WHY FUNDRAISING NEEDS TO GET MORE VISIBLE
For years, charity fundraising in the UK has leaned on emotion. Rightly so. Stories have power. A compelling narrative can move people in a way stats never will. We’ve built brilliant campaigns around what could happen,the lives we might change, the futures we hope to build.
But here’s the shift. More and more, supporters aren’t just giving on faith. They’re asking for evidence. They want to see what happened after they gave. They want proof that their donation did something real and that it still matters today.
And honestly? That’s a good thing.
Because when we open the curtain and let supporters see the work, we don’t just win more donations, we build more meaningful, longer-lasting relationships.
In fact, according to research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF, 2023), 52% of UK donors say they’re more likely to support a charity if they can clearly see the difference their donation makes. That’s not a comms trend. That’s a fundamental shift in expectations.
Charities like charity: water (in the US) have set a high bar by mapping every donation to a specific project and sharing GPS-tagged updates. Closer to home, The Trussell Trust has grown its supporter base significantly by being transparent about the rise in food bank use and directly attributing supporter gifts to local action, not just national impact. These approaches work because they move supporters from passive givers to active participants.
And it’s especially crucial when it comes to regular giving.
That £10 a month doesn’t feel like much on its own. But when a supporter can see how that gift, over time, has helped someone into housing, funded a year of therapy, or provided medical supplies to a crisis zone, it starts to feel like a proper investment. And that sense of ownership builds loyalty. It fuels advocacy. It encourages donors to stay, upgrade, and share.
So, if your regular giving proposition still leans on broad ambition rather than specific, visible progress, it might be time for a pivot. Not because emotion no longer works, but because emotion + evidence is the winning combination.
5 Ways to Strengthen Individual Giving (Right Now)
1. Show your working.
Donors want visibility. That doesn’t mean endless spreadsheets or jargon-heavy PDFs. It means sharing the real-world steps being taken, with photos, case studies, even raw video content. According to Enthuse’s Donor Pulse report (Q1 2024), 46% of donors say “clear impact reporting” would increase their likelihood of giving again.
2. Make updates part of the journey, not an afterthought.
Too many stewardship journeys treat updates as one-offs. But when you build momentum, by regularly showing what’s changed, what’s happening now, and what’s next, you’re giving supporters a story to follow. For example, Plan International’s child sponsorship programme succeeds not just because of the cause, but because supporters receive personalised updates, letters, and photos. It feels active, not static.
3. Share the challenges too.
Honesty builds trust. We’re often scared to show the tough bits, the slow progress, the projects that didn’t go to plan, but this kind of openness strengthens relationships. During COVID-19, many charities saw increased engagement when they were upfront about funding gaps or rising need. Supporters stepped up because they understood the stakes.
4. Use content to create connection, not just awareness.
The best fundraising content doesn’t just inform, it makes people feel part of something. That means fewer generic newsletters, more real-time updates, more direct voices from the people your charity supports. Think impact diaries, audio snippets, field updates, WhatsApp-style video clips. The RSPB’s live camera feeds of protected nests and habitats are a small but powerful example of how real-time visibility creates emotional investment.
5. Speak to their ‘why’.
Every donor has a reason for giving and it’s rarely just about the cause. It’s about personal values: justice, compassion, community, faith, grief, hope. Segmenting by channel or age is useful, but understanding motivation is where the magic happens. Behavioural sciences models like Campfire’s ENCAMP frameworks can help identify and speak to these deeper drivers and build journeys that feel genuinely personal.
