With the cost of living crisis understandably continuing to have an impact on charitable giving - more than two-thirds of people say they need to make spending cuts and donation and engagement levels remain lower than they did pre-pandemic – it’s more important than ever for charities to focus on building long-term relationships with their donors and supporters.
Looking at data from the Charities Aid Foundation 2023 UK Giving Guide, a quarter of people report that they have changed, or are planning on changing, their charitable giving habits. Despite this, overall UK charitable giving increased in 2022 (£12.7 billion) in comparison with 2021 (£10.7 billion) as a result of people, on average, donating more when they do choose to give.
This means that while there are fewer people making donations, when they do give, they choose to give more – that’s why it’s crucial to think long-term, because donors are rewarding good charity relationships.
Relationship building has always been at the heart of brilliant fundraising, but this change in the fundraising landscape means that, in the main, donors are staying loyal to causes they have existing relationships with, rather than adopting new causes – making it more vital than ever to focus on retaining the support of the people already invested in your charity’s important work.
Here are some things to think about.