While many of us were hunkered down at home during the last eighteen months, the pandemic did not put an end to philanthropic activity. When organizations could not fundraise through their traditional channels like charitable walks and runs, dance competitions, casino nights, and other in-person events, they pivoted to digital platforms, where they were not only able to carry on their work but also learned first-hand about the opportunities and efficiencies that a digital component can offer.

Just as people have become more comfortable with video conferencing and conducting financial transactions via mobile apps, they are now more willing to participate in fundraising events through a digital platform. Recognizing that this is not a short-lived trend, smart institutions are layering a digital piece into their fundraising and event planning, embracing a hybrid approach that combines digital with traditional efforts.

For several years now, digital fundraising has been a significant tool on college campuses across North America. Today's "digital native" students have made digital platforms the "go to" for sororities, fraternities, and Panhellenic Councils, generating millions of dollars for their philanthropic efforts. Healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and national charities also have come to rely heavily on digital fundraising.

For institutions with growing philanthropic goals, digital platforms are integral to scaling their efforts. Using them intelligently creates a savings in both back-end costs and expenditures in time and money for personnel by automatically tracking revenue, tax receipts, and data related to donor stewardship. Disseminating messaging via email and social media expands a campaign's reach to potential donors and dramatically boosts dollar amounts raised.

To maximize those benefits, it's critical to choose the right digital platform. Some social media platforms enable basic fundraising activity, but do not help collect data, provide transparency, allow users to build customized events, or develop the donor relationship. Other online platforms are quite robust, but difficult to use, as they require substantial training and, oftentimes, familiarity with computer coding. Cost is also important, since most nonprofits need to limit expenses. Planning an event today without considering technology options creates missed opportunities, but digital platforms are only effective at facilitating fundraising goals when they are easy to use and cost-effective.

Read the full article about digital platforms by Cliff Feldstein at PhilanTopic.