Four Fundraising Trends to have on your radar in 2023

Fundraising trends are ever-changing, and the charity sector is constantly shifting gears to keep up.

With this in mind, here are four fundraising trends to have on your radar in 2023.

1.     Fundraising flexibility for the win

As the cost-of-living crisis continues, people are rethinking how they spend their cash. As a result, charities are seeing a drop in donations. For some, such as Derby-based me&dee, donations have ‘ground to a halt altogether’.

Maria Hanson MBE, founder of the charity, said: “We recently lost five of our regular monthly supporters. This is our only set income, and therefore a massive concern.”

While the decrease in donations is not surprising, there is something you can do to hold onto your regular donors.

Enter flexible giving.

Flexible Giving

Research by PayPoint found that 64% of people who make regular donations to charity said they would welcome the flexibility to change the amount they donate and when they donate.

As a result, countless apps are popping up that put donors in control of how much they spend, when, and with whom.

Here’s the lowdown on just three of the many options on offer.

Toucan

Through the Toucan app, users can choose up to three charities to support.

They can donate to the same charities each month, or switch it up. And the amount and frequency can be changed at the touch of a button.

The ultimate app for flexible giving.

Buengo

With Buengo, people can sell unwanted items and donate the proceeds to a cause of their choice.

Sellers declutter, buyers bag a bargain, and charities raise more money.

Everyone wins.

Pledjar

When someone makes a purchase through the Pledjar app, Pledjar rounds it up to the nearest pound, and at the end of the week, the user can donate their accumulated ‘round-ups’ to a charity of their choice.

Users have full control over which charity they donate to and they can switch causes whenever they like.

2.     The Gift of Gaming

Gaming for Good refers to the trend of gamers raising money for good causes through playing video games. Typically, gamers record themselves playing and broadcast it live for others to watch online.

A few notable names in the gaming for good world are DanTM PewDiePie, and Jacksepticeye

Build a rapport with a gaming influencer in 2023 and you could see donations soar.

While we’re on the subject of influencers …

3.     Inspire through influence

Social influencers are digital creators with large, engaged social media followings, who have built a reputation for their knowledge or expertise on a specific topic. They use their authority to influence the habits, behaviour, and purchasing decisions of their followers by promoting brands, products or services on their social media channels.

Corporate brands have been utilising the power of influencers for years. But charities are just starting to recognise the value of influencer marketing, and are teaming up with influencers who want to use their influence for social good.

Take former Love Island contestant Chris Hughes. After signing up to be an ambassador for mental health charity CALM, he became the face of the charity’s #DontBottleItUp campaign, which saw him talk on video about how he deals with anxiety issues.

The video generated 120 million social impressions and 1.4 million views. CALM saw an influx of new supporters as a result.

With 29% of online donors saying that social media is the communication platform that most inspires them to give, it’s safe to say that charity-influencer partnerships will continue to grow in 2023.

4.     Peer-to-peer power

Did you know that peer-to-peer fundraising increased revenue by 30% between 2020 and 2021? That’s nine times the growth experienced from physical and hybrid fundraising.

Peer-to-peer or P2P fundraising is a strategy in which members of the public organise events or take on challenges to raise money on a charity’s behalf.

It’s an effective way for charities to tap into new networks of supporters.

With an ever-growing number of fundraising apps, the value of peer-to-peer will only increase as we move into 2023.

Final Word

That’s our take on fundraising trends for 2023. What would you add?