Fundraisers operate in an ever-changing landscape. Some of the biggest shifts impacting acquisition are happening in how people give and engage with charities, reflecting wider changes in how we communicate, find information, and interact with commercial organisations.
As these commercial organisations increasingly use AI to micro-segment and personalise the consumer experience, their interactions are becoming more relevant and meaningful. As a result, people are now expecting that same level of communication as standard – including from nonprofits.
From “what am I giving?” to “what am I contributing?”
At the same time, what engages people is changing too. Wars, climate crises and humanitarian disasters have left many feeling emergency-saturated, while more people want to understand the difference their support actually makes. The question is no longer simply, ‘What am I being asked to give?’ but ‘What am I contributing to the world?’
And there are more ways than ever to answer that question. From volunteering and community action to ethical consumption and simply liking an influencer’s post, people have a growing number of ways to do good. So, if a charity doesn’t demonstrate relevance, impact and authenticity, people may simply choose not to engage – and declining donor numbers across multiple markets suggest this is already happening.
For charities, keeping pace means striking a difficult balance: matching the personalised experiences offered by commercial organisations, while also demonstrating that fundraising and engagement are delivered cost-effectively. Donors expect costs to be kept under control, but they also want personalised, authentic, targeted interactions.
What this means for face-to-face fundraising
For face-to-face fundraising, this means adapting to keep the channel effective, engaging, and relevant.
The personal connection of one human talking to another human remains this channel’s fundamental strength. But technology needs to support what happens next – by helping us manage the relationship after that first interaction, so we can deliver the experience donors now expect and turn an initial connection into a deeper, enduring one.
There’s also an opportunity to look beyond the people who immediately sign up as monthly donors. What can technology and personalisation do for the people who share their information but don’t sign up? Or those who make a one-time gift? There are already some really good examples of organisations succeeding with the inclusion of one-time gifts through face-to-face. It may be more complicated operationally, but the question is worth asking: how can technology help us build relationships from a range of interactions?
Ultimately, success comes down to systems, analytics and the ability to create a strong, personalised journey after that first interaction – connecting the strength of human engagement with the capabilities of modern data and technology.
Learning from markets around the world
For fundraisers, this raises more questions: what will work in my market, for my charity? What are other charities doing, and what’s working for them?
Answering that means looking beyond your own market, to F2F fundraising globally, and seeing how different charities are responding to the challenges and opportunities.
Markets may differ: social culture, F2F fundraising maturity, payment systems, and regulation all bring important practical considerations. But when it comes to donor interaction, there is a huge amount of transferable learning. An approach that doesn’t translate perfectly to another market isn’t irrelevant, it’s worth considering. Sometimes that’s where the biggest inspiration is found.
Where face-to-face is barely established, organisations can look to more mature markets and consider how to learn, adapt and apply a universal approach of face-to-face human engagement. For those leading the way in F2F fundraising in a market, the first-mover advantage can be significant. And often what emerges isn’t brand-new innovation, but a reminder of tried-and-tested best practice: engaging donors well, and having good analytics. Sharing and learning across markets keeps reminding us that these fundamentals are what often drive success for our causes.
Join me in Vienna
The 3rd International F2F Fundraising Congress in Vienna next March presents an invaluable opportunity to come together, share and learn from each other, spark new ideas, and see where the opportunities lie. With Filipa Morais Santos from SOS Children’s Villages International, I’ll be exploring the changing fundraising landscape in more depth, the external and sector trends shaping acquisition and F2F fundraising in particular, how they’re playing out across different markets, and how organisations are responding and adapting. I look forward to continuing the discussion with you there!
Emily Bracken is the CEO of Consulting at Daryl Upsall International, a global non-profit consultancy working across more than 80 markets to support nonprofit organisations to achieve their growth objectives. She has led consulting projects ranging from fundraising programme reviews, global expansion and investment planning, and the creation of growth and diversification strategies, with a focus on individual giving strategy.