Navigating December Virtual Fundraising Events: Inside the Irish Heart Foundation’s 12 Dips in December Facebook Challenge

Irish Heart Foundation launched their first December Facebook Challenge in 2022, with the idea of tapping into the popularity of cold water swimming in Ireland.

Key results

Driving impact, making a difference

Having tested Facebook Challenges and run a successful campaign in summer 2022, the team was keen to build on their growing revenue stream. Therefore, they decided to host a month-long virtual fundraising event in December.

However, the festive season presented its own obstacles. These included managing postal deliveries, staff holidays, and finding an activity supporters could complete during the busy month.

We caught up with Jordan Kavanagh, Digital Fundraising Manager for the Irish Heart Foundation, to find out how the 12 Dips in December Challenge went.

Set the scene

Who is Irish Heart Foundation?

The Irish Heart Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to fighting for the cardiovascular health of everyone in Ireland. They provide support and care for those living with heart disease and stroke conditions. Furthermore, they aim to eliminate preventable death and disability from these life-changing conditions through support groups, campaigns, and advocacy. They are the national heart and stroke charity in Ireland and are a household name.

The team was fortunate to have significant organic support already on Facebook. However, digital fundraising was not an initial core focus. Various teams within the organization managed this area. Consequently, everything changed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The GivePanel impact

Irish Heart Foundation noticed the success similar charities achieved with virtual fundraising events. These events were known as Facebook Challenges. Consequently, they joined GivePanel. However, their initial approach to the Challenge format involved trial and error. Jordan noted that their fear of not making a Return on Investment (ROI) was holding them back.

In 2022, the non-profit collaborated with Tom Hickey. He is a Fundraising Consultant and a pioneer of the Challenge model. Tom introduced them to the importance of engaging supporters and providing rewarding experiences. Following the GivePanel Playbook, they organized a dog walking Challenge in June. This was a huge success and provided a replicable framework. Immediately, they began preparing for their next event: 12 Dips in December.

The challenge

12 Dips in December

A Facebook Challenge is a virtual event that runs solely on Facebook and leverages the power of social networking through ads, groups and fundraisers. This means: 

• Lower acquisition costs
• More fundraisers
• And a chance to meet supporters where they already are!

The Irish Heart Foundation launched 12 Dips in December as a Facebook Challenge test, both in terms of running a fundraising campaign at that time of year and for the Challenge concept itself. 

Here are four things to note about Irish Heart Foundation’s 12 Dips in December Challenge:

• Concept – The Challenge required supporters to take a dip in open water 12 times during the month of December. As Jordan notes, swimming is a popular activity in Ireland, and the festive season is known for its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day swims. However, the team was conscious that December is also a busy month of festive celebrations for people and access to open water would differ for supporters. So they limited the activity to ‘12 dips’ to test whether the month-long timeframe would still work for a smaller activity. 
• Resource – Unsurprisingly, managing such an event during the busy holiday season was no easy feat. The team had to manage staff considerations with holidays, competitive digital advertising, postage during the festive season, and to top it off, technical issues with the Facebook platform meant that a proportion of supporters couldn’t see donations made to their fundraisers, causing concern. As a team of four, they found that time management and scheduling in advance was key to managing the Challenge successfully, even during the festive holidays. 
• Engagement – Technical issues with donations meant that they had to concentrate their efforts on engaging the group and maintaining a positive atmosphere. By enlisting the support of Challenge Champions, reassuring supporters and communicating both privately and within the group, the team motivated supporters to fundraise and take part.
• Incentive – Irish Heart Foundation used red, branded beanie hats as their incentive which proved to be popular and effective for photos and brand awareness. The team also incorporated tote bags as a reward for fundraising and finishing the Challenge.

Further assistance

In addition, the team worked closely with trusted Fundraising Consultant, Tom Hickey, who supported with strategy and concept development, copy for Facebook ads, emails and messaging, and monitoring of the group and coaching on group management. 

Tom also stressed the importance of shifting the mindset of supporters to focus on the end goal, instead of instant gratification, and noted that the perceived difficulty of the Challenge has a significant impact on its success. The function of the Facebook group then, is to provide structure for supporters to achieve what they see as a difficult activity, and encourage them to fundraise.

Irish Heart Foundation’s combined efforts in acquisition and managing the group resulted in a highly engaged, positive group that supported the Irish Heart Foundation by raising an incredible €137,000.

The GivePanel difference

Meeting supporters where they are

GivePanel offers a powerful solution to unleash the potential of Facebook fundraising. By using GivePanel, you can effortlessly collect valuable contact data, create custom imports for your CRM, and show appreciation to all your invaluable Fundraisers. GivePanel empowers you to raise more funds, foster lasting relationships with your supporters, and run successful Facebook Challenges, all in one place.

For Irish Heart Foundation, GivePanel’s practical tools helped streamline their day-to-day operations of Facebook fundraising; removing manual tasks from the Facebook platform and making data capture a breeze through GivePanel’s registration form with 1-Click Fundraiser activation. 

On top of that, Jordan mentions that by joining GivePanel, the team have been able to learn from the experts, grow their brand and gain valuable insights into the current social fundraising landscape.

Final thoughts

You get what you give

When asked if the Irish Heart Foundation would recommend GivePanel Facebook Challenges to other nonprofits, Jordan answers a resounding yes (but with a caveat). He says that the results from Facebook fundraising campaigns and virtual events are dependent on what you put into them, and that it’s essential to plan effectively and put in the work to achieve success. 

The amazing results of Irish Heart Foundation’s 12 Dips in December event demonstrate once again, the incredible power of Facebook as a social fundraising tool for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes.