Ten charities and CSR programmes who are making the most out of online fundraising
Howard Lake | 14 May 2015 | Blogs
Online fundraising exists in many different forms and this Top Ten considers everything from apps, online auction platforms and the strength of trending campaigns that go viral on social media.
The utilisation of digital fundraising has become the sieve that separates the successful from the not-so-successful in the third sector. These charities are on trend and reaping the rewards of online innovation.
1. Teenage Cancer Trust
No-one has utilised and benefited from online fundraising platforms more than the Teenage Cancer Trust. A charity supporting teenagers, it has shown all the vitality, innovation and energy of its beneficiary. Stephen Sutton caught the attention of the nation through his blog on living with bowel cancer. Through JustGiving, he was able to raise 4.2 million pounds as an ambassador for the charity, this figure continues to grow after his death.
Fin and Jack from the YouTube channel, JacksGap, exceeded their target of $100,000, raising $177,496 on fundraising platform Prizeo. Whilst sister charity, Team Cancer America auctioned off a dance lesson with Cody Simpson on Omaze. Teenage Cancer Trust continues to move forward, exploring new digital fundraising platforms.
2. Unicef
In terms of figures, top of the leader board is Unicef, with their online raffle for a walk-on role in the most recent Star Wars film. Unicef worked with with Disney and with the help of PR from J.J. Abram’s team, the raffle raised $4.26 million! Raffles, unlike auctions, don’t just limit prizes to affluent individuals, they open it up to the masses and Unicef have demonstrated that this is where the big bucks are made. Omaze and CharityStars also offer their users raffle entries.
In a raffle in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, Justin Bieber raised over $1 million for the appeal #GiveBackPhilipines. Unicef continues to dominate the raffle realm of online fundraising.
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3. Playstation CSR
Since 2006 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has gained increasing momentum, developing new initiatives by which the big brands can give back. In a partnership with online auction platform CharityStars, Sony has auctioned 50 limited edition PlayStation 4’s, raising a grand total of €100,000.
4. Clinton Foundation
With a growing awareness of the promotional value of social media and celebrity ambassadors, charities can go further with digital fundraising. The Clinton Foundation gets a spot in the top ten for the personal commitment of their founders to using digital fundraising. Bill and Hilary Clinton did not leave it to their other celebrity ambassadors, stepping up; they offered a lucky winner the chance to join the couple for lunch. This particular auction raised $500,000, whilst the chance to shadow the former president went for a quarter of a million dollars. The auctions were hosted on US online platform CharityBuzz.
5. Philippines Typhoon Hayan appeal
Whilst this emergency appeal wasn’t run by an individual charity, numerous charities such as Tear Fund, Unicef and Oxfam united to combat the effects of this natural disaster. This is a shining example of new online donation streams. ‘The Show You Care, Then Share’ app, enabled the appeal to raise £25,000 by texting a £5 donation before sharing it with five online friends.
6. RNLI
Like the Typhoon Appeal, RNLI has grasped the potential of a successful app. 2014 saw them launch H2ONLY, an app which challenges its fundraisers to drink nothing but water for two weeks, allowing them to share and update on their challenge via social media.
7. Virgin Money Giving
Virgin Money Giving is a not-for-profit fundraising website from Virgin Money, enabling every fundraiser to reach their target through online donations. Whether a marathon runner or cake sale baker, it takes minutes to set up and provides top fundraising tools.
8. Live Onlus
Live Onlus is a charity that epitomises the consistent use of online fundraising. Due to the commitment of their celebrity ambassadors, particularly Italian footballer Leonardo Bonnuci, Live Onlus has raised £89,325 on CharityStars. Whilst the items are not always of significantly high value, the charity uses the platform to auction off the steady stream of memorabilia and experiences donated by their ambassadors. You can currently bid on two front row seats for the Juventus – Monaco match, donated by Bonnucci.
9. Action Against Hunger
A charity with its fingers in all the pies! Action Against Hunger are big advocates of the online auction platform and have used these globally. Both CharityBuzz and Prizeo have hosted auctions for them in the US, with the latter uniting with Enrique Iglesias for an all-access concert experience. CharityStars, operating in Europe, has also hosted a luxury culinary experience with celebrity chef Vivek Singh and the charity continues to favour the online auction platform.
10. Trekstock
E-fundraising has seen the third sector move away from gala dinners aimed at the affluent elite and demure sealed silent bids. The hashtag and the ‘who got more shares’ phenomena is sweeping the philanthropic scene and Trekstock were fashionably on time. Social media has played a huge part in the success of E-fundraising, and in 2013 the hashtag #hangwithliamandharry enabled One Direction to raise $780,000 for the UK-based charity.
The Trekstock campaign, a charity that supports young people diagnosed with cancer, was raffled off on the platform Prizeo and demonstrates the dynamism generated by social media in E-fundraising.
“Charities have a rising awareness of harnessing the benefits of social media to spread a message in a matter of moments, this combined with the current celebrity culture; has lead to insurmountable results for online auctions campaigns. E-fundraising has a new and fruitful kid on the block – the auction platform!”
Robert Robinson, MD of CharityStars
Robert Robinson is MD of CharityStars.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.