If the potential of the mobile and other online fundraising options is to be reached, how can fundraisers make sure they have the necessary skills to help deliver? According to the Virtual Promise survey by nfpSynergy, published in 2009, 67% of 187 charities questioned said that inadequate staff skills were an obstacle in helping the organisation make the most of the internet – just slightly fewer than the previous year. Its an issue taken up by the Institute of Fundraising. In the past two years, the Institute has been running a series of “webinars” – online seminars – for members, focusing on the internet and professional skills. Its academy also offers courses on e-fundraising and making the most of social media. At the same time the Institute, as part of its civil society work with the Office for Civil Society, has tailored a training course in e-fundrasing specifically for smaller charities.
Category: Innovations
Justgiving has unveiled a new online platform for staff fundraising in a move the fundraising organisation predicts will boost company fundraising.
The company fundraising ‘tool’ sits within the Justgiving site, but is entirely branded by the company taking part. Employees can create profiles, teams and events from which they can raise money and the site ranks the most successful in each category. The site features a running total of staff fundraising, which companies will be able to match and will enable companies and their staff to support multiple charities.Civilsociety.co.uk first reported this service was in beta testing in April this year, with about 20 companies using the service in trial stage, but this morning Justgiving launched the service in full to other companies alongside a couple of the early adopters, Barclays and John Lewis. View the Waitrose company page here Justgiving said that financial companies were particularly interested in the service.
Tearfund is to launch a smartphone app based on the principle of ‘gamification’, the use of gameplay mechanics for non-game applications.The charity has appointed ethical communications agency Provokateur to develop the app, which will aim to engage young people by rewarding them for practical, real-life actions that support the work of the international aid and development charity.
This is a huge opportunity for charities and I think it shows that it’s time for the sector to get very creative and ambitious when coming up with ideas for how companies can help them.
I’m sure that if a couple of years ago someone had come up with the bright idea that one of the major mobile networks should fund the development and running of a totally free text donation service for every charity and fundraiser in the whole of the UK, they would have been laughed out the door.
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JustTextGiving
JustTextGiving is a new service that helps charities, no matter how big or small, raise more money. Donations can now be made with a simple text message and it’s free to set up and run.
Your charity gets every penny
No set up fee. No membership fee.
No commission. No catches.
via JustTextGiving.