8 ways charities are improving their fundraising campaigns with digital asset management software
Guest Blogger | 10 November 2017 | Blogs
Multichannel marketing is a cornerstone of charity fundraising efforts, and technologies such as Digital Asset Management (DAM) software are helping charitable organisations to raise awareness of their fundraising campaigns more effectively than ever before.
When running a charity, every purchasing decision is highly scrutinised. Decision makers need to know that any investment will deliver value, so it’s natural that organisers may be reluctant to spend money on seemingly tertiary items such as internal software.
However, a small outlay could make a massive difference to the volume of funds those charities are raising, if they invest in DAM software; a technology that enables organisations to store all their digital media assets, including photographs and video footage, in a single location, considerable time savings and efficiencies can be utilised.
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Here are just a few of the benefits that charities can gain by embracing DAM software for their fundraising campaigns.
1. Storing media and video files in a central location
It sounds simple, but most charitable organisations know first-hand how easy it is for valuable media assets to get lost in a sea of servers, emails, devices and even memory sticks.
Giving staff or volunteers the ability to upload, access and store images and videos on a central, online platform takes all of this away, so fundraising campaigners have a wealth of materials to choose from in a single location.
Care International is one charity already using DAM software to manage its media assets, and to date the organisation has over 21,000 images stored on a single, central platform, submitted by 495 users in worldwide locations.
2. Enabling fundraisers all over the world to upload their content
For larger organisations in particular, it can be difficult to coordinate what content is being submitted by who across various sites and projects.
A good DAM software solution is hosted in the cloud, meaning it can be accessed anywhere in the world with a good internet connection. This way, every office, outpost or field volunteer can be part of the file sharing community and upload new videos and imagery for fundraising campaigns.
The power of deploying such a platform internationally is demonstrated by the fact that global charities including ActionAid, Fair Trade, Friends of the Earth, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie and the WWF are all DAM software users.
3. Categorising fundraising activities for future campaigns
Another problem that charities of all sizes encounter is knowing what digital assets they have stored where, to draw on when creating future fundraising campaigns.
When Childfund moved over to DAM software, the charity’s Communication Content Specialist, Rachel Ringgold, remarked: “we are able to organise, manage and make use of content more effectively because of this invaluable system.”
With the right DAM software in place, users can tag photos, videos and other files as they upload them with vital information for online searches. These can be found easily when looking for new materials to support upcoming campaigns.
4. Reducing unproductive admin time
As the saying goes, time is money, and in a lean organisation like a charity, wasted time needs to be curtailed as much as possible.
By making it easier to upload, access and share digital content, organisations can drastically cut down the amount of administrative time wasted when putting new campaigns together, to deliver result quicker and more effectively.
Looking at ResourceSpace data, we have found that the average company using DAM software saves at least 10 person hours each week on admin tasks, with a third saving up to 50 hours per week.
5. Conveying a consistent message to the market
A key issue when co-ordinating fundraising campaigns is ensuring that the central message is communicated the same way in every market.
DAM software enables charities to upload a set of approved assets for each campaign, so that local users are communicating the same value points across all locations, to ensure worldwide campaign effectiveness.
One of the main reasons that Christian relief charity, Tearfund, invested in DAM software was the efficiency of its image library service, improving the process for rolling out new fundraising campaigns.
6. Using official imagery, which has been properly credited
Delivering a well-regarded campaign is as much about quality as speed of response.
As every digital asset uploaded to DAM software can include accompanying information, this makes it easy to upload essential information such as photography or videography credits, to make sure patrons are recognised for their artist input.
One such charity already benefiting from this change is Habitat for Humanity, with the organisation’s Digital and Content Manager, Dario Berrebi, remarking that DAM software “has taken out the stress of not knowing the source of our digital assets.”
7. Not overwhelming staff with too much information
While certain materials will feature in most fundraising campaigns, not everyone needs the ability to access, use and edit every single digital file you have.
The right DAM solution will enable your key team members to control access settings, so members of your organisation can use the parts of the software they need, but aren’t weighed down trying to get to grips with unnecessary features.
ActionAid, for example, shares media assets across 40 countries, but not every region needs the same access settings. Not only can user platforms be customised, but the charity’s core team can review uploaded content before it goes live on the system for sharing.
8. Giving themselves the platform for a speedy response
Not every fundraising campaign is methodically planned over several months; sometimes news events or natural disasters create the need for an immediate response.
If your organisation has a software solution in place that allows for imagery and videos to be uploaded, accessed and shared through a single, centrally controlled system, then staff members across the world will be able to put together fundraising campaigns in a matter of hours.
And in many emergency situations, every minute counts. Jennifer Nolan, Overseas Communications Officer for Concern Worldwide, remarks “we can share content all around the world, quickly and easily. I’ve uploaded content in remote places in the world and never had an issue with access.”
DAM software: a powerful platform for fundraising
As these examples show, DAM software is not a ‘nice to have’ technology for the future; it’s already helping thousands of charities to run better fundraising campaigns, which generate more profitable results.
If something is being used by both local organisations and some of the biggest charities in the world, it’s worth paying attention to. And the use cases I have shared today underline the powerful, positive benefit that DAM software can yield for hard-working charities.
Dan Huby is creator of DAM software ResourceSpace.
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