4 new international ideas for charities to raise more funds

Summer is coming and even if this is the period where every not for profit organisation is already planning their Christmas Campaign, it is also the time to start thinking and planning next year’s budget and fundraising strategy. It is the perfect moment to keep an open mind and get inspired by new ideas to be ready for the future.

The point of this article is to push you to embrace innovation, think outside of the norm, and find ways to raise more funds for your cause. Starting from the newest and ending with something already quite established, here are 4 ideas to get your creativity flowing:

1. Join the Metaverse

We know what you are thinking: there are a lot more important things than the Metaverse. But let’s start from the basics and try to understand: what actually is the Metaverse?

Quoting from Wikipedia, “In futurism and science fiction, the Metaverse is a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal and immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets. In colloquial use, a metaverse is a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection”.

We are talking about a parallel world that is going to merge our real life with the digital one. In the metaverse you can attend a concert, go to the bank or even meet with the government.

4 new ideas to raise (more) funds

The not for profit sector is not yet there, but this is already a complete world with good and bad things. What are the opportunities for not for profit organisations within the metaverse?

Advertise, raise awareness and raise funds: you can create a more immersive experience in the Metaverse. Nike, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton have already created a completely new way to advertise and target Gen Z. Can you imagine creating a parallel world where you can directly involve donors and potential donors in your project? Bring them to a disaster zone, or directly on the field, let them interact with the beneficiaries, and allow them to really experience the impact of their support.

It might seem very far, but the parallel world of the Metaverse is just around the corner. The best thing you can do for your organisation is: buy a headset, experience the Metaverse as a team, and brainstorm.

2. Gaming for good

That fact that the gaming industry is something not for profit organisations should pay attention to is not news, especially since it reaches a new and younger generation of donors. (Read more about how to reach Gen Z here) However, charities are still just dipping their toes in this area, and have yet to dive into its full potential.

Let’s start with some interesting numbers: in 2020 the gaming industry had a value of 175 billions dollars (more than double that of music and films all together!) and analysts say that is going to be around 250 billion dollars before the end of 2025. We are talking about 3 billion gamers around the world.

4 new ideas to raise (more) funds

How can this be useful for charities? Well, gamers are used to fundraise, streaming platforms, like Twitch for instance, are created to allow gamers and streamers to get money for their content from the audience, and the audience is the supporters/donors. Take this amazing example of a gaming marathon in France, Z event, that raised €5,7 million in 2020 for Amnesty International France, and each year chooses a different charity to endorse. So why don’t we create more tournaments, events and other occasions to raise funds through this channel? A lot of organisations are already investing more in gaming. Amnesty International UK, for example, created a page only for gamer supporters, and AISM Italia created a gaming event dedicated to raise money for research.

3. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

When presented with the 2 previous fundraising options, peer-to-peer fundraising may seem like a slightly old-fashioned way to raise funds. But even if in today’s world it is quite common, and Facebook contributes to reinforcing how powerful this approach can be, there are markets and charities that are still reluctant to engage donors and supporters with this type of fundraising. 

So we’re not going to repeat why it is important to create a strong community, but we will give you some great reasons that should persuade you if your organisation has yet to include peer-to-peer in its fundraising mix:

4 new ideas to raise (more) funds
  • You can quadruple your fundraising goal during events. According to The State of Modern Philanthropy 2021, “The median amount raised by events in which attendees raise money on behalf of an organisation through peer-to-peer fundraising pages, typically is 4.5 times greater than ticketed events.”
  • You can do more, with less resources: With peer-to-peer, you are allowing your supporters to raise funds on your behalf, and in turn they reach out to their network to appeal for donations. They take your cause into their own hands and create an exponential effect, since your fundraisers will spread awareness to reach their goal. The Digital-First Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study found that peer-to-peer increased revenue by 30%.
  • It is a good way to engage GenZ. This younger generation is all about taking matters into their own hands. They are digitally native, being surrounded by social media and learning how to leverage its power at a very young age. They quickly rally behind causes that resonate with them and know how to mobilise their peers with the post of a video or image. Peer-to-peer is the perfect approach with many possibilities to reach these potential donors. Have you ever thought about a gaming peer-to-peer event?
  • You will create a more meaningful introduction with new donors. It’s not your organisation that is going to engage new donors, but instead someone that is already committed and believes in your cause. They become your ambassador and involve other people through trust.
  • The snowball effect. By giving your supporters many fun and captivating ways to be involved, a new donor this year may become a new fundraiser next year, bringing with them a whole new network of potential donors.

Do you really need other reasons to start including peer-to-peer in your fundraising plans? 

If you still need some inspiration and want to read more about peer-to-peer, take a look at this article, with examples of successful p2p campaigns by Oxfam Trailwalker, Red Cross Denmark, and others.

4 new ideas to raise (more) funds

4. GivingTuesday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and so many other American traditions have also been completely adopted in Europe, but GivingTuesday still seems to need a push. Why? The success of the first two is related to the companies that decide to follow these “traditions” and use these ideas to sell more. So the only way to create a strong tradition around GivingTuesday is for charities to follow their lead, and after all these days of shopping, use the echo to promote generosity, and leverage donor awareness, gifts and loyalty.

When it comes to the size of GivingTuesday, we are not talking about peanuts: in 2021, in the US alone, charities raised 3.1 billion dollars. This year, GivingTuesday is on the 29th of November, which means you still have plenty of time to plan a campaign around this day and boost your fundraising before the end of the year.

The point of this article was not to go into detail of every idea, but to create a memo of inspiration & brainstorming for the fundraiser: the world is moving out there, and it is digital. To raise more money it is necessary to test, try, and be ready for innovation.

If you’d like to learn more about our digital fundraising solutions, and how they can help give your fundraising a boost, get in touch with us for a chat!