The recent rise of live streaming has opened up a new and exciting channel for fundraising.
According to Forbes, streaming raised more than $83M+ in 2020. Twitch also recently recorded a new viewership record, with over 1.6 billion hours watched in October 2021 alone!
As a result, many charities have already realised the potential. Mind, Macmillan and Samaritans all run targeted campaigns to attract streamers who’ll raise money for their cause.
With COVID-19 making online fundraising vital, many more charities are now considering streaming as a stand-alone fundraising product for the first time. And the opportunity is huge! In fact, the UK mobile games market has grown by 50% since the onset of the pandemic, with 8.6 million new gamers and spending on games reaching £4.4bn.
So where exactly is the opportunity for charities? And what do fundraisers need to know?
A huge benefit of engaging streamers as fundraisers is how capable and independent they are. Not only are streamers incredibly digitally savvy, but dedicated companies like Tiltify and Streamlabs offer free streaming and fundraising tools and platforms. These tools have made it easier than ever for streamers to create great fundraising experiences for their communities, without much input from the charity itself.
When Tiltify compared offline fundraising to live online donations, it found that it would typically take people 37 times longer to raise the same amount offline! It’s partly because live-stream fundraising offers such a quick and frictionless donation journey. The live nature of the event allows for instant thanks and gratification, which leads to high levels of engagement (and more donations!).
We recently partnered with Mind to launch their latest streaming campaign, #StreamForMind. We learnt that there are generally two very different opportunities when it comes to streaming audiences.
First, there are high profile streamers. These are big players with huge audiences and a massive influence of their own. They often independently take on challenges for charities close to their hearts, or that have a strong connection to their community. High profile streamers can be extremely valuable, earning high-value donations from their loyal viewership. BUT they can be difficult to pin down, and so it’s risky to plan your campaign around them.
Then, there are more amateur streamers. These streamers play games (or other activities!) to smaller, more niche audiences. They take on virtual fundraising challenges often for a cause they feel passionate about, or their community elects. They might have a lower viewership, but there is strength in their numbers.
This is worth bearing in mind when planning your campaigns. Consider who you are aiming to recruit, and specifically how their needs (and therefore your offering) might differ.
As I mentioned, streamers are largely very independent. However, you should look to arm them with tools to help them tell your charity’s story. Most importantly, provide a clear and simple messaging platform that ties everything together. Then think about creating rich, engaging and relevant content that is fit for purpose. 10-minute ‘about us’ videos are a no-go here! Try short video bursts, or snapshot impact stories that are easy for your streamers to share in their own way, for their own audiences.
Thinking about getting started? We can help! Drop me an email at hannah@raw.london, or get in touch here.
Or, for more streaming inspiration, check out our latest streaming campaign for Mind, #StreamForMind.
