In May 2019, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and USAID’s Office of American Schools and 
Hospitals Abroad released a global philanthropy study. These findings influence the fundraising predictions nonprofit professionals can expect within international affairs in 2020:
Prediction #1: Continued increase in online giving
According to the Lilly study, “Technological innovations enhance cross-border philanthropy and public-private partnerships. Online giving to international affairs organizations has been increasing, and more than 50 countries joined the #GivingTuesday movement to raise funds through social media and collaboration in 2018.”
It’s evident that donors look to online sources to uncover new causes. A recent YMCA study uncovered that 48% of youth discover nonprofits on social media. Nonprofit organizations must leverage online platforms to share their mission and convert followers into donors.
Online giving pages such as StratusLIVE’s Give Now pages enable development staff to create customized pages with prepopulated donation amounts. These pages entice social media and online users to donate whenever, wherever they feel compelled.
Prediction #2: The 2020 election's impact on giving
Although the election is domestic, charitable organizations (no matter their cause) will notice an impact on donations. Ensure your organization has specific donor acquisition strategies in place to scoop up inspired givers regardless of their political stance. Other tips to receive donations spurred by the election include:
- Create urgency for your cause. Become aware of political discourse and piggy-back on conversations, where appropriate.
- Keep in mind the competition (there are over 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States alone!).
- Consider the motivations of your donors and how you can appeal to them.
Prediction #3: A need for increased collaboration
“Results of the [Lilly] study suggest that cross-sectoral and cross-border collaborations could be enhanced by advancing information and knowledge about global philanthropy and international partnerships through research, training and conversations.”
Nonprofit organizations within international affairs can tap into global networks such as IATI to share data and resources, so all nonprofits benefit. Utilizing a CRM (such as StratusLIVE 365), program managers can record fundraising and programmatic activities according to IATI standards… making data transfer to IATI that much easier.
Nonprofits that leverage Business Intelligence tools can also contextualize data for the entire sector to benefit. With increased collaboration, nonprofits can tackle global challenges with more fervor as a unified force.
The strongest force unifying our work—and the work that lies ahead—continues to be collaboration."- By Lauren Woodman, CEO, NetHope
Prediction #4: Greater collaboration from the private sector
In August 2019, The Business Roundtable announced a new definition of the purpose of business – a commitment to deliver value to all stakeholders, create long-term value, and invest in communities. Nonprofits must leverage this social good momentum and create strategic partnerships with like-minded corporations. Evaluate your mission and identify target companies to approach for strategic investments. Consider your cause areas and how your target corporate partners’ core businesses support your efforts.
Prediction #5: An increased need for connections to causes
As donors seek to create meaning through charitable giving, they will begin to demand a greater connection to the causes they support. Nonprofits can utilize technology to deliver this level of personalization. StratusLIVE 365 enables donors to select their cause through cause concepts allowing nonprofit professionals to provide more tailored asks.
Those organizations who seek to provide an even more unique experience can leverage Virtual Reality to place supporters in the shoes of their constituents. You may be familiar with charity: water’s VR documentary The Source, which showcases the story of Selam, a thirteen year old Ethopian girl. In the documentary, the viewer witnesses Selam’s transformation from gathering water where animals drink to tasting clean water from a well. charity: water premiered the film at its annual gala.
As you begin to execute on your organizational goals for 2020, keep in mind these fundraising predictions and incorporate the findings within your work. We wish you great success in the new year!
