On Wednesday 1 July, we hosted a webinar on the future of digital marketing for charities. We were joined by around 70 senior leaders, communicators and digital marketeers from the sector to hear a fascinating discussion between Charity People’s Ben Garner and four of the sector’s leading experts:
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Emily Casson, Digital Marketing Manager, Cat’s Protection
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Asim Lone, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, The Royal Air Forces Association
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Antonia Murray, Digital Marketing Manager, Mencap
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Craig Hayward, Director of Digital at National Citizen Service
Our panelists described the significant changes that have occured in online behaviour through the coronavirus crisis including a swing away from mobile as the dominant and growing device used to get online, spikes in digital fundraising and significant changes in the times that people are online.
At the close of the discussion, we asked them to look to the future and give one key prediction. Here’s what they said:
1. Making use of new technologies allowing more charities to create, for example, bespoke online donation journeys using GiveWP, a free WordPress plugin. Asim Lone
2. Re-visiting your user personas. Everything we thought we knew about our audiences has changed. Taking the time to learn what has changed for your audiences and sketching out new personas for them would be really powerful. Craig Hayward
3. Growth. Digital fundraising will continue to grow. Don’t confuse it with Individual Giving, think across the piece including shops, community and events. Think big and start small. Test and grow. Emily Casson
4. Integration. Data is increasingly important and data from digital marketing and fundraising can be used across the organisation to benefit colleagues in services, communications and other areas – greater integration of digital is the future. Antonia Murray
Digital marketing and fundraising is an area of opportunity for charities. If you would like to talk about how to find the best digital talent in the sector, please contact Ben Garner at BenG@charitypeople.co.uk
