What are the key tools in digital fundraising and philanthropy that you think arts organisations should be taking note of?
In terms of digital promotion, video is key. Video content is increasingly effective in driving engagement, so it’s really important in every fundraising campaign to think about how your message will come across visually. Digital underpins everything that organisations do and using digital platforms to tell stories effectively is incredibly important.
Social media and digital also present a platform for issues within the sector to be more visible. The challenges charities face around ethics, management and recruitment are there for the world to see. A couple of recent Twitter trending hashtags shone a light on key issues in the sector:
#nongraduateswelcome – how the sector is identifying the skills needed to make a good fundraiser
#charitysowhite – individuals sharing their experiences relating to the lack of diversity in the sector
When launching a digital fundraising campaign, what are the key resources needed? Are there particular platforms, tools or techniques that are proving most impactful?
Much like any fundraising campaign, the key resources needed are people, money and specialist skills. Staff need skills development in order to stay on top of emerging digital tools and changes to existing platforms. Organisations should commit to ongoing training for their teams.
Managers should be clear about what their expectations are for staff running a specific campaign alongside their day to day digital fundraising efforts, ensuring that there is resource allocated to delivering both.
In terms of thinking about which approaches might work for an organisation, the best thing to do is to talk to similar organisations about what they are using and how different tools work for them. Some things come and go (such as BT MyDonate) and you can’t really avoid big platforms such as Facebook or Instagram but you should take the time to stay on top of frequent changes in policies and the tools available. For example, Facebook birthdays – which prompts users to create a digital fundraiser for their birthday, inviting friends to donate to a charity of their choice in place of buying gifts – generated more than $300m for non-profits in its first year.
How can arts organisations ensure that their campaign stands out online?
Organisations should ask themselves whether the right people engage with their platform, and whether they’re effectively reaching them. Research around your donor journey is key, as is how well you treat your supporters.
Arts organisations should utilise their inherent creativity to stand out from other charities. Digital supporters might engage differently to other audiences, so fundraisers should think about how to capitalise on the advocacy and influencing roles that supporters might be able to take.
With new initiatives like contactless donation points and major developments in technology within museums and galleries, what is the future for digital fundraising?
Increasingly, things are going cashless and the arts and cultural sector has an opportunity to respond to this. Contactless gives opportunities to fundraise, but it isn’t an ask on its own. You still need to wrap this up with a plan, thinking about where you are ‘making the ask’ and physically ensuring the donation points are in the right place at the right time. Whilst some charities have taken advantage of these opportunities, there is still work to be done across the sector.
There has been an increasing use of digital voice technology to gather donations using tech such as Amazon Alexa. What are the main considerations for organisations thinking of using these platforms to engage donors?
Several sectors are shifting in their approach to interacting with tech assistants. This is a case of regaining your approach to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). It’s vital that charities appear top in relevant search terms to be picked up by voice recognition platforms. Thinking about what terms convert into growing new audiences and looking at this across your digital presence is important in maximising opportunities.
What are the fundamental ways that arts organisations can increase engagement through digital platforms?
Google coined the term ‘micro-moments’ as a way to consider the main types of consumer behaviour online. They condensed this into four key types of visitor:
- Visitors wanting to find information
- Visitors wanting to go somewhere
- Visitors wanting to buy or donate to something
- Visitors wanting to do something
Thinking about how your site functions and whether each page is working as hard as it can for your organisation is key to effectively engaging your audience.
