Charities are committing to digital communications
The past year or so, which was unlike anything we’ve experienced before, has been a stark reminder of just how precarious charity funding can be. Charities suffered enormous losses as events were cancelled or curtailed, “non-essential” charity shops closed during national lockdowns and tier 4 restrictions, which resulted in millions of pounds of lost sales and donations, which was a further blow to the sector.
Losing their usual revenue streams has also come at a time when many charities are also experiencing higher than usual demand for their services. The Trussell Trust, for instance, says that half of those who used a food bank during the pandemic had never done so before. With the pandemic far from over, three quarters of charities expect higher demand this year.
So severe has the funding crisis become that figures from the Charities Aid Foundation show that a quarter of charities believe they won’t survive without additional support.
Another CAF report revealed that usually popular causes, such as medical research, animals, children and young people, all saw a substantial drop in donations in the first half of last year.
Groundswell of support
But it would be wrong to suggest that the public is unable or unwilling to give to charity, even if they are facing financial uncertainty or hardship themselves. Rather, there has been a groundswell of support for causes more closely associated with fighting the pandemic.
You only have to look at the £33m Captain Sir Tom Moore raised for NHS Charities Together to see how quickly a campaign can gain momentum online and in the media.
Stories like these resonate with the public and help them to get behind a cause. But every charity has service users, funding recipients, volunteers and experts, all with stories and insights to share. The question is, how do you maximise your communications channels to make your voice heard and win support?
One commonly held perception is that charities are slower to adopt digital technologies compared to firms in the private sector. They might have smaller budgets and perhaps be more risk-averse, yet research suggests many have their eyes firmly set on digital maturity, with around two fifths (41%) saying they’re investing in new technology.
Charities have always been resourceful but with Covid restrictions hampering the usual fundraising activities, they quickly moved to virtual quizzes and online coffee mornings and joined in national online campaigns like the 2.6 Challenge. Now with Covid restrictions coming to an end, it’s time to harness this spirit of innovation once again in order to reach a wider audience, even when budgets are stretched.
According to the State of Digital Maturity Report for Not for Profit Organisations, 78% of decision makers working in charities say they use some form of digital communications to engage with their donors and supporters.
Conversely, just 20% said they rely more on traditional communications (post, telephone and in-person), although one can reasonably assume that some of these will have moved towards digital forms as a result of the pandemic.
Powerful mix of communications
A mix of email marketing, social media and web content (especially blogs) is a powerful way to communicate with new and existing donors, but it doesn’t stop there. Just over a third of survey respondents use chatbots to answer enquiries, suggesting healthy rates of AI and automation adoption in a sector that has historically lagged behind the commercial world.
Along with donors, charities also need to engage their service users, volunteers, employees, trustees and stakeholders. This became even more important during the pandemic when office staff began working remotely and volunteers were required to adopt Covid-secure practices in charity shops or when supporting vulnerable people in the community.
While spending on external communications might be easier to justify in terms of ROI, it seems that growing charities recognise the importance of internal communications too.
The survey found around two thirds provide some kind of integrated communications, messaging and video service for staff.
Bringing everything together on a single digital platform enables charities to provide reassurance and guidance during challenging times and fosters a feeling of belonging when people are working remotely.
More broadly, a platform that facilitates good internal communication also promotes collaboration and streamlines processes to improve efficiency and productivity. Furthermore, seeing what can be achieved through digital is a powerful incentive for charities yet to make the move. In a sector that thrives on idea sharing, it’s perhaps no surprise that 47% of those polled said that hearing success stories inspired them to try similar ideas.
Technology pervades so much of our lives that we don’t think twice about using apps to manage our banking, book a flight and stay in touch with friends and family. We take it for granted that websites will be intuitive, accessible from any device and regularly updated with new and relevant content.
Positive user experiences
The biggest charities understand the importance of positive user experiences (UX) and the role they play in generating revenue and building lifelong loyalty. A charity’s website is also a trusted hub for service users, some of whom may be extremely vulnerable, so it is paramount that information is correct and up to date.
When it comes to fundraising, no charity can afford to rely on goodwill alone especially since almost three quarters (73%) of those polled said that the competition for share of wallet is real, with competition becoming stronger.
In the same way that fundraising platforms have paved the way for easier and faster donations, and Big Issue sellers are able to accept contactless payments, charities must continually adapt to changing user expectations. Old and clunky websites, with limited payment options, are only going to frustrate people and potentially stop them from donating or buying something from your online shop.
In the “always on” digital world, people want immediate answers to their questions – so, along with chatbots, it is encouraging to note that over 40% of survey respondents say digital communications, like Q&A pages, have replaced or supplemented phone and email. As well as enhancing the user experience, the technology allows staffing resources to be used more effectively.
It’s great to see charities adopting solutions that help scale the impact of their effort – for instance, putting a lot of emphasis on working closely with support teams to develop FAQ pages. This means people can find important information much faster and less time is required for charity staff to answer repetitive questions, meaning they can focus their time elsewhere – it's a win-win.
Not a standalone function
Communication is not a standalone function but something that aligns closely with a charity’s wider digital strategy.
The survey found that 87% of charities have an IT and/or digital strategy in place and just over 60 per cent have the skills, training and knowledge to innovate in digital.
This is clearly good news but what’s worrying is that almost half of the senior managers surveyed, and around a quarter of C-Level execs, said that digital metrics are not shared across the organisation. Without this, they risk poor ROI on communication activities.
A good digital platform allows you to create campaigns and track performance in real time. It reduces the inefficiencies of siloed working by making it easy to create and share reports using reliable data, which helps to improve decision making at all levels.
With UK charities under pressure to deliver more with less, it’s heartening to see that many are unafraid of creativity and innovation, specifically digital adoption.
Almost half (47%) see it as a way to be more productive, while 45% believe it can reduce costs. A further 42% said innovation is key to experimenting with new types of fundraising, donation methods and raising awareness – all of which will stand them in good stead to weather the Covid-19 storm and build long term resilience.
Digital maturity, or transformation, is no longer perceived as an unjustifiable risk or expense but essential for any charity which wants to achieve its goals. An integrated approach to communications, with strong reporting mechanisms, enables you to measure and refine your campaigns, and make the most of every revenue producing opportunity.
Still work in progress
Of course, change doesn’t happen overnight and around 38% of survey respondents acknowledge that their digital maturity is still a work in progress. Each is on their own journey and much will depend on their resources.
However, “progress” is the operative word – charities know where they want to be, even if they are not there yet. The shift in mindset and practice, accelerated by the pandemic, is only going to continue as they leverage readily available technology to drive engagement at every stage of the user journey.
