News from the Forest

The excellent news for Nonprofits is that the online fundraising hands are still open.  The Charities Aid Foundation’s 2021 Giving Index says South Africa’s hands are open to funding for worthy causes.  We ranked twenty-one out of 114 countries surveyed.  It seems that COVID-19 had a positive impact on charitable giving.  “The pan-African tradition of ubuntu is evident in the rankings of Kenya and other sub-Saharan nations,” says Mr Neil Heslop, Chief Executive of Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).  Undoubtedly this means good news for the nonprofit sector and online fundraising.

What does it mean? 

Here’s what the high ranking means for nonprofit organisations and their use of social media fundraising:

• South Africans are a giving nation willing to open their hearts to marginalised communities. 

• A staggering 38.2 million people in South Africa are online (source:  Social Media Landscape Report 2021).  They have the potential to react to your organisation’s messages.  In turn, your donors become your advocates, spreading your message far and wide (Hey! Your message can become viral).

• Donating money to a nonprofit organisation is the third most popular method of giving (after giving directly to families and donating at church).

• The fundraising objective in our Social Media strategies is within reach.  To quote the South African CAF Report: “giving by non-physical methods (i.e., online with a bank/ credit card, using a digital wallet) has increased.” Online fundraising through social media is, therefore, the logical next step.

Going Social

 Look out for the five elements that should be in place when using social media as a fundraising platform:

• There must be a plan, call it a roadmap, which will guide the fundraising campaign.  This plan will define the campaign’s purpose and how to execute the campaign.

• A good attention-grabbing narrative because humans connect to the hearts of other humans.  “When I write, I see pictures,” C.S. Lewis said.  Let your audience see your pictures.

• The campaign should link to a website where the audience can find background information and learn more about your campaign.

• Engagement through comments, likes, shares and hashtags is social media currency essential to the campaign.  To increase the campaign’s reach, paid online promotion will also be helpful.

• Efficient execution is non-negotiable because proper planning, administration, monitoring, and evaluation are essential building blocks.

The Last Word

The news is indeed good news.  Nonprofit organisations now have excellent opportunities to build on COVID-19 fundraising successes.  More funds mean better upliftment of beneficiaries.  We are still a giving nation, and our hands are open.

You can read the South African Giving 2021 Report here: https://www.cafsouthernafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/CAF_Southern-Africa_Report_2021_PROOF_030921.pdf.