new hygiene measures, the standards require regular hand washing, disinfecting of equipment and public sites, and protective face gear for all practitioners. Direct physical contact is to be avoided, with fundraisers keeping at least one metre away from the public. On the street, fundraisers should avoid approaching anyone who clearly falls into an ‘at risk’ group (aged 65+ or with an obvious health condition).

The standards limit the number of fundraisers according to the size of the site, advising that more spacious locations are chosen.

Fundraisers who have potential coronavirus symptoms such as a fever, cough, sore throat or flu-like respiratory symptoms must not work. If an infection is confirmed within a team, all team members must stop working and advise authorities.

Peter Steinmayer, head of “Qualitätsinitiative Fördererwerbung” and the First International Face2Face Fundraising Congress says:

“Face-to-face is a vital fundraising channel for charities in Austria, particularly when it comes to donor recruitment and it’s critical that we protect this income stream by adapting our practices to meet current health concerns.

“The new standards are a truly collaborative piece of work that reflects the commitment of practitioners, nonprofits and industry bodies alike.”

According to the Austrian Fundraising Association, more than 100,000 supporters are recruited as regular givers through face-to-face fundraising in Austria annually.

Related news: Free global summit launches to reignite F2F fundraising

All articles tagged ‘F2F‘ or ‘public fundraising‘

Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay

Face-to-face has had its highs and lows over the years. Why is the channel so important to Save the Children?

We carry out a wide range of fundraising activities: DRTV, digital, direct mail and more, but face-to-face is the largest part of our individual giving programme globally. We run face-to-face in 24 nations and within those markets it generates between 60-100% (varying by market) of our individual giving volume of new monthly regular givers.  

People see us on the street, at the door, in shopping centres. It’s a great way for us to build visibility and brand awareness whilst bringing in the majority of volume for new monthly regular givers. It gives us the opportunity to get out there and talk to potential supporters, answering their questions and helping to build trust. For some, it’s their first point of direct contact with the charity. And for those that have seen our campaigns online or on TV, it’s a strong secondary touchpoint, giving them the chance to talk it through before they donate.

We run large face-to-face operations in the US, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, South Korea, and Indonesia, but also in many other markets globally.  There are some subtleties in each of the markets, but the same principle applies across the board; successful face-to-face fundraising is all about connecting with quality donors.

Has the spread of the coronavirus (Covid19) had any impact on your face-to-face programmes?

The coronavirus has had an impact, leading us to temporarily and partially suspend parts of our activities in South Korea, Japan and Northern Italy. The safety of our staff and fundraising teams is our top priority. So, this has meant that we’ve spent quite a bit of time over the past couple of weeks looking at what it means for our staff within those areas and beyond.

It’s difficult to plan campaigns with the virus impacting some of our markets, but we’re doing what we can to diminish the impact by reducing the length of shifts, operating in smaller teams, and pulling out of large-scale events or private sites when we need to.

What’s critical is that we’re not working in isolation. There is a close and strong international face-to-face fundraising community that encompasses many of the most active INGOs in the field. Together, we discussed which markets have been most heavily affected and shared ideas for how best to handle the situation going forward.

This collaboration is so important, not only for responding to issues like this but for strengthening the market as a whole. Face to face has had a bad name in the past and we all know how important it is to protect this vital income stream. We have to fundraise well.

There has been a real shift across the sector in recent years, moving the focus on from volume to quality of donors. But F2F could still do better; with better channel management based on attrition data, and a focus on better quality of donors, combined with the large volume the channel brings in, as well as collaboration across the industry, we can improve the results of the channel.
 

What can the sector do to keep supporters on board?

Face-to-face is a channel that traditionally suffers from high attrition, and this is partly down to the nature of the channel, but also how charities and agencies manage those supporter relationships. There needs to be greater emphasis on finding the right donors at the point of sign up and to looking after them.

First of all, we need to recognise that this is the charity’s and agencies’ shared responsibility. We can’t just blame agencies when things go wrong. It’s also down to us to give them the right support and leadership from the start and to work hand in hand, making it clear that quality donors are what we’re looking for.

This means choosing the right partners, putting appropriate incentive schemes in place that reward the acquisition of donors that stay with the organisation and to work together toward acquiring long term, sustainable donors.

We need to recognise that it’s not always easy to achieve all this and the more we can work to understand and anticipate the challenges with face-to-face, to focus on quality recruitment and to support the agencies we work with and motivate their teams, the better results we’re likely to get.

Internal buy-in is critical in all this too and that starts at the very top. Senior leaders and board members need to realise the opportunities and full potential of the channel and fully support it. And, although this sounds obvious, an experienced face-to-face manager is key. They will understand the importance of looking at your data continually beyond the point of sign-up and exploring what is being done to engage and build the relationship.

What measures do you take at Save the Children to ensure the focus remains on attracting ‘quality’ donors?

Ultimately, we know what supporters we are looking for; we want those that are going to stay with us. Older donors will often ask more questions, asking about where their money goes and how it will be spent. But if they get the answers they are looking for, they stay with us and this is who we are looking for. So, we aim to put donor age and attrition into our performance targets and into our contracts with fundraisers, suppliers and agencies. We need them to understand how important this is to us.

It’s also really important to have fun with face-to-face. We run a Christmas campaign across all our global markets as a final burst of activity to get quality donors in. The campaign message might differ depending on the specific market, but it’s a great opportunity for all our teams to work together and to feel part of a truly international movement. We have a WhatsApp group and Facebook page, global KPIs set at the start and a global countdown, with weekly updates, all of which help to build excitement and we get some great feedback from our fundraisers and agency partners. What’s more, the fundraisers are really inspired by one another and we see the campaigns get more and more creative each year.

What do you think is next in store for face-to-face?

Face-to-face has had a bumpy ride over the years and our focus has to be on continuing to attract quality, sustainable donors that care about the cause, as well as thinking outside the box and being innovative. Working collaboratively with other charities and agency partners is vital if we are to continue to raise standards and build confidence in the channel.

Looking to the future, I would love to increase the potential of using face-to-face outreach in times of emergency. It is without doubt the quickest way to mobilise support, and there is opportunity for a more coordinated approach to raising funds for humanitarian aid in times of crisis. It’s an exciting time for face-to-face.

Elsbeth de Ridder will be presenting her insights at the International Face2Face Fundraising Congress in Vienna (17-19 November 2020). 

Elsbeth de Ridder

Born in Holland, Elsbeth de Ridder leads the global face-to-face fundraising programme for Save the Children International, supporting and advising F2F teams across 24 national markets. Currently based in Spain, she has led F2F fundraising programmes across the world, working with World Vision Australia to World Vision UK and, later, with Save the Children UK. Prior to joining the international development sector, she volunteered in South Africa and, before that, had a successful 10-year career as a Sales Director in commerce.

Face-to-face fundraising has changed rapidly since it first hit the streets of Vienna some 25+ years ago. There’s clearer guidance on ethical practices and great examples of integrated and innovative campaigns, but it’s undoubtedly getting more challenging too.

In some “mature” fundraising markets, it has become harder to recruit and retain professional fundraisers, and to speak with potential supporters, so charities are having to be even more creative in how they go about it. And, while in many emerging markets the channel is fast growing, there are some real challenges around the banking systems (particularly in the Global South).

What remains the same is the vital importance of recruiting committed donors. Face-to-face is one of the most successful ways for charities worldwide of attracting new supporters. But, if the sector is to continue to rely on this income stream, we need to face up to the current challenges and opportunities and work together across national boundaries to shape its future evolution.

The birth of face-to-face

Such challenges are nothing new for fundraising. In fact, it’s how face-to-face first came about.

 “We are becoming “Greypeace” not Greenpeace, Daryl. You have to do something about it!”

These were the words spoken to me by my boss, Dr Thilo Bode, executive director of Greenpeace International in the early 1990s when I was the charity’s international fundraising director tasked with turning the ailing environmental organisation’s financial fortunes around. Thilo had a point. Greenpeace was largely relying on its national offices in Germany and the Netherlands to pay its costs, they were entirely dependent upon direct mail for their income and the average age of their donors was over 65 years old. This was not sustainable.

Despite being pioneers of online fundraising, with www.greenpeace.org raising $50,000 USD per month in 1993, digital was not going to save us. Certainly, not when most adults at the time simply didn’t have access to the internet or have an email address.

Our Greenpeace colleagues, Gerald Kaufmann and Jasna Sonne, had a crazy, new fundraising idea of “Direct Dialogue” delivered on the street. They sought my approval and support for testing and then rolling it out. Thus, face-to-face fundraising was born in 1995 on the streets of Vienna, and not without the Church in Austria arguing that Greenpeace would robbing them of their Sunday donations. Face to face attracted its vocal critics, even then!

Driving a new era of regular giving

Face-to-face fundraising has become the biggest monthly donor acquisition tool in the world. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, not now and not when it began.

Did we make some epic mistakes at Greenpeace as we rapidly tested and rolled out face-to-face around the world? Of course! For example, we recruited donors that were too young and soon stopped paying; put new donors straight into the direct mail programme; never welcomed them to Greenpeace nor listened properly to what THEY were telling us; the phases “donor stewardship” and “donor journey” were not part of our language.

Additionally, we battled with banking and payment systems. I recall us meeting with the bank in New Zealand that Greenpeace had its account with and telling them that they either introduced direct debit or we would very publicly take our business elsewhere. In the land where the world famous Greenpeace flagship, the Rainbow Warrior was bombed and buried, they quickly conceded to our demands.

The need for cross-border dialogue

The power of human interaction remains the same in our need to inspire the public to give. So too does the challenge of motivating, stimulating and encouraging our face-to face fundraisers to engage, listen and activate new committed donors. 

Face-to-face has been the core driver of many charities’ regular donor acquisition programmes. And yet, many of the challenges, problems and issues we faced in creating those first F2F baby steps, remain with us today, and still need addressing. Around the world, we struggled with how to manage our relationships with the newly emerging F2F fundraising agencies and in response some of the bigger charities started to manage campaigns in-house, only to create a whole new set of internal management challenges and opportunities of their own.

Do some of these issues sound familiar as we head into 2020? And, as donor markets and technology continue to evolve, how can we make even better use of the channel?

Charities are continuing to develop increasingly innovative and integrated campaigns, many of which we’ll be showcasing at the first International Face-to-Face Fundraising Congress (#F2FCongress, 17-19 November 2020, Vienna). There has never been a greater need for cross-border discussions about the future of this powerful fundraising tool.

Let’s keep talking, listening and sharing and building a global community of the very best of face to face fundraising.

The European Fundraising Association is supporting the International Face-to-Face Congress (hosted by Fundraising Association Austria), encouraging global face-to-face leaders to participate in the event, sharing best practice, latest innovation, debating ethical issues and more.

The deadline for speaker submissions is 24^th January 2020. Early bird discounts are available until 31^st March. Find out more at: https://www.f2f-fundraising.com.

About Daryl Upsall

A pioneer of face-to-face fundraising, Daryl has over 35 years experience of successfully founding and managing fundraising, communications and advocacy operations for NGOs in over 50 countries. Formerly, the international fundraising director for Greenpeace International, he is chief executive of Daryl Upsall & Associates and Daryl Upsall Consulting International SL.

The programme, which covers both charities and fundraising agencies working in Direct Debit door-to-door, street, private site and telephone fundraising, works through 3 pillars. This includes a detailed self-assessment form (completed by the charity or agency), which assesses their compliance policies and processes, in-depth observations of their training programmes and a mystery shopping programme to check and feedback on whether these processes are being implemented on the front line.

The aim is to ensure that public fundraisers have the processes and tools in place to constantly improve how they ask the public to support good causes.

It builds on the IoF’s existing measures to support members in maintaining the highest standards.  From street fundraising Site Management Agreements, to the mystery shopping the IoF carries out on the street and at private sites, to the call-levelling system being introduced for telephone fundraising, the IoF is working closely with public fundraisers to continue to enable members to achieve excellent fundraising. A list of those agencies and charities that have completed the certification process has been published on the IoF website.

Speaking about the new programme, Peter Hills-Jones, director of compliance at the Institute of Fundraising said:

“It sends an important message that these IoF members are part of the recognised and respected certification programme. We would encourage any organisations operating outside this programme to step up and take part in the future.”

Sarah Atkinson, director of policy and communications at the Charity Commission, added:

“The public rightly expects charities to fundraise in a considerate and responsible way. I congratulate the charities and other organisations that, in achieving IoF certification, have demonstrated that they take high standards in fundraising seriously. Trustees of charities should ensure that their approach to soliciting donations is compliant with rules and agreed standards and reflects their charity’s values; our guidance on fundraising for trustees helps them get this right.”

With face-to-face fundraising being an important channel for the recruitment of regular donors for many Dutch charities, the group, led by charity trade association Goede Doelen Nederland, set up a pilot scheme to test agency compliance standards through a collective auditing approach.

An individual approach would have meant 51 separate audits. As a result of the collective approach, each of the 11 agencies, which are all used by one or more of the charities, was only audited once: a significant difference in terms of efficiency and cost.

Compliance specialist DMCC carried out the audits over a three-month period to test the agencies’ compliance with rules, regulation and quality agreements, and to gain insights and management information into their current compliance standards.

General insights gained from the auditing process will be shared with the 22 participating charities in an April session held by Goede Doelen Nederland. Each charity will also receive a customised report with the audit results of the agencies they work with.

“Hopefully this process, and the management information delivered will lead to more open dialogue between charities and their agencies, and to a joint effort towards achieving higher levels of quality and donor satisfaction,” said Gosse Bosma, director of Goede Doelen Nederland.