Challenging the Status Quo for Charities
By Jenn Moldovanos, Marketing Manager
At the beginning of May, we celebrated and supported Giving Tuesday. Now, a day dedicated globally to giving and acknowledging the incredible work that charities, nonprofits and NGOs have been doing especially during COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the charities, nonprofits and NGOs across the world, with an increase in demand for their services which for most can’t be delivered in the usual way due to the social distancing restrictions. The demand and the need for the services and expertise they have are going to continue even more so post-COVID-19.
This demand means that these organisations need more access to resources and funding. Unfortunately, their usual ways of raising funds through events such as galas, marathons and bake sales have been halted. With the economic uncertainty, there is a huge concern about how they are going to cope as donations might become less.
While the traditional way of fundraising might be in question, there is an opportunity for charities to use other methods of securing much-needed resources and for communities and businesses to support them.
We have put together a list of suggestions:
1. Take your events online
Charities: You can host quizzes, dances or comedy nights online which people can donate or buy tickets to attend.
Individuals and businesses: You could host a quiz or poker night with staff/ friends and family, and the winnings can be donated to a local charity.
2. Give preloved and unneeded items
Charities: Sign-up to marketplaces like Globechain, Freegle and Gumtree to get items you need for free. By getting these items, you not only save money but it will help you with achieving points for your social value act scorecard and getting access to grant funding.
Individuals and Businesses: Many of us have realised that we have a lot of items that we don’t need at home. In businesses, you could have surplus stock, unneeded items in your offices or extra items after a refurbishment. All of these items can be listed on marketplaces giving you access to charities who really need the items.
3. Share your services and skills
Charities: Host webinars sharing your knowledge and on the ground experience, an example could be how to manage your mental health in stressful and challenging situations. Besides giving practical tips, you can let people know how they can support you and get involved. Visit our youtube channel for examples of videos we did with charities in the UK and Spain.
Individuals and Businesses: In a recent report from Three Hands, it stated that there was a considerable need for upskilling charity staff and sharing of business skills and knowledge as well as pro-bono work from professionals. If you find that you or some of your team have been furloughed, this could be a great way to give back and use your skills and expertise.
4. Support campaigns
Charities: Keep running campaigns to raise awareness and money. You can list your campaigns on sites such as Maanch and promote them via social media channels, community apps like Nextdoor and in your local media.
Individuals and businesses: Find out who your local charities are, follow their social media channels and support their campaigns if you can or help promote them to gain more traction.
There has been a strong sense of community and being in this together during the past few months and going forward the charities that work tirelessly to help and support our community are going to continue to need our support. We might not all be in the position to give financial support, but you can still contribute in other ways like giving of your time, skills, unneeded items and helping raise awareness.
