# How sharing can inspire donations for free

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/04/17/how-sharing-can-inspire-donations-for-free/
- Published: 2023-04-17T09:33:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Sharing might be caring, but when it is sharing fundraising messages via social
media and other channels, it can also be giving for free. **

You’ve seen social sharing buttons and links on fundraising platforms, blogs and
news sites like UK Fundraising. Do they actually work? Do they bring tangible results?

JustGiving has [tracked these functions since 2011](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/11/11/justgiving-reveals-average-donation-values-social-media-shares/)
and has publicly shared them from time to time.Indeed, every JustGiving fundraising
page has 15 sharing options, both to inspire and make it easy for people to share
the page in a moment.

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![JustGiving's social sharing popover in 2022.](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/
2023/04/justgiving-social-sharing-popover-2022.png)

JustGiving offers 15 ways to share a fundraising page (2022). Image: JustGiving

## Who is sharing?

It’s 2023. Sharing posts has changed a lot since they were introduced. There’s been
a long-term shift from social channels to personal messaging apps. Plenty of websites
no longer bother with the string of colourful social channel logo boxes that indicate
sharing buttons. The BBC for example no longer uses them. It seems that enough people
now know how to share content from their browser or device’s functions, certainly
on mobile.

 **SEE ALSO: [Monthly focus: fundraising for free](https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/04/11/monthly-focus-fundraising-for-free/)(
April 2023)**

Nevertheless JustGiving reports that from 1 January 2022 to 25th December 2022:

 * **nearly two million fundraisers shared their fundraising page **on its site 
   using the sharing icons.

 * **shared links generated over 22 million visits** to fundraising pages on JustGiving.
   This is someone in the fundraiser’s network clicking on the link that they shared.
 * **nearly 3 million donations** were made from these share links.  In other words
   when someone who had clicked on the fundraiser’s shared link went on to make 
   a donation.

And sharing is getting more popular. Either many of us have felt a greater need 
to share or, more likely, we are being asked better or perhaps more often to share
a fundraising ask. Whatever the cause, JustGiving reports that **23% more people
shared their fundraising pages in 2022 than 2021**.

## The value of a share

Brian Isaac shared (of course!) the [results of social sharing on JustGiving](https://blog.justgiving.com/how-social-sharing-helps-charities-raise-151-million-new-research%ef%bf%bc/)
in a blog post in March 2023.

The sharing of JustGiving fundraising pages generated some impressive results:

 * Each share drove on average 12 visits to the fundraising page.
 * An average of **1.5 donations** were generated by each shared page that was clicked.
 * An average of **£47** was donated for every share click.

 * Overall the sharing of fundraising pages brought in **£151 million** in donations

## The quality of a share

JustGiving also learned which channels proved more popular for sharing and which
were the most successful in terms of total money donated.

 So, not all shares are equal, but you do need to offer the range of choices to 
benefit the most.

 * The most popular share option was **WhatsApp**

 * The most traffic sent to shared fundraising page links was from **Facebook**

 * Shares sent via **SMS text** resulted in the most money donated.

Not surprisingly JustGiving has encouraged its users to share their fundraising 
pages, and invite others to share them, in its [fundraising tips](https://blog.justgiving.com/top-tips-to-help-fundraisers-create-the-perfect-page/)
and in its [automated email journeys](https://blog.justgiving.com/how-our-new-email-series-is-helping-people-raise-more-online/).

It also advises users to **prioritise Facebook, WhatsApp, and SMS (text)** when 
inviting supporters to share pages.

 * **[Captain Tom breaks records and fundraisers raise millions on JustGiving for COVID-19 causes](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/04/16/captain-tom-breaks-records-fundraisers-raise-millions-on-justgiving-for-covid-19-causes/)(
   16 April 2020)
 * **[JustGiving reveals individual fundraisers reach 562 people on Facebook](https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/10/03/justgiving-reveals-individual-fundraisers-reach-562-people-facebook/)(
   3 October 2012)
 * **[How to marry social media with fundraising](https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/03/14/how-marry-social-media-fundraising/)(
   14 March 2012)**
