With Virgin Money Giving closing at the end of this month, many charities have been considering their options.
There are numerous fundraising platforms on offer, supporting everything from crowdfunding, to fundraising through online quizzes and mass participation events, so what makes a good choice? Essentially, Bradley French, Fundraising Innovation Manager at Donr says:
“A good fundraising platform should equip your charity with easy-to-use technology, which enables you to increase donations and improve supporter engagement.”
Requirements
Of course, there are a few other things to consider too – everything from cost, to how easy it is to switch over, and who owns the supporter data. Here’s a list of five.
Firstly, and quite simply, what are your requirements? Elliot Green, CMO at Wonderful says it sounds obvious but that it’s important to look inward and review your charity’s existing and planned fundraising activities to ensure there’s clarity on what’s needed.
“What does your fundraising activity look like and how will the platform support it? Do you need individual, team fundraising pages, official charity events, or event ticketing functionality? Today there are lots of platforms available and each has a slightly different focus. Start with your charity’s unique requirements and ask the platform how they can support your needs.”
And there are other perhaps obvious sounding but important questions to tick off surrounding requirements too. French adds:
“When considering a fundraising platform, you may wish to ask yourself some of these questions. Will this technology help us to fundraise? Is it easy to use for charities and supporters? Are there examples of other charities using it successfully?”
Cost
A major consideration of course will be cost – and fees, as well as how they’re presented, can vary. Some also ask donors if they would like to ‘tip’ the platform to cover costs. This is where research will help to ensure a platform is cost-effective to take on, says Neil Poynton, Head of Charities at CAF:
“Some platforms charge processing fees, some charge platform fees, while others charge a single combined fee. Different platform models will be cost effective for different charities.”
Alignment
Charities might also want to consider whether a platform is a good fit with their organisation.
Green says:
“As a charity, you’re all about giving back and making a positive difference, but does your fundraising platform exist for the same reasons? Who founded it and why? Charity trustees, fundraisers and donors can all have strong feelings about this and it’s important to consider.”
As well as aligning with your charity’s ethos and aims, this also means checking a platform is a strategic fit. Poynton adds:
“Is the platform geared towards particular causes or does it offer benefits that align with organisational goals? By choosing platforms strategically, charities can access benefits which suit them.”
Data ownership
Of course, with a fundraising platform, supporter data will go to that platform, rather than the charity directly, so looking at data ownership as well as data protection compliancy is also essential.
Chester Mojay-Sinclare, CEO & Founder at Enthuse, cautions:
“Charities should also be quizzing platform providers on who owns the data because these are relationships that charities need to be owning. Being able to communicate with supporters directly will help to develop long-term donor relationships. With that in mind, selecting a fundraising platform that ensures all data is accessible, fully transparent, and GDPR compliant is a must. Charities should also seek assurance that these vendors will not retarget donors with communications for other campaigns, bombarding people at a time when they may already be overwhelmed with requests to give.”
Easy switchover
And the last tip – if looking for a replacement for an existing platform whether it’s Virgin Money Giving or another one, being able to make an easy switch should also be a top consideration.
On this, Mojay-Sinclare adds:
“Given the unfortunate news of Virgin Money Giving’s imminent closure, ensuring the platform makes it easy for donors and fundraisers to switch should also be front of mind. The ability to move ongoing fundraisers over is crucial. Ideally the platform should be able to transfer the fundraiser’s existing fundraising target and progress so far onto their platform. Helping supporters to seamlessly set up new recurring donations is also key.”
Of course, there is much more to consider and questions to ask in the decision making process. Clarity on these five essential areas however will help to ensure a good start.
Allow people to contribute anonymously or in smaller groups.
Check if people can access the tools you’re using, explain how to use them and offer an alternative if necessary.
Use visible timers and allow thinking time.
Use captions and transcripts where possible.
Consider how people could contribute outside of the meeting, in their own time.
Set clear expectations, early
Send out an agenda in advance.
Clearly state the purpose of the meeting and the outcome you want to achieve.
Give a running order, include approximate times.
Give context: do not assume any prior knowledge
Reiterate any information that someone would need to know to be able to contribute.
Give regular recaps. Consider taking notes as you go so you can easily refer back.
Be mindful of late joiners and the context they might lack.
Use clear language
Do not use acronyms without explaining what they mean.
Use plain English.
Be mindful of people who are new to Co-op, or a team. If you use jargon, explain what you mean.
Respect people’s time
Book only the amount of time you need with people, and allow people to leave if they’ve contributed all they need to.
Plan your meeting to allow people breaks between meetings, for example 5 or 15 minutes past the hour.
If the meeting is long, schedule in regular breaks.
Value all contributions equally
Give everyone a chance to speak, do not allow one voice to dominate.
If you’re referencing what’s been inputted, reference contributions from a range of people.
Consider your audience. Be prepared to adapt your approach or process to encourage contribution from more people.
Encourage clarity, curiosity, and challenges
Explain how people can ask questions.
Encourage people to get clarity on things they do not understand.
Allow people to ask questions anonymously, for example by adding post-its to a collaboration board.
Why we created inclusive meeting guidelines
With a lot of collaboration now online, it can be harder for people to contribute effectively. This can mean some voices are not heard.
We want everyone to be able to contribute in a way they feel comfortable. This means being thoughtful about people who, for example:
have a disability or condition
are new to a team
cannot attend a meeting at a specific time
cannot access certain tools or systems
need thinking time
are introverted
are extroverted
We hope these guidelines will encourage more inclusive discussions and more perspectives to be heard.
As a result of more inclusive collaboration we believe Co-op will:
become aware of problems earlier
save money, as problems can be fixed earlier
create more inclusive products and services
open up our products and services to more people
How we created these guidelines
Our hypothesis is that remote working has made some of the ways we collaborate exclusive. We wanted to see if this was an issue for others and if so, how they’d overcome it.
Using a survey, we asked people:
what they believed could prevent people from engaging with and inputting into a meeting
for practical tools and techniques that can help people to engage and input in to a meeting
We gathered loads of valuable advice, ideas and knowledge from people in Co-op and from other organisations. After synthesising the responses, we ended up with broad themes that helped us form the guidelines.
Using what we’d learnt to structure the guidelines
From the analysis it was clear that people were time-poor and often meeting-fatigued. They wanted to get the most out of collaborative sessions as efficiently as possible.
So, we reflected this in our guidelines.
We focused on the actions – the tools, techniques and ideas – that could be immediately useful for facilitators and attendees at the start of a meeting.
The guidelines are not overly prescriptive, to allow them to be adapted for different contexts and scenarios. And we hope they’ll be shared in a whichever way works well for the facilitator – maybe added to the start of a Miro board, a Word document or a meeting invitation.
We’re looking forward to learning if and how they’re useful, and if they encourage more mindful and inclusive meetings.
What’s next
These inclusive meeting guidelines are a first draft. We will continue to:
get feedback and make them better
understand if and how they’re being used
understand if they’re helping us have better discussions
share updates and get involved in wider inclusion discussions
see how they can complement other work that’s happening in Co-op and beyond
Visit the Mind in West Essex website to download and complete the three-part application form at the bottom of this page and send it to [email protected] by the closing date of Tuesday 30th November 2021.
Online fundraising platform ActionFunder has launched today, with the aim of making it easier and quicker for firms to get funds to community grassroots activity.
ActionFunder is a virtual funding agent for community groups and small charities enabling them to pitch, just once, for consideration by many companies.
A four-month pilot phase has seen £500,000 committed by funders, with around 650 projects seeking support. So far, £200,000 has been distributed with an average grant size of around £2,500.
Key features of the platform include the ability for applicant organisations to pitch for funding by either recording a short video, or going through a quick online process. Grantees are also supported to deliver real-time project updates and an end of project impact report to funders through the platform.
ActionFunder’s matching functionality helps businesses find relevant projects that meet their giving preferences, with attributes including geography and cause areas mapped according to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. A shortlisted project can choose whether or not to accept the funds and, if more than one funder selects them, which one to accept them from.
The cross-industry group of businesses includes Sir Robert McAlpine, South West Water, Argent Related (the firm behind Brent Cross Town, King’s Cross and Birmingham’s Brindleyplace developments), and law firm RW Blears, as well as SMEs.
ActionFunder will draw upon an existing register of charitable organisations put together by Semble, the B Corp that is behind the platform, and is seeking to attract both more charities and community organisations around the country, and more businesses.
Semble has provided support to more than 3,500 community projects since it was founded in 2008, and is led by CEO Amanda Horton Mastin, a former director of Comic Relief.
Law firm RW Blears has committed £20,000 to projects supporting education and young people through ActionFunder.
In this episode we speak with Sebastian Hansen about the pros and cons of charities holding their own raffles or getting involved in existing raffles, and why raffles and gaming might be a great option for some charities to raise funds.
We also touch on the ethics, regulations, and challenges of holding raffles and lotteries and what charities should consider when doing so.
1. Considerations around digital raffles
Raffles have been with us for a long-time, but the digital revolution that we are still experiencing offers a new opportunity to charities wanting to raise funds in this way.
There are of course ethical considerations to be made over this, as with many forms of fundraising, and there are regulations that charities need to be aware of, as well as best practice. This makes online raffles and lotteries something of a challenge to charities, especially smaller ones who are unlikely to have the resource to hold a raffle big enough to justify the resource.
2. Why charities are using raffle companies?
This is where raffle companies come in very useful, ensuring regulations are met while also helping to bring in a return for charities, and as Sebastian explained, giving existing and new supporters a new form of giving.
For charities, especially small charities, that have very little resource, a third party who can help to keep the raffle or lottery compliant with legislation and best practice, while helping to engage with supporters, both old and new, through engaging marketing content is very useful.
Things to consider include the types of prizes that would be best work for your audience, and the online presence that the charity has in marketing the raffle or lottery too.
3) Problem gambling and worries around raffles and lotteries
Problem gambling is a problem in society, and it is understandable that some have misgivings and hesitations about any form of gambling. But, with a regulated and low level gaming option like a raffle, and the functionality of online raffles and lotteries to help limit ticket sales, and enforce maximum entries for players, many of these risks are mitigated.
Charities need to consider whether the pros of an online raffle or lottery proposition for their audience, or potential audience outweigh the risks. And if risks are identified, what is the tradeoff between these and being able to raise the funds the charity needs to do to continue supporting their cause.
If charities are going to examine their comfort level with holding a raffle or lottery, it makes sense that they also develop their ethical fundraising policy to include whether they will accept gifts derived from this type of fundraising, e.g. National Lottery, Postcode Community Trust, or a multitude of other game-changing funders.
Charities are being given free use of a social media content creation and management app, its developers have announced.
Justo Software has from this month waived fees for charities using its SocialSendr social media management app.
The move has been taken to help charities rebuild their finances post Covid-19 pandemic. Pro Bono Economics has estimated that during the last six months of 2020 the health crisis triggered a £6.4bn loss of income for charities.
“Since we launched SocialSendr to the small business community, we’ve received an overwhelming response, with hundreds of business owners reporting that the transformation has been immense,” said Justo Software founder Michelle Cowan.
“With charities struggling so much during the pandemic and needing our support now more than ever, we wanted to do something to help and providing SocialSendr free of charge made sense.
“We want them to have the same opportunities to promote themselves as the larger companies do and SocialSendr provides that.”
Community Grants for British Science Week 2022 are now open for applications!
Supported by UK Research and Innovation, Community Grants help eligible community groups to organise events and activities for their audiences during British Science Week (11-20 March 2022), expanding the number of people who enjoy and take part in science.
Please complete the Community Grant application form to apply for a grant. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 8 November 2021, so be sure to complete your form in good time!
For British Science Week 2022, we’re offering grants of £500 and £1000 to community groups that work with people who are typically underrepresented in science, and which set out to deliver an event or activity that involves the local community, challenges science stereotypes and inspires ongoing science engagement. Why not take a look at our Community Grant case studies to discover how previous grant recipients used the funding for their own British Science Week projects?
Before submitting your form, be sure to consult the Community Grant guidelines to find all the information you need on how to apply, and whether your community group is eligible. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]
Vulnerability Community Safety (VVCS) Grant fund information: As a partnership, our strategic goal is to reduce serious violence, the harm it causes, and to safeguard those at risk (relating to county lines, gangs and knife crime). We recognise that local organisations and groups are at the forefront of some amazing work that takes place to address these issues and we would like to support this work further as much as we can.
Our 2021-2023 VVCS grant round is for local *’not for profit’ voluntary or community clubs or organisations based in (and therefore delivering in) Essex, Southend and Thurrock only, and we are looking to fund projects that meet our stated aims and can run from January 2022- 31st March 2023.
Groups can apply for up to £20,000 to deliver support and interventions for children, young people, young adults and families (families must include children and young people, young person is defined as up to the age of 25) that have a positive impact on issues relating to crime and anti-social behaviour, violence and vulnerability. This may include early intervention work, gang & ‘county lines’, and child criminal exploitation projects.
We would be particularly interested in projects that can evidence they are meeting needs as highlighted by young people and local residents in our Listening Project 2020-2021.
You can read the full report here Some examples of need highlighted in the report are-
Increased mental health support for young people at risk of serious violence
Indoor/ outdoor safe spaces with affordable & inclusive activities for young people to socialise
Opportunities for young people to learn life skills, participate in community based or volunteering projects and undertake work experience
Work with young people and their families to raise awareness of youth violence
Projects that promote greater communication and positive engagement between the police, youth groups and schools
Targeted youth work aimed at those young people most at risk of exploitation
Support for victims of youth violence
All applications must demonstrate how their project enables children & young people to-
Make positive choices that keep them safe
Raise self-esteem and confidence
Build resilience
Improve emotional and physical health and mental wellbeing
Due diligence checks and panel decisions will happen after the closing date.
Applicants made aware of grant decisions: End of November 2021
Funds to be with groups Start of January 2022
This fund has the potential for groups to make a real and positive difference in the lives of children & young people in Essex at risk of serious violence and we are excited to be able to work with not for profit groups in local communities to see the positive impact that this will have on our young people.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT: Your organisation MUST have a recognised constitution and be a- not for profit voluntary or community club or organisation, a registered Charity, A not for profit company or community interest company or other social enterprise. company limited by guarantee, charitable incorporated organisation or Registered society.
Organisations across the world are realizing the benefits of prioritizing their people by creating safe and fulfilling work environments that nurture well-being. In a fast-evolving working world, the mental health and well-being of employees are key to both resilience and success. By focusing on embracing a culture of care, trust, and good mental health, we’re seeing a shift towards creating future-proof businesses that are supported by a happy and healthy workforce.
If you want to improve the well-being of your employees but are unsure of where to start, then ISO 45003 certification could help. The first of its kind, ISO 45003 certification shows recognition that organisations are serious about the psychological health, safety, and well-being of their people. Using practical advice, you can achieve certification to best practices and show a commitment to excellence in the care of your staff. Having your processes audited by an independent third party will instill confidence in not only your stakeholders but assure your employees that you’re prioritizing their individual well-being at a fundamental level. In short, certification helps to build trust both within and outside of your organisation.