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The new world of ‘virtual’ fundraising Adaptable, innovative and creative – how our amaDŽing Fundraising Team embraced the challenges of ‘virtual’ events
helipad | www.daat.org
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Fundraising is traditionally a ‘hands on’ experience - Peggie Clark, our Fundraising Communications kþ cer, eƻplains how the DAA team had to move ŧuickly and creatively into the world of ůvirtual’ events when the pandemic hit.
Our fundraising 2020 plan started out much the same as previous years; our in-house DAA events were in the diary with venues booked and our community fundraising events diary was Ā lling up with the wonderful array of activities organised by our supporters. Then the pandemic hit, the nation went into lockdown and our fundraising plan was thrown out of the window. )vents were cancelled, boƻ holders closed, and we could no longer go into the community to engage with our supporters. kur fundraising income was severely affected in a way that we had not anticipated. kur fundraising team had to adapt ŧuickly to the fast-changing situation and our whole approach to fundraising had to be revised virtually overnight. ith the fundraising team working from home we had to adapt our procedures and the way we connect with each other and our supporters as well as coming up with innovative ways to diversify our income streams. At the start of Iune we launched our first ever virtual eventſ our #Base2Base Virtual challenge. This was a 40 mile challenge, the distance from our )ƻeter to our )aglescott airbase, for participants to complete in up to Ɛ weeks in whichever way they wanted – they could walk, cycle or skip their way to the finish.
irtual fundraising was completely new territory for us and we didn’t know what to eƻpect in terms of uptake from our supporters. But, what we did know was that doing nothing was not an option! In these unprecedented times we knew we were not the only ones struggling, with many of our supporters facing ģob uncertainty and financial strains, we were aware that charity support was potentially not at the top of everyone’s to do list. ut we were overwhelmed with the response to the event - with over íLj participants the event raised over Ɗí,LjLjLjú As we became familiar with the new normal, it was clear we were not the only ones adapting our fundraising plans. After the initial halt to all fundraising activities, which saw a significant decline in the number of online giving pages being created in support of us, we were delighted as our inboƻes once again came alive with notifications of new online giving pages as our supporters began to adapt their own fundraising ideas to lone and virtual activities, including head shaves, virtual sporting challenges and online gaming, as well as many supporters signing up to national fundraising campaigns, including the Iust :iving Ɩ.ƅ Challenge. knline :iving platforms, including Iust :iving, irgin aoney :iving and Facebook have always been an integral part of our fundraising strategy. ith the ease of use for our supporters
TƵo oü tĘe ƵĜnnĜnč bĜĩes ürom our Ā rst ever Ĝrtual Ĝĩe SĘoƵ
and us, they provide an efficient and cost-effective service by reducing our administration process. Since the lockdown and with the diminished use of cash, they have become an even more essential tool for income generation. We’re aware that some fundraisers are reluctant to use online giving platforms due to the fees, deemed to be ‘cheating’ the charity of the full donation, but we really do encourage our fundraisers to use these platforms and to know that we’re ok with the fees. Not only are they a business with overheads and staff to pay, the online giving platforms eliminate lots of the administrative tasks that our team would have to do, allowing our fundraising teams to concentrate their efforts in other areas. But, for those of our fundraisers who still feel uncomfortable about the fees, we hope it will be reassuring to know that both Just Giving and Virgin Money Giving give the donor the option to cover the fees meaning the whole of their donation can go straight to the charity.
In addition to the sponsored fundraising activities, we are thrilled that we are starting to see adaptations of community fundraising events, including bake sales and village shows. The enthusiasm of our supporters to continue to fundraise during these unusual times is humbling and inspiring, and we can’t wait to see what other exciting virtual fundraising ideas our supporters will think of. As we move forward our fundraising team are continuing to develop ideas to futureproof our income, including online gaming, contactless donations and more virtual events. To keep up to date with our latest activities follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check out the fundraising pages on our website. While our fundraising income has taken a massive hit this year we’re excited about the future of fundraising and we hope you are too.
Bere are ģust a üeƵ oü tĘe ĜntrepĜÚ vĜrtual üunÚraĜsers ürom tĘe Base 2ase CĘallenče
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