Developing our first digital campaign targeting individual donors for support towards the community foundation
“We have adapted by using comprehensive digital tools to reach our fundraising objectives in challenging times.”
Violeta Marian, Bucharest Community Foundation
Our digital transformation challenge
At the end of 2020 Bucharest Community Foundation was financially challenged due to the pandemic context and the focus shift of our traditional donors. We have a successful track record in corporate fundraising and we can raise money to finance our programs. But now we had to face the challenge to cover operational costs. Many people rely on us with their projects. Let’s say we’re the foundation for their projects. And when the foundation becomes weak, an entire ecosystem suffers. BCF, the foundation of city, needs support to move forward and continue to harness projects for a better life.
Our solution
We decided to publicly communicate that we need funds and support to go on as Bucharest Community Foundation (BCF), by launching our first digital campaign targeting individual donors. It was a first time for BCF to develop this digital feature on its website and to target individual donations. This was promoted through various digital communications channels – Direct Mailing (CRM platform); Direct Mailing to key stakeholders (members of the board and key people from corporate environment); Facebook ads.
We have developed a page on BCF website where people could easily donate by credit card, followed by a targeted CRM campaign. Through this campaign we targeted people that know BCF and its grantees and people that know BCF from Swimathon Bucharest – donors and swimmers.
Takeaways from the action learning process
We have raised funds to support our activity, even if we aimed for more. (approx 9620 RON from individuals and 167.000 RON from corporate). Only the people who were in touch with our activity and projects donated. The BCF model of working and the impact it has on communities is really not easy to be explained to broader audiences.
An important output of this campaign was that we had a team brainstorming and after that an extensive process on defining what we stand for and what is the value we add to communities and city wellbeing.
The most important output was that we have adapted by using comprehensive digital tools to reach our fundraising objectives in challenging times.
The online payment feature remains a tool we will use for other private donations campaigns to be developed in the future.
Issues that remain unresolved
Still we have a challenge: to develop a digital mechanism based on referral from people that know BCF and recommends BCF in order to raise higher volumes of individual donations. Transfer of trust can lead to transfer of funds.
Find out more about the Bucharest Community Foundation here:
https://fundatiacomunitarabucuresti.ro/
