L’last year there was fear: that the growth of digital for donations was a transitory phenomenon, driven by the pandemic and that we would return to more traditional ways of giving, in a sector where habit prevails. Now comes the confirmation: the pandemic has subverted established patterns, has pushed the technological transition of the third sector: the use of digital continues its growth and for direct donations to non-profits reaches 35% of preferences in 2021 (it was 33% in 2020) by detaching cash which continues to drop to 27% (it was 29% the previous year).
The Donare 3.0 survey, conducted by Bva Doxa for PayPal and Rete del Dono, conducted among donors – with representative interviews of about 20 million Italian Internet users aged 18-64 plus interviews with Millennials – reveals that all methods of donations have grown with the pandemic, whether it is a solidarity gift, a donation to third sector entities or crowdfunding. “The aspect to be noted for us is that crowdfunding has grown by about 4% net of emergencies, a sign of how much the tool has consolidated” explains Valeria Vitali, founder of the crowdfunding platform Rete del Dono which in 2021 collected 2.7 million euros.
The advance of the millennials
The survey – which will be presented on May 19 at 2.30 pm in streaming (here the results of the previous edition) – reveals how women and younger generations are confirmed as donors. Interesting is the positive trend of Millennials and Gen Z, which in 2021 replicate the leap forward of 2020. Not only that, the percentage of Millennials (61%) who donate to more associations is also growing. “This will have disruptive consequences on traditional loyalty strategies – comments Paolo Venturi, director of Aiccon, center of studies on Civil Economy and Non-profit – First of all it will be necessary to radicalize the investment in digital which will become a” core “element and no longer prostheses of” analog “strategies . Not only that, if until now fundraising has been built around the concept of the donor’s pyramid (where the greater ability to donate was correlated to a higher relational quality), today it will be necessary to ground new projects guided by purpose. Transparency and the relevance of the good cause will be necessary but no longer sufficient, since it will be necessary to highlight the value in terms of community impact. The new generations are in fact strongly oriented to co-produce positive changes in their own territory and to participate in the representations that shape the future they desire ».
The thrust of growth hacking
And precisely on the impact, in the midst of the pandemic, the startup ImpactOn was born which brings together the knowledge of the third sector with digital skills pushed up to growth hacking that is a fast growth approach through a mix of marketing, data analysis, audience listening. One would expect a technique or a technology and instead «what we propose is a mindset, a mentality. Many third sector organizations start from the idea of what they like, without really knowing what works and what doesn’t “explains founder Fabio Salvatore, a fundraising expert who after 17 years in Uganda with the Missionary Fathers, oversaw the philanthropic strategy of Lastminute.com. “The point is to understand how donors react with respect to the online presence,” adds Salvatore. The growth hacking it cuts costs and makes social campaigns more effective.
Skills & community
An exemplary case is that of the Friars of Sant’Antonio. On the occasion of the celebrations of 13 June 2020, the friars decide to go online, forced by the pandemic. But until the previous month they only had a Facebook page with 30,000 devotees and no interactions. “We were told that there were no devotees online – says Salvatore – We started immediately with tests and campaigns, reaching 70 thousand devotees who, instead, showed a strong interaction, there were people who prayed online. The relationship was thus strengthened, an element that is the basis of the gift ». On June 13, 500,000 people connected on the site to attend the celebrations. Today Sant’Antonio di Padova has as many fans on social media. “It is therefore important to establish the relationship with a person who wants to hear what you are saying and in the appropriate way” adds Salvatore. ImpactOn is committed to training for the third sector, first carrying out a digital audit activity and giving the minimum technological tools so that the entities are autonomous. “So, for example, when the war in Ukraine broke out in Soleterre they were ready and took advantage of their previous business with us. They immediately fielded a donation form it’s a landing page and have received great feedback. We only intervened later with a paid campaign. But they did the big job ».