Digital fundraising for charities since 2009

Shanelle Newton Clapham has been raising funds online for non-profits and charities since 2009, making her one of the most experienced digital fundraising consultants in Australia.

Digital is a reliable fundraising channel

In 2019, many organisations still consider digital fundraising to be a new channel – especially for reliable income and acquisition of new donors. In the last 6 years alone, Parachute Digital is responsible for over $2,633,000 in e-Appeals and peer to peer income, and influenced in-house fundraisers for millions more. For our favourite charity clients we have delivered literally hundreds of thousands of supporters to a wide range of environmental, health, human rights, homelessness and poverty causes and over 8,600 newly acquired regular donors.

What is the most effective digital fundraising channel?

For cash and appeals, Email has been the most reliable digital fundraising channel for driving income for the last decade. As the charity sector is maturing with its digital fundraising and campaign, it’s become a more competitive landscape to cut through in a supporter’s inbox. A digital fundraising strategy that is built on content and an excellent donor experience, will enable the paid search and SEO channel to contend for the top spot.

When it comes to event and peer to peer fundraising, it goes without saying that digital is the only channel that delivers significant income (outside of major donor events and gala dinners). Social media can shine in this (peer to peer) environment but otherwise it should be utilised primarily as an awareness and retention channel.

Is digital the future of fundraising?

Digital is the future of just about everything – and fundraising will be no different to other sectors, we will all have to change with the times. Our best donors are aging but they have many years left in them and they will continue to give in the way that best suits them. Having said that, digital has been steadily growing for the last 7 years and it is undeniable that Face to Face and Telemarketing are still much more effective ways of acquiring a new donor than digital. This is because an online experience, no-matter how wonderful and heart warming or heart wrenching it is, can ever compete with a human voice and two eyes looking straight at you asking you if you can help.

Digital needs to support offline channels and make them work harder. Digital is the future, but it’s not the be all and end all. Like everything, it’s about talking to your donor in the right channel, at the right time with the right ask.

Is digital fundraising working for you?

If not, then let’s talk. We can review what you’ve been doing to date and give you some advice on whether or not its the way you’ve been using the channel that’s ineffective, or if perhaps its your case for support that is lacking. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing the segmentation or targeting and a few tweaks to how you’ve implementing your digital communications.

If it is – brilliant. The more charities that have success in this space, the brighter all of our futures will be. We are glad to have another advocate by our side.