This improved dialogue will allow civil society organisations (CSOs) and donors to “exchange experience, identify funding gaps and better ensure complementarity of funding sources”, the strategy says.

In its press release announcing the new strategy, the Commission notes that its recent Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) “has proposed to significantly increase the financial support to CSOs”.

Fundraising Europe asked the Commission for clarity on how significantly that financial support would change. It was told: “The proposed indicative budget of the AgoraEU programme [€9bn] more than doubles the budget of the current financial support to media, culture, rights and values in the EU.”

The Strategy for Civil Society was launched at the same time as the European Democracy Shield, which the Commission describes as a “series of concrete measures to empower, protect, and promote strong and resilient democracies”.

Philanthropy body Philea said in a statement that it welcomes the new strategy, but that some aspects of the plan “remain vague”. Its statement says:

“We are particularly pleased to read that the Commission is planning measures to facilitate access to different funding sources, creating stronger links with private donors. The strategy reflects our asks put forward in the European Philanthropy Manifesto, which calls for stronger public–philanthropic dialogue and an enabling framework that supports foundations and cross-border giving.”

Legal and financial help

In addition to facilitating donor dialogue, the finance section of the strategy contains two further pledges from the commission:

• to work to connect communities of pro bono lawyers with CSOs
• to “explore the possibility of further expanding the use of financial support to third parties schemes across relevant EU funding programmes, where appropriate”

Alongside the financial section, the other two sections of the strategy focus on engagement with the sector through a new Civil Society Platform, to be established “by 2026”, and the creation of a new online “Knowledge Hub on Civic Space”.

The strategy also proposes 10 guiding principles for dialogue between the commission and civil society. Alongside transparency, inclusivity and others, these include resourcing – ensuring that organisations are not excluded from engagement due to limited resources.

The spokesperson also said that the strategy, available in English, would be published in other languages. A factsheet on the strategy is also available, summarising its key points into a one-page document.

Picture by NakNakNak on Pixabay

It argues that this strategy and other measures to support civil society, which faces “growing obstacles and attacks” would help to strengthen democracy.

Civil Society Europe’s new Civil Society State of the Union report includes a large number of recommendations for EU institutions, member states and other stakeholders, including some specific to funding or fundraising.

The report’s first recommendation is the creation of a strategy to “defend a safe and enabling environment for civil society”. This would include measures to protect and support civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights groups, as well as individuals working or volunteering for them. The EU should also change the methodology of its Rule of Law Reports in order to focus more clearly on threats to civil society, it says.

The report calls too for the creation of “permanent civil dialogue structures at the appropriate level in each relevant Member State and EU institution, including the European Council”. It says that CSOs taking part in such structures should “receive adequate support in terms of funding and resources to ensure their operational capacity to meaningfully participate in such dialogues”.

Fundraising measures

Recommendations in the report specifically relating to fundraising include:

• The importance of “involving civil society from the beginning in the design of funding policies and programmes”, through structured mechanisms for regular dialogue between civil society and donors
• The need to increase “the overall accessibility to funding, especially for small-size, grassroots and volunteer-run organisations, by simplifying administrative procedures and reducing the overall bureaucratic burden”. There is also a need to ensure more funding for core activities, alongside project funding
• A specific need for funding for CSOs to support citizens experiencing digital inclusion

The report also argues that the EU as a whole needs to change significantly, saying:

“The European project is at a point in its development where thorough reforms to the EU’s structures are necessary and urgent… We need an EU that is willing to evolve into a more comprehensible, transparent, accountable, and democratic community of people.”

Many years ago, I accompanied an administrative leader of a nonprofit organisation to a prospect meeting. Rather than discuss the important work the organisation was doing, and the positive impact it was making, he only talked about how the organisation needed money. For nearly an hour, he presented the budgetary gaps, the projects that were in the red, along with all the projects that would not be possible without support. This administrator viewed fundraising as a means to meet the organisation’s budgetary needs and not as a tool of empowerment.

That meeting has stayed with me over the years, and as I have gained more experience in raising money, from annual gifts to major gifts to legacies, I have learned that to attract and retain donors over the long term, a nonprofit must view its relationship to fundraising through the lens of its mission and not through the lens of its budget. A fundraising coach once said, “Money is not why donors help, it is how they help.” And I believe that donors must become partners with an organisation, not only seen as a source of funds.

Taking a different view

But first, what does this mean? When we as fundraisers present our organisation – whether through a project, a campaign, or communications materials – the message should always be that donors can help further our mission. Fundraisers must move beyond focusing only on money and move towards creating a relationship between the organisation and the donor.

I came across the statement that when a nonprofit starts out, it is truly focused on meeting its mission, and with time, this message becomes diluted through an overabundance of projects and seeking support for those projects. I would counter that the opposite is true, at least in my experience. I began my career in fundraising at a veritable institution that, like most organisations, began as a project, which was to raise money to build a hospital for Americans in Paris. This meant a one-time gift from donors to make the project a reality.

By the time I joined, the organisation’s mission evolved to “provide medical excellence.” In every project, every mailing, every newsletter, the capital campaign – the message always came back to its mission: providing medical excellence.

• By contributing to the annual fund, donors help acquire the latest medical equipment, thus contributing to the best medical care available.
• By giving to help build a new building, donors help provide the best environment of care, a key factor in improved medical outcomes.
• By supporting medical exchanges with doctors and nurses in the U.S., donors ensure that the team has the best medical training, impacting the quality-of-care donors and their families receive.

One reason for the hospital’s success is that donors believe that it is THEIR hospital— any investment would be returned to them in the form of excellent medical care. They were partners, resulting in the organisation’s extraordinary fundraising success, over the long-term. Its annual renewal rate is around 85%, with more than 4000 individual donors, mostly local.

Later, I joined a much younger organisation which began as musical ensemble and has since evolved to a foundation dedicated to protecting and promoting French cultural heritage, whether tangible (restoration & gardens) or intangible (music). When the project began over 40 years ago, like the hospital, its fundraising goal was very simple: raise money to cover the costs of concerts and tours.

Les Arts Florissants rehearsing at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris

The transition to mission-based fundraising

When transitioning to mission-based fundraising, we first developed a phrase for our annual fund brochure that encapsulated our mission: ‘Cultivate the spirit of baroque’, which touched upon music, gardens, education and visionary projects. We then implemented the broader goal of having ‘unrestricted donations’, especially for minor gifts.

Doing this not only helps an organisation remain agile, it also psychologically nudges donors to invest in the mission. Donor fatigue can result when a donor is asked to contribute, each year, to the same project, due to financial needs. Donors can think that the organisation is 1) not working to expand the number of donors and 2) that it is taking their support for granted. When donors begin to invest in the mission, however, rather than a specific project, it is much easier to ask them to give again next year. Because we can show them ALL that we have done, thanks to them.

I see in many organisations, even today, that any amount, even for the annual fund (unrestricted support by definition!) can be dedicated to a specific project, creating accounting difficulties and a lack of flexibility. To encourage unrestricted giving, we have set a minimum gift amount of €3000 that can be dedicated to one of four priority projects. Thanks to the implementation of online giving and several new campaigns, our number of donors has more than quadrupled in less than two years. Not a single gift received via our online platform has been restricted, and there have been no complaints.

Last year, we created our first publicly accessible annual report, presenting our mission on the very first page, followed by testimonies which introduced each section. The words and images of a musician, a craftsman, a teacher and a donor gave a human face to our various projects and reinforced donor connection to our organisation. The annual report was then used as a fundraising tool to request an additional (and unrestricted) donation from current donors. And it worked.

Donors already seem themselves as partners with our organisations. As we move from budget-based to mission-based fundraising, we will also begin seeing them as partners. Several weeks ago, I invited some of our donors to a concert rehearsal. One of them said to me “I feel like this organisation is my friend”. That sums up our goal: partnerships that lead to long-term, recurring support.

About Rebecca Allaigre

Rebecca Allaigre

Rebecca Allaigre, CFRE, is a senior fundraising executive with more than 20 years of experience across sectors, including education, health and culture. An American in Paris, Rebecca is committed to advancing philanthropy and to the continued professionalisation of fundraising. Rebecca is head of philanthropy at the Fondation Les Arts Florissants – William Christie, in France.

The rising cost of living is also likely to impact donation levels, meaning charity income would struggle to keep pace with inflation. In addition, the value of grants awarded recently is predicted to depreciate.

Already at 5.4%, UK inflation is predicted to peak at around 6% this April, and isn’t expected to return to the more usual level of 2% until 2024. The rise is being driven by the high cost of clothes, food and footwear.

According to a briefing by Pro Bono Economics, the vulnerable are likely to be the hardest hit by the rise in inflation with any rise in benefits not expected to match the rise in the cost of living. This is likely to drive up the demand for many charities’ services, while cultural charities such as museums are also likely to suffer as people have less disposable income to spend.

Jamie O’Halloran, Economist at Pro Bono Economics, said:

“Inflation in the UK is now at a 30-year high having soared to 5.4% in the year to December. The cost of food was the single largest contributor to inflation between November and December, rising by 0.18 percentage points.

“This is fuelling a cost of living crisis that will leave those on low incomes struggling to make ends meet and looking increasingly to foodbanks and other charities for support. The charities running these vital resources are set to be stretched further as demand for their services surges.”

A further notable pressure point will be staff salaries. To ensure wages keep up with inflation, charities would need to spend an additional £2bn in 2024 ­– an increase of almost 9% from 2021. It’s an increase Pro Bono Economics warns many charities are unlikely to be able to provide, which could mean higher staff churn and more difficulty in replacing those who leave.

Pro Bono Economics is recommending that charity boards and leadership teams factor higher than anticipated costs into any planning assumptions.

O’Halloran added:

“With inflation rising even faster than expected, fears are mounting in the charity sector as it wrestles with its own financial pressures brought on by the pandemic and exacerbated by inflation. As costs continue to rise, the overall income of charities will struggle to keep pace. It is estimated that a £100,000 donation made in 2021 will be worth £94,000 in 2023.

“Charity staff will also feel the strain of inflation as they face the prospect of their salaries reducing in real terms. This poses a risk of significant staff churn in the sector at exactly the same time as rocketing demand for frontline services.”

[Fundraising Europe] Charity fundraising has changed significantly in light of the pandemic, how has this influenced your work and the role of the association?

[Siri Nodland] The pandemic has prompted huge amounts of change in what we do and, despite the challenges, that’s been really positive for us. We’ve become so much more digital very quickly and that’s meant we could do more, running over 40 training courses in 2020 alone – far more than we have ever delivered before.

In many ways, 2020 has brought us closer to our members. We have had more regular dialogue and membership surveys, helping us deliver what they need from us, and that’s so important for us. We really see ourselves as a cooperative, set up by our members and working with them to develop guidance, training programmes, committees, peer support and whatever they need to help advance fundraising.

But the past year has also exposed a considerable challenge for the fundraising community; there is too little understanding by government about the sector’s need for funds. The Norwegian Government takes real pride in what the country’s NGOs and charities do, and yet they allocated no funding to help the sector survive the loss of income during the pandemic. The only exception has been health charities and sports organisations. We’re also lacking specific legislation for fundraising in Norway, beyond our own best practice standards and the Norwegian Control Committee, which runs what is in effect a blacklist for fundraising organisations that fail to uphold those standards.

You’ve recently announced a new strategy and brand name for the Norwegian fundraising association. How will this help you to address these challenges?

Our new strategy still very much focuses on delivering hands on support to meet members’ needs – building fundraising competence, developing insight and interaction – but there’s now an increased emphasis on lobbying. Going forward, we’re working to build closer relationships with decision-makers in government. We aim to deepen understanding of how charities work and what actions government can take to better support the sector.

As part of this shift, this Autumn we’ll be changing our name from Norges Innsamlingsråd (which translates as the Norwegian Collection Council) to Fundraising Norway. This will convey that we are the professional body for fundraising, and also that fundraising is about far more than just collecting money. It’s a growing profession and a vital bank of knowledge for charities that enables social change.

Of course, we can’t do all this alone. Collaboration will always be really important to us. We’re currently setting up partnerships with two universities to develop professional qualifications for fundraisers in Norway (a Bachelor’s and Master’s course). We’re also working with the creative arts industries, sharing insight with them about building loyal supporter groups.

Thinking back over the past couple of years, what have been the most prominent changes for fundraising then and now?

Certainly, digital fundraising has become even more important to our members, but so too has direct mail and telemarketing, with charities increasing their focus on existing donors and wanting to maintain those relationships.

We were really concerned as to how face-to-face fundraising would emerge from the pandemic – it plays such a crucial role in donor recruitment here in Norway. But there was such an appetite from our members to ensure that the channel was re-introduced safely and it’s actually come back far stronger. Our members set up a committee, led by our vice chair, and agreed some new principles for how to work in face-to-face during the pandemic, and that’s been transformational!

The group continues to meet regularly, tracking the response from the public and sharing insights. There have only been two complaints about face-to-face in all that time and they’ve been handled really well. Now we’re looking at what other areas of fundraising might benefit from this approach.

What are the biggest challenges now as the sector strives to build back?

Many charities are facing a shortage of funds. They’ve had to cut back on budget and staff, and it will be incredibly difficult for them to afford to maintain the level of work they have done in the past. Plus, there are concerns about donor fatigue. At the same time, the public is used to a certain degree of deliverance from us. We have a welfare state that relies on both government and the voluntary sector, but after one to two years of the pandemic, there is bound to be a slight decrease in what the sector can deliver. There is some recovering to do and we just don’t know how much this will impact the Norwegian society just yet.

The past year has shown how well we can work in a crisis. We are a sector that identifies a problem, comes up with a solution and finds a way to fund it. That’s something that we are really proud of. The challenge now is to ensure that government truly understands our role and how important fundraising is. That includes marrying up our work to the UN Sustainability Goals so that we are invited to participate in relevant discussions, which extend far beyond environmental issues.

It’s an exciting and challenging time for fundraising in Norway. Ultimately, we’re here to help support our members adapt. In a fast-changing landscape, it’s all the more important that we continue to listen to what they need, learn and evolve.

About Siri Nodland

Siri is Secretary General of Norges Innsamlingsråd and a board member of the European Fundraising Association.

Returning to our desks this New Year, there seems to be a distinct lull in the air; one that comes from the knowledge that we are far from free of the pandemic that prevailed during 2020.

If anything, despite the start of many national vaccine programmes, the situation seems to have worsened with the emergence of a new more contagious variant of Covid-19, death rates rising once more and strict social distancing measures firmly in place in many European nations.

Undoubtedly, it’s an extremely tough time to be in fundraising, with limitations on income generation and service delivery channels, the shift to manage teams of homeworkers and – in many cases – heavily reduced budgets and team capacity. And yet, the past year has given the nonprofit sector considerable and valuable experience of fundraising in this ‘new normal’.

What does this tell us about what lies in store for fundraising in 2021? We asked seven fundraising experts across Europe for their views and a number of common threads emerged:

Digital will remain centre stage – In a pandemic environment with limited social distance, it’s little surprise that expectations are for digital fundraising to remain centre stage, with growth in online donations, the delivery of virtual events, and better information tracking around supporters’ needs, interests and wants. Nonprofits will need to be agile, continuing to review, adapt and innovate to meet the changing needs of supporters and beneficiaries alike.

But digital cannot replace traditional channels or personal contact – It’s clear that digital channels are not expected to replace offline fundraising and supporter engagement activity. The challenge will be for nonprofits to make the best of both worlds; ensuring that online tools can be used to enhance and complement the personal contact that is so effective in traditional fundraising.

Authentic relationship fundraising is key – Now more than ever, the focus lies with building relationships with supporters and doing so in a way that is authentic to the organisation; in keeping with its values. The public continues to donate generously, despite the fact that many are facing their own financial challenges and fundraisers recognise the need to strengthen donor retention and engagement strategies. And while corporate giving is expected to drop in many markets this year, new ways of working with corporate partners, funders and volunteers are likely to emerge.

Creative fundraising will be all the more valued – Charities demonstrated in 2020 just how inventive and creative they can be, rising to the challenge of engaging supporters and articulating the needs of beneficiaries in a Covid world. It is anticipated that this creativity will continue to be all the more valued by supporters as they face lengthy periods of monotony in lockdown.

Fundraising experts’ viewpoints

Ijla De Coster, Fundraisers Alliance Belgium

Ilja De Coster, senior fundraising & data strategist and vice-president of the Fundraisers Alliance Belgium, questions whether fundraisers will act on and embed learnings from the pandemic in their programmes, bolstering reserves and building donor retention or whether we’ll see a return to old ways.

Predicting the future was never so hard. It can go in two directions. The optimist in me anticipates that fundraisers did learn from the crisis, did fine tune their fundraising techniques, strengthen their financial reserves to cover future crises and will from now on really focus on donor relations and retention. The pessimist in me predicts a return to business as usual, nothing learned and keeping the same old human arrogance of untouchability. Just waiting till the next crisis will hit us again.

My main hope, after this period with a lack of real human interaction, is we will not just simplistically fully embrace online as a surrogate, but will find a clever combo of online and offline, re-emphasising the value of real human contact in fundraising.

Siri Nodland, secretary general of the Norwegian Fundraising Association, anticipates that people will become even more charitable and fundraisers will look to make even better use of digital tools to strengthen supporter relationships, but that corporate giving will suffer.

Siri Nodland, Norwegian Fundraising Association

When the pandemic started, we worried about how the donors would react: Would they have the capacity to care for others than their closest family and friends? Would their personal economic loss prevent them from donating as before?

Fundraising throughout Europe varies, but the signals we have been getting from our colleagues are unanimous; we are all willing to help the most needy during a global pandemic.

Fundraising in 2021 will undoubtably continue on the path we have seen in 2020. People have become more charitable and caring. Fundraisers will use digital tools, and together we will demand that we are given donor data so we can say thank you and follow up with information about how the donation is put to use.

If the economy continues to be affected by the pandemic, we will see a drop in corporate donations and sponsorships. We do however, strongly believe that private donors will engage and even increase their donations.

Foundations will continue their funding of the voluntary sector, but we must engage more closely with them so that their programmes coincide better with our own and our need for funding.

Simona Biancu, vice president of the Italian Fundraising Association (ASSIF) emphasises the importance of continuing the growth of digital fundraising tools, normalising newer forms of giving, and of managing donor relationships ‘authentically.’

Simona Biancu, ASSIF

2020 saw a significant change in the Italian fundraising industry: the growth of digital fundraising together with a solid increase of spontaneous forms of giving from people both in response to Covid-19 first but also to support further, non-emergency causes.

In light of continued uncertainty in 2021, the opportunity of developing new technologies and normalising digital fundraising tools will be, in our opinion, among the most important trends that will mark the year that has just begun.

Italian nonprofit organisations have increasingly seen that investing in donor care, even through digital vehicles, really can pay off in the long term and is a true strategic and structural tool.

The growth and direction of Italian fundraising will rely on these two elements: investment in digital fundraising as an important, but additional method of fundraising – rather than an alternative to traditional methods and, last but not least, managing donor relationships authentically and with great care, not just at the time of giving.

Fernando Morón, Spanish Fundraising Association (AEFr)

Fernando Morón, managing director of the Spanish Fundraising Association (AEFr), cites the importance of continued innovation with digital, finding new ways to appeal to supporters and captivate them with the cause.

The fundraising sector in Spain faces various challenges in 2021, beyond knowing what the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will be.

Spanish organisations know very well the virtues of regular giving, which allow them to achieve economic sustainability in the medium term, but it is a model that grows more slowly each year.

It will be necessary to bet on innovation; to appeal to new supporters interested in our causes and organisations and that means finding new ways of relating to citizens, new models of corporate partnership, new ways for the public to collaborate with nonprofits and new ways of communicating with society, both in terms of channel and messaging.

And in all these challenges, digital channels are going to play an essential role. For this, it is necessary to define clear digital fundraising strategies, to develop standardised success measures, to know not only which tool to use, but how to integrate digitalisation at all levels of the organisation, within and beyond fundraising.

But traditional channels remain hugely important and we have to be aware that digital fundraising will co-exist with offline fundraising for many, many years to come.

Liz Hughes, CEO of Charities Institute Ireland (Cii), also highlights the need for nonprofits to innovate and adapt, offering virtual events and creative campaigns to counteract the confines of lockdown. But she also underlines the importance of not limiting the field to digital, continuing to hone other skillsets to build engagement with supporters, funders and corporate partners.

Liz Hughes, Charities Institute Ireland

During such a challenging period of uncertainty, adaptability and agility are key and Irish charities are responding to the current fundraising crisis by diversifying their fundraising strategies and ensuring that they are not overly reliant on one form of fundraising over another.

The significant and necessary shift to digital platforms has had a positive impact on changing donors’ perceptions of giving through this channel. While charities look forward to the safe return of face-to-face events, many charities adapted quickly and indeed successfully to the new online world, a digital presence is central to any future fundraising strategy. We envisage that virtual events will take centre stage during 2021 with donors keen to see creative, interesting and new forms of fundraising to ease the monotony of lockdowns and social distancing.

Members of Cii have also been sharing successes and disappointments through the frequent heads of fundraising huddles during 2020. Charities in Ireland have seen an increased pool of grants available to them so grant writing is a skill that will be in demand now and into the future. Most fundraisers agree that monthly donors are by far the most valuable. Many of our members that do not have an established regular giving programme see 2021 as a good time to start.

While digital fundraising will take centre stage in 2021, charities can take this time to hone other skills such as grant writing, legacy giving, storytelling, virtual volunteering opportunities, developing their brand and engaging with their corporate partners in a more meaningful purpose-driven way.

Pia Tornikoski, secretary general of Finnish fundraising association (VaLa), predicts that nonprofits will find new ways of working with volunteers for fundraising, engaging their support as ambassadors on social media channels.

Pia Tornikoski, VaLa (Finnish Fundraising Association)

The COVID period has been hugely challenging for fundraising and that’s likely to remain the case for much of 2021. Many fundraising events are cancelled and nonprofits are seeing heavy losses of admission sales and revenue from raffles in Finland. There’s been major leaps in digital fundraising and during Christmas some of the traditional collections and campaigns have been more successful than previous years.

The growth of digital fundraising is certain to continue throughout 2021, but I’m also expecting to see continued innovation around the way that charities work with volunteers for fundraising.

Without the ability to attend meetings in person, we are having to develop different ways in which volunteers can support income generation, such as serving as the organisation’s ambassadors and messengers on social media. We need to continue to develop new ways of engaging and working with volunteers.

Günther Lutschinger, CEO of Fundraising Verband Austria, expects that face-to-face fundraising will be difficult to carry out in the first half of the year, but that it will return as a vital supporter recruitment channel before too long. Meanwhile, he foresees continued growth in online tools and legacy fundraising, with solidarity at its height.

Günther Lutschinger, Fundraising Verband Austria

The need for fundraising in the sector will continue to increase, with cultural and scientific organisations, becoming even more relevant (particularly for major donors).

Public fundraising will remain difficult in the first half of the year, but it will remain an important way of recruiting supporters and in the second half of the year we hope to see it become the norm once more.

Online tools continue to grow strongly and virtual events will become more widely established. They are likely to continue to play a role in the long term, and we expect growth from legacy fundraising. It will be a difficult year for corporate fundraisers as cuts are expected in the economy. Direct mail and telephone remain stable in the market.

The amount donated will continue to increase in 2021, as the need for charities and their work has become all the more clear. Despite the sense of growing dissatisfaction in society, solidarity remains high. And that is good news for fundraisers and charities alike.

Summary

Without doubt, 2020 has left a heavy mark on nonprofits. The sector is irrevocably changed, with many charitable organisations not having been able to survive and others in desperate need for funds. 2021 will continue to challenge the sector’s resilience and likely require immense agility and flexibility for fundraising. And yet, it comes with the hindsight and experience of living many months of uncertainty during a global pandemic. It has brought about a renewed sense of unity and commitment across the sector..

Despite the diverse array of nations and cultures in Europe, the sector feels a step closer, more collaborative than in the past. And 2021 brings new hope that both the public’s charitable spirit and the sector’s drive to adapt and survive will not only overcome adversity, but will see creativity and innovation flourish.

Image credit: Photo by Hannah Jacobson on Unsplash

With social distancing restrictions on the rise in many parts of Europe amid the second wave of the pandemic, strategic planning for fundraising is exceptionally challenging. GDP is predicted to fall across the European Union by around 7.4% during 2020. People, businesses, entire industries and governments alike have taken a heavy financial hit, reducing the propensity to donate, while simultaneously driving up the need for charitable services and support. And many charities are faced with the double-edged sword of needing to increase fundraised income while having to cut back on staff and resources.

In the past few months, charity fundraising has transformed. Some of the most stable and seemingly reliable income streams like events and community activities were wiped off the table and remain out of reach even now. Meanwhile, the shift to digital has been massively accelerated, with fundraisers increasingly making use of the telephone, Zoom, WhatsApp and other messaging platforms to interact with supporters. 

In light of this continued uncertainty, we asked fundraising experts across Europe what changes they are making to their strategy and how they believe charities can strengthen their resilience in a pandemic world.

During these conversations, several common themes emerged, including the importance of being supporter-centric, moving away from a more transactional approach to fundraising, of building supporter relationships based on genuine shared values, and of having the willingness and confidence to flex and innovate in such a fast-changing world.

Building values-based supporter relationships

For the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted, 2020 has been a year of growth, seeing a 150% increase in direct mail donations during March and April.

At a time when people with visual impairments were facing a new set of challenges; the inability to rely on the sense of touch to feel their way around the world and fear about physically bumping into others, the charity redoubled its focus on supporting beneficiaries and communicating these new challenges to supporters.

Leif Wien Jensen, Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted

Fundraising director Leif Wien Jensen says: “We sent emails and letters to supporters solely to explain how glad we are to have “friends like you” to help us through this crisis. We explained the situation for the most vulnerable beneficiaries, particularly elderly people who have newly lost their eyesight and have not yet been trained to cope with it.

“Although, we made a conscious decision not to ask for money in these letters, our supporters were hugely responsive. They sent through much bigger donations than we ever would have expected. And when we called to thank them, they gave even more.”

The charity’s direct mail campaign more than doubled its fundraising target. Follow up calls converted supporters to become regular givers, with callers reporting that this was the most positive campaign response they’d experienced. The total funds raised through all fundraising channels in March and April generated a profit of over EUR 2 million, a 25% increase from 2019.

“The telephone became an essential part of our service provision, but it was also a great channel for supporter communications.”

Asked why the charity has been so successful in generating income this year and what lessons he had to share, Jensen says:

“We haven’t really changed our fundraising strategy, but the pandemic has reinforced the importance of having a values-based supporter model; a relationship that is built on a shared set of values, where we constantly review how best we can meet our supporters’ needs.

 “Just like relationships in our private life, people want to know that we really care. You don’t just call your friend to ask for money. You talk. You share information about the things you care about and you develop the relationship based on understanding and trust.

“By all means, tell them what the need is, but not in every conversation or every channel. A healthy supporter relationship will be built on shared values, and that is a stable basis for fundraising, no matter what the environment.”

Strengthening the case for supporter centricity

Professor Adrian Sargeant, co-director at the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy, agrees, emphasising the importance of supporter care over and above the financial plan, saying: “Supporter-centricity is what’s vital. If charities get that part right, the money will usually follow.”

But he warns that charities can have too narrow a sense of what being supporter-focused means for them and their fundraising. “Just using ‘you’ instead of ‘we’ in fundraising appeals isn’t enough. We need to understand supporters as individuals, knowing who they are and what we can offer them to help them feel good. This is what needs to be behind future fundraising strategy.”

Professor Adrian Sargeant, Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy

Sargeant explains: “During Covid, some organisations cut back on their fundraising and communications because they were trying to be respectful. They didn’t want to trouble supporters, assuming it would be an imposition. But at that time, supporters were feeling lonely, isolated and scared. They had an even greater need to connect; to feel part of something.

“What we found in our research was that by giving and thinking about their role as a supporter, it can help to lift that negativity and to empower supporters. The closer the supporter relationship and sense of belonging, the better supporters feel and the more they want to give back. By cutting back on communication, charities can actually rob people of something they need quite desperately.”

Sargeant adds that charities will have to think carefully about their fundraising portfolio for the months and years ahead, balancing likely returns against risk. And, drawing from the Institute’s latest study, Development Plans and Fundraising Performance, he highlights the need for charities to explore whether their organisation has a genuine philanthropic culture at its core:

“Donor-centricity is part of a philanthropic culture, but so too is board support and respect for fundraising as a profession, which is still sadly lacking in many organisations. Much more needs to be done to celebrate fundraisers’ achievements and to engage the whole organisation in inspiring and supporting philanthropy.”

Being flexible within a fast-changing environment

During the height of the pandemic this Spring, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam had to close its doors to the public for several weeks and, since then, visitor numbers have been restricted in line with government guidelines. As an organisation that relies heavily on ticket sales and purchases from visitors as its primary source of funding (generating 70% of the organisation’s annual income), flexibility has been critical.

Geer Oskam, the museum’s head of development, says: “Every week brings a new reality and it’s important that we have the ability to move swiftly, adapting to the changing environment. That means being flexible in thinking about how we can engage with supporters and develop our funding streams.” 

Having invested in development over the past decade, a successful major gifts and corporate partnerships programme gave the museum some protection – a ‘buffer’ against the financial impact of the reduction in visitors.

Geer Oskam, Van Gogh Museum

“What was a very dependable income stream, was suddenly under threat. We quickly decided that the first thing we should do was to protect our supporter base, looking after the donors that we already have relationships with; individuals, major givers and corporate partners. We expanded our online programmes to ensure that we could stay in touch, offered webinars, ask the curator sessions and sent WhatsApp videos, delivering messages from Willem Van Gogh – the artist’s descendant and an advisor to our board.

“Then we explored other opportunities for raising more funds. We added a donation facility to our online advance ticket booking system. That has been hugely successful, seeing a 50% increase in the amount donated to the museum online.

 “We also made a corona gift table, which helped us to articulate what the projected funding losses would mean for us, which exhibits would have to be cut, the threat to our research programme and the organisation more widely. Our supporters trust us and this helped them understand what our needs really are – not just in terms of one project, but for the whole organisation.”

Asked what his recommendations are for building a more resilient and sustainable future funding base, Oskam emphasised the need for agility in responding to change, to diversify income streams and reduce dependency on singular funding sources and to make it as easy as possible for the public to give. 

“It was a simple step for us to add on the option of donating when people bought a ticket for the museum. When you consider that 96% of people give because they are asked, it’s all the more important that we do ask, and that we find new ways for supporters to help us.

Innovating to find new ways of engaging supporters

Koen Maertens*, a trained clinical psychologist and managing director of Oscare – the Belgian care and research centre for burns and scars, describes fundraising as a crucial part of his role and that of every employee and volunteer at the centre. He stresses the importance of a 360° approach to fundraising, seeking the right ‘cocktail’ of channels and resources for each audience and purpose. 

Koen Maertens, Oscare

Oscare invests in a diverse range of income streams, including major giving and bequests, grants, private fundraising and partnerships, training courses and conferences, research and sponsorship.

“You have to put in a lot of effort and have a lot of knowledge in all those different fields, but that diversity is important; it makes us more resistant to dealing with crises,” Koen says. “We can’t afford to stand still. We have to keep innovating, finding new ways to tell our story.”

When the trend arose for escape rooms, Oscare launched a mobile Fire Escape Room as a fun way to introduce people to serious questions around fire safety and to experience what it feels like to be surrounded by smoke. And, more recently, the centre developed the Daily Jan Show – an online show featuring a burns patient, seeking to build solidarity and respect among viewers. Ticket sales for the show also proved to be another valuable source of income.

Maertens says: “This year, we’ve had to cancel a lot of activities due to the corona crisis, but we’ve developed more and more virtual alternatives. Innovation isn’t easy – in the main, it means testing, failing, fine-tuning and re-testing, and it needs the right moment to introduce into your market (or audience) – but we keep going until we find the model that really works for us and our supporters.”

“Surely, agility and the ability to innovate will only become more important in this world of uncertainty and change.”

*A fuller interview with Koen Maertens of Oscare is published (in Dutch) through Fundraisers Alliance Belgium here.

Building on fundraising strengths from the pandemic environment

Commenting on the ‘catastrophic’ impact of the pandemic on fundraising for Irish nonprofits, fundraising and nonprofit consultant, Kevin Delaney of Academy Street Workshop, says:

“There’s a huge amount of anxiety for fundraisers throughout the country who have been left trying to map a route through a tragedy with no way of knowing when a ‘normal’ world might return or what the landscape will be like when that happens. However, I’ve been amazed by the sector’s resilience and innovation during this difficult time.”

 He highlighted that, although the losses from events and community activities in particular were significant, fundraisers had been quick to pivot online, exploring how much of the activity they had planned for the real world could be pushed to the virtual real. Online events, digital fundraising and direct mail had all performed well throughout the crisis, meaning that larger organisations with a reasonable spread of fundraising channels were able to cover some if not all of their losses. The Irish government’s charity rescue package also helped to protect services and jobs.

Kevin Delaney, Academy Street Workshop

“We got through the summer and now, in many ways, comes the hardest part,” says Delaney.

“We can’t expect a continued surge in online fundraising – although it probably won’t drop down to pre 2020 levels either. Similarly, the response to charity mail will likely fall back in line with more typical response rates.”

When it comes to fundraising planning, Delaney recommends that each organisation needs to analyse what worked well for them in 2019 and 2020, and the reasons why, identifying where they may be able to build on their strengths or diversify their funding streams.

He says: “While large scale outdoor events are unlikely to feature in the next year or so, many events can be adapted to work well for smaller groups and provide much needed relief to supporters, giving them an incentive to get outside, to exercise and have fun.

“Organisations with particularly strong corporate partnerships can look at where they can provide mutual support to one another while staff are working from home and marketing budgets are cut.”

He highlights the importance of taking a long-term view, concluding: “Our organisations were founded to take on some of the greatest challenges facing humanity – global warming, poverty, disease. Covid19 is a huge obstacle making it all the more difficult for us to care for those whom we serve, but we need to remain focussed, driven and dedicated to the world we want to see, reminding donors that we are in this for the long haul and that we still need them to join us on the journey.”

Related feature:

Market spotlight: How the Spanish fundraising market is changing

Photo credit: Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash

This year’s Legacy Strategy Summit 2020 (#LSS20) is going digital, taking place on 11 November 2020. The event will provide insight into the current trends in legacy giving and explore the new landscape of legacy fundraising in the post-Covid era. 

EFA is partnering with event organiser Wilmington Charities to offer EFA members and Fundraising Europe readers a 15% discount on tickets for the online event.*

Attendees will have access to real-time presentations and peer interactions, panel discussions and audience polls. Delegates will also benefit from exclusive access to a wide range of on-demand materials and resources designed to support fundraisers at all stages of their legacy fundraising strategy.

Speakers include a range of international and UK legacy experts, such as Laurie Fox, MBE (Will Power Campaign – Canada), Richard Radcliffe (Radcliffe Consulting), Marina Jones (Royal Opera House), Viet-Anh Hua, (London School of Economics), Sanita Guddu, (Royal Voluntary  Service), Lee Grant (Cancer Research UK) and more.

To secure your discounted place at the Legacy Strategy Summit, register here.  

*Please note, the 15% discount will only be applicable on the single full rate pass, not the multi-pass. Further information is available from the event organisers.