Festive Giving: Unwrapped
With Festive preparations well underway across the Third Sector, our latest event examined the giving landscape, what that means for festive campaigns, and how to cut through a crowded market to have the most successful fundraising campaign.
GOOD’s Planner, Jess Sargent, hosted the event with guest speaker Nick Smith, Director at JAA Media. Here are our key takeaways.
Looking back
2023 saw a steady rise in consumer confidence, and by December, we were in a much better place than that time in 2022. However, longer-term worries still remained; and Christmas spending was subdued.
The giving picture in 2023 was interesting—while the amount donated to charities increased, inflation meant these donations went less far. This increase was also mainly driven by some donors giving more rather than more people giving to charity. Despite this, the typical charity donation hasn’t increased from £20 since 2017, a staggering 7 years.
What we learned
Thinking back to some of our campaigns from last year, there are a few standout things that can help you build a successful festive fundraising campaign.
Rethink integration. You can integrate your campaign in a few different ways through a story, product issue or theme, and where you sit on that scale really depends on what works for your organisation and what helps bring supporters onboard.
Create connection. Creating a connection to your cause and the stories you are telling is vital. At GOOD, we centre lived experience in our work, which creates powerful and authentic campaigns. Crisis at Christmas had been declining for the last 3 years; however, through our 2023 campaign, we managed to end the decline, and that would not have been possible without centring the lived experience of three people Crisis supported.
Build relevance. We know some causes naturally are more relevant at Christmas, like children’s charities and homelessness. But for many organisations, the link can feel less natural. Consider what’s going on in your organisation during the winter months and Christmas, and what are the people you support experiencing. When creating our Marie Curie 2023 Christmas campaign, we spoke to the public to try and get a real understanding of what Christmas looks like for people who are dealing with terminal illness or bereavement and how they wanted to talk about this experience.
Looking forward
Our 2024 campaigns will have to contend with some big issues, so here are some things to consider.
Navigating the cost of living crisis. The Charities Aid Foundation, UK Giving Report 2024, found that some of the least affluent parts of the country are among the most generous. Can you break the £20 giving habit? How can you encourage people to give more? Also consider those who are cash poor now may still be asset rich, and they may be able to support in the future through a legacy gift for example.
Squeezed budgets. Integration offers the most bang for your buck. Also, Winter is a key time for acquisition; make sure you have journeys in place to onboard new donors.
The election. There are likely to be some key battlegrounds like the NHS, homelessness, refugees, education and young people. Our Tomorrows Donor, Today report found people aged 18-50 feel that the world is stuck in poly-crises without clear ways forward. There’s very low trust in any government to find solutions, so they are particularly looking for charities to offer proven solutions to key issues. So stay consistent and give people answers and tangible solutions to maintain and grow trust.
GOOD we deliver high-impact Christmas campaigns for a multitude of clients. Get in touch with us at hello@goodagency.co.uk for more information.
Posted by Katie Daley
