# Insights into public’s feelings about restarting in-person events revealed

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/03/24/insights-into-publics-feelings-restarting-in-person-events-revealed/
- Published: 2021-03-24T09:12:51+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**With the government’s roadmap out of lockdown providing the opportunity to restart
in-person fundraising events, a report from Enthuse has revealed insights into how
the public may be feeling about these.**

 

Among the 1,015 people surveyed for the third edition of [Enthuse](https://enthuse.com/)’
s quarterly [Donor Pulse report](https://enthuse.com/insights/donor-pulse-report-spring-2021/),
three quarters (73%) of respondents said they still had some concerns about taking
part in mass participation events in the next three to six months. However, 45% 
said they were happy to take part in hybrid events, while just over half (52%) would
be encouraged to take part if they could choose whether they did it virtually or
in-person.

## Advertisement

 

Generally, the under 40s were the most interested in getting involved with events
in the next six months, with 43% of 18–24 year olds and 45% of 25–39 year olds saying
they were likely to get involved. This compares to 27% of 40-54 year olds, 13% of
55-64 year olds and 9% of 65-80 year olds.

 

The type of event people said they were most interested in participating in is something‘
fun’, with 41% ranking this top overall, compared to 30% favouring a ‘challenge’
and 9% a ‘race’.

 

42% for example were interested in map-based virtual events, where participants 
run the distance of a famous course and have milestones flagged. On reasons to take
part in map-based challenges, 44% said it sounded more fun than a normal virtual
event, and 45% stated it was safer than a mass participation activity.

 

#### More key findings

 * Giving remains stable: three months ago, 69% of those surveyed said they had 
   donated to charity, & that total has stayed the same three months on.
 * 35% of people saying they felt more positive towards charities and the work they
   do, compared with 4% saying they felt less positive.
 * 40% of the public have not made any form of cash donation to charity since before
   the pandemic started. 26% want to use cash for donations going forward, with 
   the majority (51%) choosing online as their preferred method.
 * 40% of the public have made donations online over the last three months.
 * Direct donations via charity websites have risen from 40% during the initial 
   lockdown to 48% during the last three months.
 * This 8% rise in direct donations is nearly matched by a 7% rise in brand recall
   over the same period. Overall 78% of donors giving directly to a charity can 
   remember the name of the organisation compared to only 63% using consumer giving
   platforms.
 * Those who’ve given in the last three months are far more likely to give than 
   those who haven’t, with 86% of recent donors likely to give again and 24% of 
   those who haven’t given planning to donate soon.

Commenting on the research, Chester Mojay-Sinclare, Enthuse Founder and CEO, said:

> “Charities have a lot to consider in their fundraising strategy as events begin
> to return. While the public wants to get involved and engaged with fundraising
> activities, they have mixed feelings about when and how to do so. Charities will
> need to find a balance to achieve communicating ‘having fun’ and ’staying safe’
> to appeal to the broadest audience of supporters. As well as their events strategy,
> charities also need to start to think about a world focused around online donations.
> The pandemic has accelerated the shift away from hard cash to digital donations
> in all formats – this fundamental change should be at the heart of future fundraising
> strategies.”