In an era where digital connections drive real-world impact, social fundraising has become a vital tool for charities. It’s not just about raising funds; it's about building communities, fostering engagement, and creating lasting change. Despite its challenges, social fundraising remains a cornerstone for many organizations. However, these campaigns require more than a ‘rinse and repeat’ strategy to succeed.
In a recent webinar, we teamed up with Bluestep Solutions and Diabetes UK to dive deep into the intricacies of running successful social fundraising campaigns. We explored exactly what nonprofits should focus on to maximize their fundraising efforts.
Spend five minutes reading to recap the top five takeaways from our panel discussion, or take an hour's break to watch the full webinar for all the insights. Trust us, it’s worth it!
Watch the webinar
Missed the live event? Don’t worry! You can watch the full webinar recording below and catch up on all the insights shared by our expert panel.
Why social fundraising matters
When done right, social fundraising is a powerful tool for charities, offering a unique way to engage with supporters and raise funds. Unlike traditional fundraising methods, social fundraising is about meeting your supporters where they are and want to be – on social media. At GivePanel, we believe in starting with your audience and thinking about how you can add value to them through a campaign or event. This approach allows for a more personal and direct connection with your audience. Through meaningful touchpoints like incentives and email journeys, you can support a fundraiser from start to finish.
However, success in this space requires a tailored approach that fits your supporters' specific needs and preferences. While a one-size-fits-all strategy may have worked during the peak of Facebook Challenges, it's now essential for nonprofits to ensure their campaigns are creatively aligned and communicate effectively with their audience. This means focusing on the right messaging, visuals, and incentives that resonate with your supporters.
Our top 5 learnings
Our recent webinar, A Kick-Ass Social Fundraising Campaign, in collaboration with Bluestep Solutions and Diabetes UK, focused on the need for handcrafted solutions and was brimming with valuable insights. The session not only highlighted the latest campaign from Diabetes UK, which achieved an impressive 13:1 return on ad spend (ROAS), but also featured a panel of industry experts:
- Nick Burne – Founder and CEO of GivePanel
- Ben Skinner – Managing Director of Bluestep Solutions
- Darren Spragg – Client Services Director of Bluestep Solutions
- Richard Crosland – Digital Account Manager of Bluestep Solutions
- Matthew Lawley – Senior Fundraising Manager of Diabetes UK
- Stephen Sooksalee – Community Fundraising Project Manager of Diabetes UK
We covered a wealth of strategies and best practices for running successful social fundraising campaigns. Here are the top five takeaways from the discussion:
1. Handcrafted solutions
A one-size-fits-all approach to social fundraising is no longer effective. Our recent webinar with Bluestep Solutions and Diabetes UK highlighted the importance of crafting tailored solutions for successful campaigns.
Rather than relying on generic strategies, effective social fundraising requires a more personalized approach. By working with experts like GivePanel, Bluestep Solutions, and Social AF, charities can create campaigns that are finely tuned to their audience’s needs and preferences.
Over the past four years, Diabetes UK has experimented with various concepts and challenges, gradually refining their approach. They discovered that successful social fundraising involves integrating well-crafted concepts with their broader fundraising strategy. This approach ensures that social fundraising is not just a standalone effort but a cohesive part of their overall portfolio, including mass participation and third-party events. Collaborating with partners who understand and align with their goals has been key to this integration.
Ultimately, successful social fundraising hinges on customized strategies and collaborative partnerships. By focusing on handcrafted solutions and working with experienced teams, charities can enhance their campaigns and achieve meaningful engagement with their supporters.
2. Quality incentives are key
If there’s one thing that the team at Bluestep Solutions knows about, it’s incentives. According to the team, offering desirable and eco-friendly incentives can significantly boost engagement and supporters are more likely to participate in a campaign when they feel they are getting something valuable in return. Simple items like beanies or tote bags can be incredibly popular, but for Bluestep Solutions, what’s important is to ensure these items are made from sustainable materials such as bamboo, organic cotton, or recycled paper.
Matching the incentive to the Challenge and the season can further enhance its appeal. For instance, offering a stylish t-shirt for a summer fundraising Challenge or a cozy beanie for events in colder months makes the incentive not only attractive but also practical. This thoughtful approach demonstrates that you understand and anticipate your supporters’ needs, making them feel valued and more likely to engage with your campaign.
Giving rewards early in the campaign is also a powerful motivator. When participants receive a t-shirt or other incentive right after registration, it encourages immediate engagement and commitment to the Challenge. Moreover, as Diabetes UK discovered, setting clear and achievable incentive levels, like £25 or £100, can drive higher participation rates by providing tangible goals and recognition for supporters' efforts.
3. Effective ad strategies
Creating effective ad strategies is crucial for capturing attention and driving engagement in your social fundraising campaigns. One approach that has proven to be particularly successful for Diabetes UK’s campaign is leveraging the power of short-form videos inspired by TikTok trends. These videos are engaging, easy to digest, and can make your ads stand out in a crowded social media landscape. By tapping into the popular formats and styles that are currently trending on TikTok, you can create content that resonates with a wide audience and encourages them to participate in your campaign.
However, creating compelling ads is only half the battle. To ensure the success of your ad strategy, it’s essential to monitor ad performance closely, especially in the first 7-10 days after launch. This initial period is critical as it provides valuable insights into what’s working and what isn’t. By keeping a close eye on metrics such as engagement rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, you can quickly identify any issues and make necessary adjustments to improve results.
For example, if you notice that a particular ad isn’t performing as well as expected, Bluestep Solution’s Richard mentions that you can experiment with different visuals, messages, or calls to action to see if they drive better results. Similarly, if a certain demographic is responding particularly well to your ads, you can allocate more budget towards targeting that group to maximize impact. This iterative approach allows you to optimize your ad strategy on the fly, ensuring that your campaign remains effective and achieves its goals.
4. Cost management
Balancing costs and returns is crucial. A key takeaway was Diabetes UK’s approach to handling t-shirt incentives. They worked with Bluestep Solutions to order t-shirts in advance, which allowed them to benefit from cost efficiencies based on the volume ordered. They planned their purchase based on the anticipated number of Challenges, ensuring they didn’t compromise on quality while sticking to their budget.
The pay-as-you-go model offered by the Bluestep team also proved advantageous. As Stephen Sooksalee from Diabetes UK mentioned, this approach allowed them to start their campaigns without significant upfront costs, only distributing incentives based on campaign performance.
Ben Skinner from Bluestep Solutions emphasized their commitment to reducing upfront costs for charities. By refining processes and enhancing efficiencies, Bluestep aims to support charities, especially smaller ones, with cost-effective solutions while maintaining high-quality incentives.
5. Leveraging JustGiving
The integration of JustGiving into social fundraising efforts provides charities with an additional layer of flexibility and risk mitigation. By using a platform like JustGiving, organizations can diversify their fundraising strategies and spread risk, ensuring they aren't reliant on a single platform for their success.
Nick Burne from GivePanel highlighted how this strategy works in practice. He explained, “If you’re just doing multi-channel campaigns that aren’t specific, you’re just running ads on TikTok and X and Facebook and Instagram and trying to pile everyone through the same funnel, guess what? Those touch points aren’t going to be excellent.”
Instead, we focus on tailoring campaigns to each platform. For instance, Facebook campaigns are structured with their unique funnel, and Instagram campaigns use JustGiving effectively. This targeted approach ensures that each touchpoint with supporters is optimized for the platform it's on, resulting in better engagement and higher returns.
By using JustGiving, charities can diversify their fundraising strategies and mitigate risk. This approach not only enhances engagement but also supports better financial outcomes, making it a valuable addition to any social fundraising strategy.
Partnering with experts
By partnering with experts like Bluestep Solutions and Social AF, we aim to equip charities with the knowledge and tools needed to succeed in social fundraising. Our combined expertise ensures that every aspect of your campaign is meticulously crafted to meet the unique needs of your organization and its supporters.
Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your approach, we are here to guide you every step of the way. Have a chat with one of our fundraising specialists to find out how we can support your next fundraising campaign and achieve results like Diabetes UK.
