Is the sector too risk-averse for brave new ideas? It has been 20 years since the last game-changer in fundraising. But there are positive signs and the next big thing might be just around the corner, says Stephen Cotterill.
No matter what sector you are in, innovation is a vital component of your organisation. Challenging accepted norms and striving to create new, more efficient services or products is what sets you aside from your competitors and gets results. The fundraising sector is no exception.
Nesta’s predictions for the top technology innovations of 2015 include: scent transmissions for smartphones; rubbish bins that can tell you when they are full; crowd-aware billboards; and face-recognition art installations. Ok, these are hardly much use to fundraisers, but Nesta also cites the growing influence of innovative products such as crowdfunding platforms and intelligent apps, which are relevant to the sector. The tools are out there. It’s a case of picking them up and using them.
Moreover, technology is only one aspect. Innovation comes in many forms. From rebranding to revamping services to a shift in your organisation’s culture, there are always new ways of doing things and different paths to stride down.
So, how is the sector doing so far? Well, traditionally the sector is risk-averse and understandably so. Costly trial and error experimentation is not a luxury that fundraisers, or their trustees, are likely to be keen to adopt – after all, this is money given by the public in good faith. However, when experts highlight the shift two decades ago from one-off giving to direct debits as being the most recent innovation to change the fundraising landscape, there is obviously room for improvement – and it need not necessarily be costly.
Our daily, working lives have been massively impacted by innovation and we engage with the world in a very different way than we did 20 years ago. Are charities doing enough to reflect this shift?
Efforts are being made. Cancer Research UK announced last month that contactless donations can be made at its shop windows at four locations. A small start perhaps, but who can say it won’t be the next big thing? Online platforms for crowdfunding and e-auctions are continuing to gain traction. These are positive signs.
Getting people to part with well-earned, hard-earned cash is no mean feat and fundraisers must constantly think of new, innovative techniques to facilitate giving. It is essential that the sector, and particularly its boards of trustees, are brave enough to support game-changing initiatives and are prepared to take the plunge to make those breakthroughs happen.
