Pivoting to Giving Days: The ABC

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching implications across the non-profit sector in Australia and New Zealand, but a particularly prominent one has been on fundraising and the incorporation of regular events-based fundraising in nonprofits' calendars. Invariably, Australasian charities have had to review the centrality (and in some cases, viability altogether) of event fundraising this year as a result of lockdowns and social distancing. Even as areas of Australia dial back restrictions, as New Zealand has for months, the recent return to a full lockdown in Victoria has reminded many that the relaxed restrictions can by no means be counted upon when it comes to critical projects that generate revenue. After all, too much events-based planning has already been jeopardised this year by virtue of the pandemic and any complacency therein is possibly too great a risk.

As such, Australasian nonprofits are finding themselves in the position of needing to pivot to more reliable and secure means to engage their communities, with many turning to digital solutions as the means to do so. Whilst Charidy first brought, and has partnered with many in the region to implement Giving Day appeals since mid-2016, it has become a more obvious solution for many charities who hitherto mayn’t have considered the methodology right for them, possibly in lieu of those methods no longer being engaged this year. There are a couple of reasons for this:

Adrenaline:

By limiting the ability to reach philanthropic targets to a particular time and place, charities are able to use events to challenge their communities and build up energy in a short amount of time. A luncheon designed to raise $500,000, for instance, leverages the challenge combined with the excitement of a finite timeframe to achieve what must be done creates in donors a sensation of adrenaline in ensuring their cause is successful. When looking to alternatives in lieu of such an event, charities seek to ensure the challenge to donors is still issued, and the adrenaline still built up. A Giving Day appeal gives little room to donors for complacency, as it visualises the minimal timeframe by virtue of a countdown clock and instils in donors the very real sense of urgency we would wish to achieve  through an event. Done correctly, a Giving Day will ensure donors feel the pressure in a certain time and place as, for 24 hours, every dollar really does count to pushing the cause closer to their target.

Building Community:

Events-based fundraising, be it gala dinners, marathons, garden cocktails, or networking events are successful because they evokes in donors a sense that they are truly part of a wider community with whom they can band together to ensure the success and prosperity of causes they are passionate about. This sense of collective responsibility and the complimentary social elements attached connect deeply with the innate human urge to be part of something larger than ourselves. This is in stark contrast to traditional fundraising methodologies that cannot help but to instil a sense of isolation in the giving process. Direct Mail appeals fail to connect us with others as we have no means of knowing if we were one of 5 or 5,000 people who donated to the cause we’re passionate about. 

A digital alternative to events-based fundraising that can still leverage the sense of community building is that of a Giving Day which, with its live donor tree giving real-time representation to donations made, and the option to share a message will inherently create a sense that participants are part of a collective. Additionally, groups who would ordinarily be empowered to do their own fundraising within their communities by way of events can still be empowered to do so by virtue of Giving Days’ peer-to-peer teams function.

Credibility:

When assessing the direction in which to pivot as events-based fundraising loses viability in, at least, the short-term, nonprofits can only consider methodologies of fundraising that can simultaneously leverage core elements of events whilst engaging methods that have demonstrable success. Since 2016, Giving Days have quantified exactly this with dozens of Australasia’s leading charities implementing this project with universal success across several KPIs. Charidy, for instance, has worked with many non-profit organisations to transition their existing events into Giving Days to maximise success across all sphere, examples of this being Vision Australia’s Carols By Candlelight, The Children Hospital at Westmead’s Radiothon, and this year the Children’s Cancer Foundation’s Million Dollar Lunch.

In conclusion, 2020 is a year that is challenging all of us to be bold and to pave new paths. It has redefined our relationships with others and pushed us into an ever-expanding digital era. Charidy, by way of its Giving Days and other digital fundraising solutions, is an obvious solution to those nonprofit organisations seeking to stand out in this new climate. Our team of expert consultants and project managers will go above and beyond to guide you through the process of such a drastic pivot so that any digital project you embark on achieves success and accumulates all the more support for your organisation. Be in touch with us today.