5 Ways Fundraising Makes A Massive Difference To Charities

Many refuse to dig deep into their pockets and donate to a cause in need. Why? Because they struggle to visualise the impact it will have.    

You'd love to make the world a better place, but how do you know that your money is going into the right hands? Well, you don’t. But there are ways to check that the charity you’re donating so generously to is legitimate.

Ask questions, speak to charities directly, seek tangible results and make full use of digital tools like Charity Navigator ; America’s ‘largest and most-utilised evaluator of charities.’ They separate scammers from genuine causes so you don’t have to. Alive and Giving is also a useful comparison tool to turn to when deciding which charity is the one for you.

Now you know what's what, here are 5 reasons to skip the excuses and start fundraising.

1. It changes people's attitude

In a world fuelled by money, it's difficult to grasp why charities often slip through the net. We're willing to invest our time and money into big name celebs who can rack up millions just by posting a selfie; but at the same time, dislike the idea of donating pocket change to a cause in desperate need of help – where's the sense in that?

A survey led by Charities Aid Foundation back in 2011 emphasises the disparity between what we're willing to spend on life's luxuries and donate to charity. In the UK for instance, they found that "households across the country spend as much a week on cheese as they do on giving to charity - despite the fact that 75% of the public has used a charitable service in the past year and nearly half, 46%, have done so in the past month." This shows that the active need for charities exists and people do require their help, but don't like to invest in them.

Fundraising changes the way you look at things. It makes you question your priorities and encourages you to speak to others about the difference charitable giving can make.  A change of perspective can do the world of good for a cause in need.

2. It raises awareness

Many of us already have a basic awareness of the issues around us – sickness, poverty, injustice. But we believe that the problem is out of our hands and that it's for the government to deal with.

Unfortunately, many governments choose to allocate their social investments to other areas of living, leaving charities with very little funding. Worse still, in some cases, the social infrastructure is so unstable/tainted with corruption, that those suffering are left to fend for themselves – leaving it in the hands of the fundraisers and charitable do-gooders to pick up the pieces.

By collecting donations, you set the wheels in motion and inspire others to follow suit. Many know what needs to be done, but prefer to ignore it. Fundraising breaks the silence. It gets people talking about what matters, and more importantly, acting upon it.

3. It puts words into action

Similarly, fundraising encourages those who like the idea of being charitable and are happy to 'like' a page on social media, to take the next step and donate. The Guardian made an interesting observation following the death of Nelson Mandella, in that "the number of people sharing and tweeting content did not translate into the click-through rate of the number of people actually reading the articles."

This means that social media users wanted to look like they cared/portray themselves in a charitable light, without being interested enough to read the content itself.

You've probably seen it yourself; several friends posting images saying 'let's beat cancer' and the like, but how many have actually donated? Social media is great for generating awareness, but without the donations alongside, it doesn't promote change.

Fundraising helps fill the gap. It gets friends and family putting money where their mouth is, and donating to the causes they speak so favourably about on social media. Actions speak louder than words.

4. It educates

We live such hectic lifestyles that it's hard to think outside our little bubble – beyond school runs, client meetings and catch-ups with friends. What fundraising does is create the opportunity to openly discuss hard-hitting subjects that many would never have considered unless it directly affects them.

On the subject of poverty, did you know more than one-third of Africa lacks clean water? That more people have access to a mobile phone than a toilet? That Africa uses less than 3% of the world’s energy, despite having 12.5% of the world’s population?[1]

Nelson Mandela once said "education is the most powerful weapon to change the world," and fundraising does just that. It gets people thinking/opens their eyes to the problems others face and inspires them to do their bit.

5. It works

Some feel that their donations are too small to make any considerable impact, but this simply isn't true. Yes, billionaires do have the financial capacity to donate larger amounts, but that doesn't mean that your contributions are any less valued.

For example, by donating $10 to the Against Malaria Foundation, you could provide 3 bednets to protect those living in malaria-stricken areas from infected mosquitoes/protect 6 people from malaria for three to four years, on average.[2] That's enough to protect a whole family from the deadly threat of malaria; a disease which infects up to 2.7 million people a year, most of whom are children.

Whilst your spare change may not eradicate world poverty in one fell swoop, every little does count, and fundraising can really help give small charities/neglected causes a fighting chance of making amazing progress.

[1] Information sourced from ONE  

[2] Charity Calculator from The Life You Can Save