Called the Global Community, the platform was developed on the Hivebrite community management system, and can be accessed via desktop or a mobile app.

It is initially available solely to delegates who attended IFC 2024, but will be opened up to the wider community in early 2025.

Global Community includes a range of content and interactive groups, covering topics including crisis and emergency fundraising; leveraging digital mobilisation for campaigns; ethical fundraising; innovative fundraising and more.

The platform is available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese – and Resource Alliance says that the range of languages is due to expand as the community grows.

Nearly 400 members have signed up so far, according to the platform’s website, of whom around half are based in Europe.

Farkhanda Zahoor, global community manager at Resource Alliance, explains:

“The platform was created in response to a need we’ve observed across the sector: a collaborative, cross-border community where changemakers can share insights, find support, and co-create solutions to some of the sector’s most pressing challenges.”

Collaboration and community was a key focus for IFC 2024. Earlier this year, announcing the event’s programme of masterclasses, Resource Alliance stressed the importance of “applying community-centric principles in our work”.

Ruby Chadwick, the organisation’s director of programmes, said at the time:

 “As our world becomes more interconnected, it’s becoming more and more clear that our challenges – and our causes – are, too. The only way to rise up against those challenges, in our lives and in our work, is to harness our collective power and come together to ignite a movement that transcends borders.”

Payment or ‘digital’ wallets have shot up in popularity across Europe, especially since the onset of the pandemic and the growing preference to avoid cash payments. In fact, according to one report they accounted for just over 7% of point-of-sale payments in 2020. While that may still sound small, year-on-year it was a 63% rise.

With contactless payment limits also increasing across Europe, it’s a phenomenon the charity sector should not ignore. As people increasingly choose to pay using digital wallets and contactless means, donations via these methods will of course increase too. In the UK alone our own research shows that Apple Pay donations increased last year by 60% compared to 2020, while in Sweden a study by Novus showed that 53% of people donating in 2020 did so via Swedish mobile payment method Swish.

Data & security benefits

Offering these as donation options then will become increasingly necessary for nonprofits as adoption continues to grow. But there are further benefits too, specifically in terms of data and security.

By the time a donor is ready to hit submit with an online donation, they may have already been asked to answer multiple questions. Address details for example, can be mandatory to protect against fraud – and charities that try to remove that element of friction often face higher rates of fraud or declined payments. This is particularly the case where fraudsters deliberately use charity websites to test stolen card details.

Payment wallets help to reduce this lengthy ‘paperwork’, reducing the friction involved in giving, whilst still complying with GDPR and remaining secure. Not only can they authenticate and supply the donor’s details on the donor’s behalf but they also act as intermediaries between the donation site and the bank processes, and are able to detect what options the user or the country can support.

PayPal is probably the best-known example of this. Charity sites that integrate with the platform receive their funds through it and generally need not know how it receives them from the donor. PayPal in turn can supply the charity with the donor’s name and address details, removing the need for the charity to ask for this information themselves.

24-hour fundraising

The use of QR codes – accessible to anyone with a smartphone – is also growing throughout Europe, with just over half of internet users in Switzerland and Spain using them in 2021.

Another low-cost addition to the fundraising toolkit, they are an incredibly effective marketing medium to use through many channels; on donor boxes / buckets at events, shop-window posters, door-drops and even tv adverts. And, complete with attribution IDs and potentially pre-filled user data, they once again simplify the journey for the donor, getting them directly to the point of donation without any form filling.

One good example is The Royal British Legion in the UK, who in 2020 implemented their use on posters, collection boxes and direct mail. The QR code linked directly to their platform, and overall the Legion received 20x the number of online donations compared to the previous year.

In summary

Friction when donating is one of the key problems for charities and the use of digital wallets is more than likely to increase as cash use falls. Donation sites that accept them not only remove a lot of that friction, so helping to streamline the giving journey and remove donor fatigue, but will future proof themselves as cashless donation preferences develop. QR codes are also increasingly becoming an integral part of the fundraising toolkit, providing a one step approach to giving that also simplifies the process for donors.

Vicky Reeves, WPNC Digital

About Vicky Reeves

Vicky is managing director of goDonate and WPNC Digital and works with charities to create digital experiences and digital fundraising products. She works across digital from website and mobile applications, voice technology and digital marketing. She also pioneered next generation donation platform goDonate, which handles the online donations for many charities across Europe such as NSPCC, YMCA and The Royal British Legion.

The 2021 Global NGO Technology Survey also found that 60% are engaged in online fundraising with a further 15% saying they planned to do so soon. Over a third of European nonprofits said they used Facebook charitable giving tools, with Facebook Page fundraisers created by supporter, and Donate buttons on nonprofits’ pages and posts raising the most. However, little over 1 in 10 use Instagram charitable giving tools – many of those surveyed were unaware of this functionality on Instagram, while others said the tools were not available in their country.

In terms of tracking, 4 in 10 European nonprofits are currently using UTM codes to monitor website traffic from social media, compared with 2 in 10 globally.

Global trends

According to the global survey, 87% of nonprofits worldwide use social media with Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter being the top three platforms used.

The vast majority (97%) use Facebook Pages – up from 84% in the 2019 study. Overall, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are the most popular channels, although almost half of respondents also use LinkedIn, and YouTube. Most have also seen significant increases in use since 2019, particularly Instagram and Twitter. TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitch however are the least commonly used social media channels.

Only one channel has seen a decrease in use since 2019 however: WhatsApp. 16% of the nonprofits worldwide using social media said they used it last year – falling from 28%.

Just over half of nonprofits globally are spending on social media advertising. In 2021 46% increased their budget, while 38% said it had stayed the same as their 2020 budget, and 16% had seen it decrease. Again, Facebook Pages is the most popular channel for these ads, with 98% of that spend on social media advertising using it. 47% advertise on Instagram, 17% on Twitter, and 16% on LinkedIn. Few spend on the other channels.

While social media use is rising, there is a downside identified by the study. Over half (52%) of nonprofit staff responsible for managing their nonprofit’s social media accounts said they have experienced social media burnout within the last year.

A survey of 1,160 nonprofits worldwide, the 2021 Global NGO Technology Survey includes 194 nonprofits in Europe. A quarter of these (24%) were based in the UK with the next biggest percentage 8% in Germany, and 7% in Switzerland, then Italy, Belgium and Netherlands (all 6%), Romania at 5%, and France and Ireland at 4% each. ‘All others’ accounted for 30%.

The data from the survey has been released as part of the Open Data Project.

Picture by Fancycrave1 on Pixabay

Currently available in Germany, Italy, France, and the UK, as well as in the US, Donation Stickers are clickable donation buttons that can be embedded directly in videos and TikTok LIVEs, in the same way as other stickers available on the platform.

When a user clicks the Donation Sticker, they are guided to a window where they can submit a donation without having to leave the app. Donation Stickers are enabled in-app by fundraising platform Tiltify, and only users 18+ are able to donate.

Globally, TikTok will also be matching users donations made through Donations Stickers until 27 May 2020. Users will be able to track donations in-app, seeing the biggest contributors and top video and TikTok LIVE contributions that have driven fundraising efforts.

Rich Waterworth, TikTok General Manager UK said:

“In times of crisis, charities play an even greater role in protecting our most vulnerable communities. Our community on TikTok surprises us every day with their creative, uplifting spirit through this crisis and we hope they’ll join us in helping those in need.”

Paul Amadi, Chief Supporter Officer at the British Red Cross, added:

“From handwashing dance moves to showcasing our people working on the frontline, the British Red Cross has been using the TikTok platform to lift the nation’s spirits and share vital information about the virus. Teaming up with TikTok will help us continue putting kindness into action.”

Now in its fourth edition, the biannual report is sponsored by Funraise and produced by Nonprofit Tech for Good. It provides technology benchmarks for six regions: Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Latin American and the Caribbean, and the United States and Canada, and reveals how organisations worldwide are using web and email communications, online fundraising, social media, productivity software, and emerging technologies.

In 2019, 5,721 organisations from 160 countries took part, and the top five European countries participating in the study were Greece, Ireland, Spain, England, and France.

The report found that 95% of non-profit organisations in Europe now have a website, but that only 56% accept online donations through it. This is 8% below the global average. However, 26% have an online store, which is the highest rate worldwide. The majority accept credit card payments, at 84%, with just over half accepting Paypal and Direct Debit.  Digital wallet and cryptocurrency are accepted by a small minority.

Regular monthly giving is the most popular fundraising method across Europe, with 77% using it – above the global average of 68%. This is followed by tribute giving (when people give in honour or memory of a loved one) at 40%. Crowdfunding, and peer-to-peer fundraising are also popular, used by around a third.

Digital channels are popular, with a significant year on year increase in the percentage using email marketing. 80% now sent email updates to supporters and donors, up from 57% in 2018, while 49% also send email fundraising appeals. Europe is also the biggest user of text-to-give (23%), while 55% find the technology effective for fundraising. This is higher than in other regions, by 9%.

Social media use is also high with 95% of non-profits regularly employing it to engage supporters and donors. 92% use Facebook, with almost one third (32%) using its charitable giving tools. Twitter (68%) and Instagram (51%) are the next most popular channels, followed by LinkedIn (39%), YouTube (39%) and WhatsApp (11%).

In addition:

However, while 66% agree that social media is effective for online fundraising, only 27% have a system in place to track and report return on investment for these campaigns.

Half of non-profits across Europe increased their technology spend in 2019, with just 8% decreasing it. Understanding of emerging technologies such as AI, augmented reality, and blockchain technology varies, with 79% saying they understand AI very or somewhat well, compared to 66% for augmented reality, and 36% for blockchain.

The full report can be downloaded from the Funraise site.

With so many negative stories about social media, particularly in terms of its influence on the young and vulnerable, it’s easy to forget that it also has a tremendous capacity for doing good, and spreading hope and positivity.

Longstanding days to galvanise this message, such as #GivingTuesday, as well as more recent campaigns like #YouMadeItHappen and our own #ReclaimSocial campaign, are helping to counteract this negativity by focusing on social media’s positive impact. Together with large-scale social movements like #MeToo and #SchoolStrike4Climate, these are all examples of how organisations as well as individuals are embracing social media to do good and effect change.

Social media doesn't have to be negative. It can be a supportive community that gives strength to those who are struggling. Let's #ReclaimSocial together and spread some positivity today pic.twitter.com/PO4Qpcu6y7

— Samaritans (@samaritans) February 6, 2019

Social media has immense value for non-profit organisations, helping them to reach new people as well as more people and to strengthen relationships with existing supporters. And its value lies not just in raising money – although it can do this too – but in building awareness, engagement and community, achieved through telling inspiring, compelling stories and engaging in relevant conversations. And, while social is increasingly being used for good, there is plenty of potential for more charities to join in and experience the benefits for themselves.

So, what’s the best approach?

Know your audience

First, know who you are talking to. Different platforms attract different audiences – on LinkedIn, you may be engaging with potential trustees for example, while on Facebook it could be beneficiaries, and supporters on Twitter. Work out who they are (build ‘personas’ in the lingo) and how you want to engage with them, to build more awareness of your cause for example or for a particular campaign. Once armed with that knowledge you can start to build an effective campaign.

Tell a good story

Social media excels at helping charities highlight impactful stories that show how they are making a difference but you need to tell your stories in the right way for maximum effect. Bring them to life with case studies that demonstrate how impact is being achieved like WWF UK has done with its #FightForYourWorld campaign, and to answer why you do what you do, and how.

For many Arctic towns, the risk of polar bears entering their town is on the rise. We’re piloting new tech which could make it easier to keep both polar bears and people safe. Watch to find out how! #FightForYourWorld pic.twitter.com/vjjycIBZwk

— WWF UK (@wwf_uk) February 23, 2019

Or as in this tweet from International Rescue Committee Europe:

#ReclaimSocial is a day to highlight where people have helped each other move forward.
This is the work of a child refugee, who learned to draw at an IRC Safe Zone.
He now attends an art school in Greece, thanks to his incredible talent & the generosity of the school’s owner. pic.twitter.com/bZdqYt07KM

— International Rescue Committee – UK (@RESCUE_UK) February 6, 2019

And, if you are seeking donations, rather than a non-financial ask (often to sign a petition or newsletter or simply re-post the message), focus on explaining how each contribution can be vital to your charity’s work, and tailor content to different the platforms you are using.

Be inspiring (by being your authentic self)

Charity work is often emotive and tapping into this can create powerful messages with plenty of evidence to show that people crave the positive, inspirational stories that the sector is uniquely positioned to tell. The best way to genuinely tap into people’s emotions and really engage an audience is not to go overboard in pulling on the heartstrings but just to be authentic and tell your story in a real and meaningful way.

The Book Trust’s 2018 Christmas campaign was a simple idea that really resonated with audiences for example because the idea of paying for a festive book parcel for a child who was vulnerable or in care was so tangible. Largely through social media’s influence, it managed to help over 11,500 children.

You could brighten up Christmas for a child who is vulnerable or in care this year. Your £10 donations could help us send them a #FestiveBookParcel to make them feel special

Find out more and donate here: https://t.co/qYACaa79hV pic.twitter.com/3XbfWBJPdV

— BookTrust (@Booktrust) November 20, 2018

Involve your supporters

Your supporters also have great stories that deserve to be shared (user-generated content in the lingo), is particularly interesting to others because it is about real life. Think about your different sets of stakeholders such as staff, beneficiaries, volunteers, and supporters – each has their own reasons for engaging with your charity so ask them what these are, and what your campaigns or your work mean to them.

Then think about how to share their stories, and encourage and enable them to share both theirs and yours. People very naturally share information on causes they care about, and these are the ones that spread widest and best and will amplify your message. Think of social media as a two-way communication and try to engage with people as often as possible in a meaningful way.

The charity Mind for example regularly features people’s real-life experiences with mental illnesses, and asks for input on particular issues, such as its recent request for stories of mental health experiences at work.

Nikki shares her journey of being diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), and preparing to take on Mind Hike to raise money for better mental health. https://t.co/Yha104KPNt pic.twitter.com/WALJCrVu7p

— Mind (@MindCharity) March 18, 2019

Encourage mindful posting

While subject matter can often be serious, making your posts positive, mindful and motivational can set up the right tone to encourage your supporters to reply similarly and boost loyalty and retention. You can start by encouraging mindful posting in your own organisation and start sharing your own ideas of how social media can be more positive.

Today is #IntlForestDay: Forests managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities have more #biodiversity than #forest protected by any other means. Let’s learn from them, let’s protect their rights. https://t.co/B7KeBcANaa

— Friends of the Earth (@friends_earth) March 21, 2019

Create social media guidelines for your team

Finally, social media is of course not without its challenges, so the best way to deal with negative comments, trolls, or crises is to plan in advance. It’s a good idea to create social media guidelines for your organisation and anyone who is managing your social presence, from the tone of voice to the right reaction to a negative comment. When a crisis does occur or a headline that affects you, engaging proactively and authentically is key. It can be challenging to do so in the heat of battle but the organisations that can do this are the ones that tend to come out best.

#ReclaimSocial2019 takes place on 6 February 2019. To get involved, visit the ReclaimSocial site or sign up for more information on the Lightful website.

About Vinay Nair

Vinay Nair is co-founder and CEO of tech-for-good company Lightful, which works with charities, social enterprises and foundations looking to scale their impact through technology. Previously, he was a director at UK social impact investor Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC), and has also held senior positions at the Social Investment Business, Acumen Fund and the Clinton Foundation, and has launched two public health social enterprises. He is a practitioner-in-residence and industry advisor at the Saïd Business School, Oxford University.

From blogging to vlogging

As charities have increasingly turned to digital channels to create closer links with supporters and beneficiaries, blogs have proved a successful engagement tool. However, its popularity with consumers means that video is now taking centre stage: YouTube alone for example has over a billion users, 82% of Twitter users watch video content that has been tweeted and mobile messaging users are frequently favouring gifs over static emojis. In fact, the prediction is that by 2020, online videos will make up more than 80% of all consumer internet traffic.

So where are the opportunities for charities?

Mattia Dell’era, Fondazione L’Albero della Vita

“The future of digital for fundraising is all about humanisation,” explains Mattia Dell’Era (Italy), Digital Fundraising Manager at The Tree of Life Foundation (Fondazione L’Albero della Vita) in Italy. “The more technology advances and the more sophisticated it gets, the greater the temptation to focus on technical solutions, when the solution – in the vast majority of cases – is humanistic, empathic and understanding.”

“The real opportunity lies with how digital channels enable charities to better communicate their activities, sharing stories from field workers, donors and beneficiaries. The development of a vlog by NPOs is a new starting point for online communication, creating a more “humane” and engaging approach to donors.”

A vlog (video blog) enables charities to provide a regular stream of authentic video content, exposing the people behind the charity’s brand, communicating the daily challenges they face and their progress. Reflecting the increasing pressure on people’s time and that people have short attention spans, the most effective video footage is short, often just a couple of minutes. In an era where supporters want to understand more about the charities they are investing in, vlogging can help them build a closer connection. And it can make compelling watching for viewers, with some vloggers amassing millions of followers.

Inspired by the success of vloggers like Nas Daily, Dell’Erais is setting out on a 12-month vlogging project, where he will visit humanitarian projects in 12 countries across 5 continents. The idea is to build a following among those with an interest in climate change, sharing information about the work of the Fondazione L’Albero della Vita and three other organisations (CEFA, CADIS, Camillian Sisters).

Using chatbots to engage supporters in conversation

Just as messaging bots (chatbots) are revolutionising business and customer service, they are also proving their value for and becoming increasingly accessible to charities.

“Digital is central to what we do at WaterAid,” says Marcus Missen, Director of Communications & Fundraising at WaterAid UK.  “We’re developing and testing new ways to increase engagement and understanding of our cause and improve our fundraising. Automation lets us do this in a smart manageable way.

“We identified Facebook Messenger for our #Untapped campaign, as a channel to build brand love with existing supporters. Guided by Sellu, a farmer and carpenter in Sierra Leone, users explored the daily life and culture of his community – from language lessons to cookery videos, photosets of cocoa pod farming and a 360 degree interactive tool – all creating an immersive world for users to dive into. They could also ask questions and we kept a log of those the bot couldn’t handle, gathering supplementary content to fulfil these, so users authentically enriched the experience for others over time.  

Marcus Missen, WaterAid UK

“Reactions were overwhelmingly positive, with 1,882 users, 9,813 messages and a subscription rate of 11%.

“Few organisations have used Messenger as a two-way communications mechanism at scale, and the success of ‘Talk to Sellu’ gave us a foundation on which to build future automated, audience-led experiences.”

The charity’s first Alexa skill, ‘WaterAid Voices’, is one of the many ways that WaterAid continues to explore digital, enabling users to take a journey through sound to the Madagascan village of Tsarafangitra, having fun whilst deepening their understanding of the impact of the charity’s work.

Virtual and augmented reality

As virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) becomes more mainstream, charities are finding innovative ways to use it to demonstrate their work and enhance their fundraising campaigns, building a closer connection with the cause. 

Linda Neugebauer, Prosocial

Linda Neugebauer, CEO and co-founder of Prosocial in Spain, explains:

“With virtual and augmented reality, people can see and experience the issues and challenges that non-profit organisations work so hard towards.”

She cites innovations such as the network of ocean conservation organisations in Spain who are planning the release of new footage through Google Street View Underwater (developed by The Ocean Agency) to communicate the ecological collapse and mass extinction of our oceans.

Neugebauer adds:

“Thanks to this technology, we can enable people to dive digitally into the ocean. Many people have never dived and possibly never will, but through virtual and augmented reality they can experience both its beauty and the ecological decline.

Galapagos, Google Street View Underwater (Source: The Ocean Agency)

“As the ocean is alive and not static, the intention is that the project will release Google 360 underwater videos, which can be viewed through simple VR devices and an AR app.

“Augmented Reality gives us the opportunity to make our visions visible to others as never before. Living in the ‘attention economy‘, where it is increasingly difficult to get people’s attention for more than just a few seconds, it is an opportunity to shift the fundraising paradigm from the use of shocking pictures to inspiring visions. So that people can start dreaming of the world they want to see and we can work together to achieve those goals.”

Livestreaming and gaming

The world of live-streamed gaming is a rapidly growing source of income for good, as charities tap into the rising community of over 1.5 billion gamers. Reinventing the charity telethon, many of the most renowned gamers host fundraising days and encourage followers to donate. More and more charities are setting up their own gaming streams using Twitch – through which around 90 million EUR has already been raised – and other platforms, encouraging supporters to take part and donate.

Lee Clark, GivePenny

“For a lot of charities, it takes a leap out of the comfort zone of traditional thinking to build a presence in such a vibrant online community, blasting out content on platforms like Twitch, YouTube and Mixer,” says Lee Clark, founder and CEO of GivePenny in the UK. “But the early signs point towards a bright future for this wave of connected fundraising.”

“With 15 million daily active users, Twitch represents the largest gaming community on the web today. It could be argued that if a charity hasn’t already built the foundations of their own profile on Twitch, along with a strategy for creating content (streaming) and growing a new audience, they’re behind the curve.”

“Unlike most of their predecessors, tech-savvy Millennials and Generation Z prefer to create their own incredible content to be streamed to their own audiences, rather than to simply consume and share content.

 “We live in a world where fundraising products with edgy, progressive messaging, out to start a movement, stand the best chance of being successful – the ones that go a step further and provide access to shareable content for their supporters do even better. Creating spaces where gamers can engage with a charity, like the online Gaming for Good Hubs we create for charities on GivePenny, provide a great launch pad for content-driven engagement with gamers.”

Björn Lampe, betterplace.org

Björn Lampe, board member of betterplace.org Germany’s largest online donation platform agrees, saying:

“We see a lot of success in working with livestreaming gamers, who already have a large number of followers. They are used to interacting with their audience and when labelling one of their regular streams as “charity stream” this proves to be pretty successful.” 

 “In winter 2018, two charity streaming marathons in Germany raised more than 1 Million EUR for 8 charities in just 72 hours, with the most successful being Friendly Fire. But even less-known streamers can have a great impact. Take the event help.exe as an example. It raised 6,000 EUR for the German Cancer Foundation in three days.”

For two years, betterplace.org has been experimenting with fundraising tools that are integrated into livestreams on platforms like YouTube or Twitch. Lampe adds:

“The targeted donor group in charity streams is a lot younger (usually between 18 and 28) than the majority of the organisations regular donors. For NGOs, it is therefore an interesting way of engaging with this new donor group.”

Gaming for good causes is also becoming increasingly accessible, with JustGiving having recently announced the launch of its Gaming for Social Good Hub.

Email as part of a multi-channel strategy

While the use of these newer technologies is taking off in fundraising and social media can be a real force for good, Nonprofit Tech for Good’s 2018 Global Giving Trends Report reinforces the message that donors like email for the personal touch, with over two thirds (69%) of donors saying they prefer to be thanked for their donation via email, compared to 14% by letter and just 4% on social.

Forecasters may have predicted the demise of email, but many charities like Doctors Without Borders Austria say they are seeing ‘all-time benefits’ in the use of email as part of an integrated multi-channel communication programme.

Andrea Buhl, Doctors Without Borders Austria (Copyright: Michael Meier)

Andrea Buhl, head of the Digital Communication Unit at Doctors Without Borders Austria, says:  

“Due to vast changes in interpersonal- and B2C-communication in the last 10 years, driven by development of smart and connected devices, we can extend the well-known strengths of direct email communication with engaging audio visual and social media content, fine-tuned community management and careful data analytics, to build a digital content environment that meets the needs of our donors and supporters anytime and on any device.  

“Digitalisation and multi-channel are on top of our agenda. We focus on having one major topic every 3-6 weeks. The distribution includes website, emailing and social media channels as well as Google and YouTube ads, and is often also connected to offline media (magazines, mailings, PR). The email strategy is two-fold; based on communicating our own information and triggered in response to various personalised emails from our audience.

“The high speed of feature-, software- and device-development is a big challenge but it’s key to stay ahead and on track.

“The multi-channel approach achieves good results: our core audience for content is wider, the internal workflow is smoother and conversion rates are growing.”

What’s the overarching message? Digital undoubtedly gives fundraisers the tools to reach and engage a wide range of supporters in a multitude of ways, often at relatively little cost. But for each charity, the channels they use and the approach they take will differ. New opportunities arise all the time and, while fortune can favour the bold, the first step is often the hardest. Don’t be afraid to try something new, but start small and be sure to test along the way, prioritising what works best for your organisation and, of course, your supporters.

Related features:

How to use social for good

What living in the ‘attention economy’ means for CSOs