Time To Start Planning Your Christmas Fundraising Campaign!

Posted by Ben Crook on 25 October 2017

For Fundraisers, its absolutely vital to create a Christmas campaign and ensure you give yourself enough time to thoroughly plan. Whether you’re looking to create a local campaign or go global, the sooner you get started the less you’ll have to worry about when the time comes to launch.

According to First Capital, 1 in 3 people are more likely to give to charity at Christmas, and whilst cash donations have been a popular way to raise funds in previous years, technology is taking over and there are now so many easier and alternative ways for people to donate! This keeps things interesting but more importantly, there’s no time waiting for the funds to clear into your bank, by using technology to fundraise you’ve got the money instantly in your pocket and ready to do good!

Do you actually need to run a Christmas campaign?

Yes, you do! Christmas is when people are the most likely to give, with 53% of UK households making a charitable donation in the run up to the holidays, which is 5% higher than any other month of the year. Whilst charitable giving is at its peak, there is a lot more competition, so it’s important to have a distinctive campaign that will stand out from the crowd.

Will you raise more money?

Christmas is all about giving and that’s not just giving presents to loved ones. Giving to charity at Christmas time has become a staple for many people, whether they are donating money to feed the homeless on Christmas day or buying greetings cards where a portion of the sale price is donated to a good cause. Research conducted by the Charities Aid Foundation found that the average amount a person donates to charity each month is usually around 20, which rises to a whopping 49 in December. If you combine the fact that people are more likely to donate along with the fact that those who do donate give more, then you’re on to a winner!

How will you fundraise?

There are various means, but as mentioned previously, donating online is paving the way forward, as we are fast becoming a cashless society. Having a donate button on your fundraising website is important, but building a wider campaign to encourage people to donate is essential if you want to raise a substantial amount of money for your cause. Fundraising online not only makes it quick, easy and simple for your donors, but it also means you have the funds instantly at your disposal, which is especially helpful for urgent appeals. Fundraising online will give you a wider reach, meaning you can get individuals who have never heard of your charity previously, to support.

Who should you target?

Studies have shown that women are twice as likely to give to charity than men, and women are significantly more likely than men to donate through buying goods or entering a competition. It’s not rocket science (but perhaps a gender stereotype) that women love to shop. Give those women the opportunity to support your cause and get something in return. You could create an online auction with exciting prizes, which would attract people outside of your supporter base to get involved and inadvertently raise awareness of your cause.

Where should you market your campaign?

Think about who you are trying to target. Who are your best donors and where they would spend their time. An older demographic might be more responsive to print or TV advertising, whilst studies have shown that people aged 25-44 are significantly more likely to donate to charity online and via text. Make sure that you are using the right means to cement interest in your cause. Social media channels like Facebook and Twitter have a varied demographic, whereas Instagram and Snapchat are more popular with the under 35s. Facebook has recently added the option to include a donate to charity button in your posts, making it easier than ever for people to support your cause. Advertising through social media can be very cost-effective and it is easy to measure the ROI of posts.

How do you encourage people to donate?

Giving to charity is an emotional decision and to get people to donate you’ll need to pull on their heart strings a little. You could post strong stats, for example, showing the dwindling numbers of tigers on the planet, or you could show that food wastage from one supermarket could feed all the homeless people in London for an entire week, but how exactly do you share that information and turn educating into donating? Video is becoming more and more popular as a way to inform people, and stats have shown that having a video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80% or more. Create a video as part of your campaign, but make sure it includes a call to action e.g. donate now at the end to ensure that you are converting views into money.

Its important to utilise the time when people are feeling at their most generous. Campaigns at this time have the potential to raise twice as much as a campaign in any other month of the year, with the same amount of effort, so don’t miss out on an opportunity to raise more!

Ben Crook

Chief Operating Officer

Ben is at the forefront of every project in Givergy, listing and actioning constant improvements across the business. With over a decade of experience in the charity and events sector he brings a deep understanding of what the fundraising industry needs to operate effectively and efficiently.