The Third Sector has felt this impact like any other. There are currently over 180,000 registered charities in England and Wales so your fundraisers and sponsors have a greater choice than ever on where to spend their dwindling funds. How are you ensuring YOURS is the charity they pick?

Payroll Charity Donations have fallen.

Although the number of people donating via payroll has stayed consistent the amount they actually give has fallen by between 25-50%. This means if you are one of the charities that depend on payroll giving, you may need to compete for additional donations just to keep up with inflation. Read the full article in Burton Mail.

The Psychology of Giving to Charities

So why do people choose to give? What prompts someone to give money to a Donkey Sanctuary rather than charities that could cure cancer?

As is so often the case it is about people; Your supporters create an emotional bond with “people” that they couldn’t form with an organization. That’s why consistently communicating WHO YOU HAVE HELPED is an important strategic message for your charity. Read more in the full Guardian article.

What’s in it for me?

In today’s digital age, supporters expect more for their donations. In times past, fundraisers did not want to receive letters, glossy brochures or leaflets about their charity’s achievements. They felt that they were expensive and costly and would rather the funds go to the worthy cause. Things are now very different, with the explosion of Social Media, Email Marketing, SMS Campaigns and Feature Rich Websites, supporters feel that the cost of communication is of great value and WANT to hear about your charity’s great work.

How do we know the money is well spent?

One of the prime concerns for anyone considering a charitable donation is how much of their money will benefit people and how much will be used up in administration costs. It’s much the same as an office worker walking past a homeless person - they have doubts about how the money will be used so they don’t give. The most successful charities are proactive on this subject and in doing so remove one of the biggest barriers to donating. Click the links to see how the British Red Cross and Help for Heroes tackle this issue.

Information is Currency

Essentially Charities are buying supporters’ donations or fundraising passion with updates and news. Are you telling your fundraisers about all the great work you do? Are you doing it in an emotive way?

Charity Newsletters

Email Marketing is a fantastic and cost effective means of spreading your news. You can reach several hundred thousand supporters and tell them about your great work and unlike many commercial companies who use Email to sell products. People who support Charities, have a genuine interest in the work you do. This means they are far more receptive to newsletters, much more likely to read them and, given the right encouragement to click on links to additional information. This gives you an ideal opportunity to communicate key strategic messages about your charity, its supporters and more importantly those who benefit.