Social media has more to offer, but fundraisers need the right support

Social media has become an essential part of fundraising, which is why we have been having one-on-one conversations and roundtables with members to make sure their views are represented in the Charity Commission’s consultation on draft guidance: Charities and Social Media 

We had some very interesting and constructive discussions that we hope will improve the guidance - you can see our response here. But the engagement with members also showed us that for charities to get the most out of the many unique benefits social media has to offer, there are wider challenges trustees and senior leadership need to address. 

Social media has transformed fundraising for the better. People can donate to an urgent appeal in just a few quick taps, sign up to a virtual challenge or join a forum of like-minded supporters (some of whom might be on the other side of the world) and build lasting friendships. Not only do all these activities bring in valuable income, they foster social action by raising awareness of important causes and connecting people who are passionate about them.  

For fundraisers to truly get the most out of social media, they need investment and encouragement to innovate. From talking to members, it’s clear some fundraisers are not getting this, which is not just hampering innovation, but making it harder to manage the demands of day-to-day campaigns and activities. But they think this would change if boards and senior leaders better understood their work and the opportunities on social media to fundraise.   

Social media is perhaps one of the most complex fundraising channels as there are so many different ways to reach and build relationships with donors. As such, boards and senior leaders must understand it so they can make informed strategic and investment decisions.  

Our members would like to see the Charity Commission encourage trustees to learn more about social media so they are confident in giving fundraisers the resources to use it to its full potential. This guidance is a good opportunity to get this on their radar and highlight that alongside mitigating risks, trustees have a responsibility to make sure their organisation is in a position to take advantage of the opportunities on social media, so their charity has the money to achieve its charitable objectives.  

In practice, there are a number of ways to make this happen. Our members have found that when boards work with fundraisers - through reverse mentoring or simply meeting more regularly with fundraisers - they've built up the rapport and knowledge necessary to take risks and invest in new things.  

… or any other platform. Some of our members have raised concerns that this guidance implies charities should have rigid social media policies that expect too much input from trustees, which will only hold charities back from using it efficiently.  

Change happens fast in social media so fundraisers need to make decisions quickly to adapt to changes in algorithms, as well as donor habits and preferences. If policies expect trustees to feed into day-to-day decisions, then the charity will miss out on opportunities to raise money and give donors a good experience. Our members often find the best way to avoid this is by having a principals based approach - the board sets out the values of how a charity behaves online, and staff are empowered to make day-to-day decisions on campaigns and activities.  

Fundraising effectively on social media doesn’t just mean bringing in income, it also means looking after the fundraisers (or communications, or supporter care teams) who are doing it. As anyone can comment on a charity’s post, staff will often have to manage a wide variety of feedback, which could be positive or negative. This can be overwhelming - not only do they have to build rapport with potential donors and respond to constructive feedback, but they could be subject to abuse or offensive posts (some of which might be coming from automated bots rather than people).  

Our members want to see trustees and senior leaders implement meaningful ways to support staff who are on the frontline, particularly if they are having to read abuse connected to a protected characteristic like racism or homophobia. Some have been exploring different ways of doing this, including creating safe spaces for staff to let off steam, or rotating staff so they are not responding to feedback every day.  

There has been a lot of discussion across the sector about the Commission’s decision to include a section about the risks posed to the charity from trustees, staff and volunteers posting from their personal accounts. When we raised this with our members, they recognised that in circumstances where the individual’s views directly oppose their organisation’s charitable objectives, this can become a problem. That said, when individuals connected with the charity take on a DIY fundraising challenge, or post about the importance of the cause, they can inspire others to give.  

So charities need to find a balance - you only have to look at the situation with Gary Lineker to see that an overly heavy-handed approach can backfire.  

None of these challenges can be solved overnight, however, we hope the final guidance is a step in the right direction. If and when guidance in this area (and others) develop, we look forward to talking to our members and make sure their views are represented so charities can keep innovating and finding new ways to bring in income.