10 lessons learned from the online collections of 2021

Several times a year Kentaa organises 'Fundraising Inspiration Sessions' for her clients, focussed around different themes. Sessions during which our clients meet each other, share knowledge and experiences and learn from each other. This way, Kentaa promotes optimal use of its online fundraising tools and stimulates innovation in the sector.

On 9 December 2021, a session took place about online fundraising with Digicollect. No less than 24 participants from 15 different organisations shared their lessons learned about online fundraising. And what a lot there was to learn! We share the 10 most important tips from their practice with you.

1. Focusing on the retention of online collectors is valuable

There are opportunities to be found with returning collectors. They already know how online collection works and moreover, it usually costs less time, money and effort to reactivate an already known collector than to recruit a new one.

To get them to start collecting again, it is important to help them with their donation request. Where it is 'normal' for people to go door-to-door with the collection box for several years in a row, this is less obvious with the online collection.

In addition, with the online collection, friends and family are more often called upon, which makes asking for donations again, difficult for some people. As an organisation, you can help by offering the collector tools that help with the request for a donation. For example, information about what was achieved with the previous collection and why it is so important to give again now.

In addition, you must stay in contact with them throughout the year and build on your relationship. Not just when the collection is about to start, but before that. This will increase the chance that they will become active again.

2. A specific goal promotes success

The session was attended by both organisations with a national collection week and organisations that collect online on a campaign basis. A common challenge they face is to make the collection successful year after year.

One of the tips that came up is to link a specific goal to the online collection. What do you want to make possible with this collection? What important research or project are we financing together? Who will be helped?

This also helps to keep returning collectors enthusiastic. This way, they do not have to approach their network with the exact same story.

3. Personal attention pays off when activating the collector

A personal approach by email or telephone is a good way of activating online collectors. They appreciate this enormously. But doesn't this cost a lot of time? Not if you keep track of it every day, participants said.

The most valuable thing is to put time and effort into encouraging collectors with a special story. Or your most successful collectors. Increasing their success is easier than activating a collector who struggles to collect a single donation.

4. Positive communication is not often too much

Fundraising organisations are often afraid to send too many emails to their online collectors. One of the conclusions from the session was that this fear is unnecessary. Triggers (emails, text messages) with a positive message are generally not experienced as annoying by online collectors. So just do it!

It can also help if you give online collectors an indication of the number of messages they will receive in the first moment of contact. That way they are prepared.

5. Online collection is not difficult

Several organisations agree that online collecting with Digicollect is very easy. And that you have to make that clear to the collectors. Not with a manual (which makes it seem more difficult than it is), but in a relaxed way. Everyone can do it!

6. Not everyone wants to collect online, but many do wish to contribute!

Online collection is not for everyone, but people often do want to make a contribution. That is why it is smart to create a general online collection box in the name of your organisation. In such an 'organisation box', those who want to contribute but do not want to collect, can easily make a donation. Every donation is another one you would not have received otherwise.

7. Warm contacts can be easily converted into active online collectors by telephone.

A telemarketing campaign can be successful in recruiting active collectors, as demonstrated by an example from one of the participating organisations. They called a group of warm contacts and asked them to collect online. A significant number of them not only created a box, but actually started to collect donations.

8. A younger target group can also collect online

Fundraising organisations look for ways to activate and involve a younger target group. The online collection proves to be a good channel for this as well. Precisely because it is so simple and easily accessible. One of the participating organisations has set up a separate Digicollect site for this purpose. With its own look and feel. They encouraged mutual competition, which caught on among the young people. With Digicollect you can see on an overview page what is collected per bus and you can respond to that.

9. WhatsApp is the most powerful channel for raising donations

WhatsApp is the most successful social sharing channel. By sharing a collection bus page through this app, the most donations are collected and the highest return is achieved. The social character helps, but also the fact that it is a direct approach. In addition, in WhatsApp groups, social pressure is a motive for donating.

So encourage your online collectors to share their personal buses via WhatsApp.

10. Collectors value tips and encouragement, also from each other

If online collection is so easy, then tips are not necessary, are they? Not quite true! It turned out that despite the ease with which they could collect, online collectors still really appreciate receiving tips. They receive these tips by email from the Digicollect platform and/or by Sms if you enrich the Digicollect platform with mobile journeys.

But you can go much further. One of our clients organised a webinar for and by online collectors to encourage each other. Afterwards, the participants were very enthusiastic and successful.

Are you not using Digicollect yet and did you become enthusiastic after reading these tips? Please contact Kentaa to talk further!

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