How will fundraisers rise to the challenges of coronavirus?

It’s fair to say that with coronavirus/covid-19 the world faces a crisis unlike any since the end of the last world war. This presents an array of challenges for the sector, but also an opportunity. Charities and fundraisers are uniquely well-placed to be the real world-changers for people affected by the crisis or those who simply want to help out at a time of health and financial trauma.

Since this unexpected pandemic broke and has developed irresistible momentum worldwide there’s been a simultaneous flood of advice from fundraising commentators around the world. How do you find what’s most useful and sort out what you need to know from what’s merely interesting? SOFII is here to help.

In this series, we will bring you a wealth of material that should inspire you to respond to this unwanted opportunity in a way that values your donors, helps your beneficiaries and inspires your fundraisers. Some will be pieces on SOFII, others will be links to  great resources we have found in our research. There will be expert advice, important information and top tips. 

Italians recently responded to the way the crisis was unfolding in their country by singing to each other from their balconies. As fundraisers, we could do something not-too-dissimilar for our donors and beneficiaries. This new series will act as a friendly hand to help you along the way. 

Note: we’ll be updating this page every time we add new content or find new great links to share. Please check back every week.

Fundraising in a time of crisis - contents

• NEW - Omicron variant — what should fundraisers do now? 
• NEW - Cork Simon’s small-scale pandemic crowdfunding.
• NEW - ANT Foundation: how new technologies delivered a human touch during the pandemic.
• NEW - Michael McIntyre’s lockdown video calls for the Trussell Trust.
• Greenpeace: face-to-face reinvented in the pandemic.
• France générosités give fundraising a boost in response to the pandemic
• What are the long-term effects of coronavirus on fundraising?
• Saigon Children’s Charity’s hybrid summer ball
• Greenpeace Canada: coronavirus legacy campaign
• Born Free Foundation’s ‘Life in lockdown’ video
• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma & Ireland 'Pay it forward'
• Diabetes UK: One Million Steps digital pivot
• George Harrison & Ravi Shankar: the concert for Bangladesh
• Savvy students volunteer to help charities
• The F2F Hub – collaborative working keeps fundraisers on track through coronavirus
• Pivoting and pirouetting: how face-to-face got the moves during coronavirus
• Why coronavirus has been UNICEF’s catalyst for change in face-to-face fundraising
• The Olive Cooke story
• Why you should enthusiastically promote legacy giving at a time when people are dying
• The Salvation Army’s coronavirus response campaign.
• How Marie Curie was inspired by IWITOT to get alpacas joining donors’ Zoom dates
• Contradictory signs: as the corona-crisis continues, what’s really happening in fundraising?
• From the Chartered Institute of Fundraising: free resources to help you focus on the needs of your donors during the ongoing crisis
• From IWITOT 2020 - a farm in California allows you to add a goat (yes, a goat) to your Zoom calls.
• Furloughed fundraisers’ chat - how fundraisers are clubbing together to help each other out
• Are charities the new supermarkets?
• Now is the time for leadership! Giving in the time of coronavirus.
• Coronavirus research finding. What do donors think about giving now?
• The Good Suspended video series part two - three more fantastic little films
• Save FINZ - a world-first campaign to save New Zealand’s fundraising association
• The Great Bungay Duck Race: Virtual success in 2020.
• Bhopal Medical Appeal: At a time of crisis, Bhopal's clinics give back something beyond price
• The good suspended - Francesco Ambrogetti celebrates individual acts of kindness
• Check out our two-part survey/celebration of fundraising successes in the time of catastrophe. Part one. Part two
• How Italian fundraisers created a task force to help hospitals (pro bono) during the coronavirus crisis
• The face-to-face fundraisers back on the streets in Austria after lockdown.
• Armagh House’s coronavirus emergency appeal. A small charity worked wonders with a simple but effective letter.
• The RNLI’s message to donors: ‘We are one crew’
• The University of Manchester launches an emergency hardship appeal to help students facing financial difficulties as a result of the lockdown.
• Week five of the coronavirus sentiment tracker.
• If 99-year-old Captain Tom Moore can raise £28 million+ for the UK’s National Health Service by walking round his garden, it shows fundraising ingenuity is alive and well and even in this difficult time, people really really want to give. And our organisations need effective, inspirational fundraising, now more than ever. So, inspiring and equipping fundraisers has never been more important.
• How the small Irish homelessness support charity Merchants Quay responded to the 2008 financial crash in a way we could all learn lessons from today.
• Growing fear and a return to basic needs - week two of About Loyalty's coronavirus sentiment tracker.
• Fundraising in a time of crisis: five ways you can think about the supporter experience right now.
• Check out NFPSynergy’s public research into the impact on charities of coronavirus.
• The campaign group #CharitySoWhite explains why now is the time to address racial inequalities in our sector.
• Could this be fundraising’s finest hour? A letter by Ken Burnett. Prompted by an invitation from The Agitator, SOFII’s founder lays out why this could be a pivotal moment for charities if they respond in the right manner.
• Why do people give? The coronavirus special with Giles Pegram. We return to this superlative podcast as Bluefrog Fundraising founder Mark Phillips discusses the impact of coronavirus with fundraising legend Giles Pegram, CBE.
• Plus check out these free resources provided by Mark and Bluefrog Fundraising that will help you create a coronavirus appeal.
• How can we assess donors’ feelings in this difficult time? This will be a key principle for fundraisers to consider when reaching out to supporters. Thankfully, our friends at agency About Loyalty have done lots of research and come up with a unique tool: The COVID-19 Sentiment Tracker. They will ask how donors think and feel about the illness, which causes matter to them, what they expect from charities and much more.
• What might coronavirus mean for your fundraising and your donors? A one-hour webinar from the UK Institute of Fundraising’s Supporter Experience Special Interest Group. 
• The first results of About Loyalty’s sentiment tracker shows reasons to be brave and hopeful.
• Richard Turner muses on the rise of altruism in this time of crisis.

IMAGES: © Canva