4 Ways On How Charities Can Increase Their Digital Outreach (2022)

Besides general charity websites and grand fundraising events, there are other ways that charities can improve their reach. It may start as word-of-mouth but eventually, internet presence can go a long way for them.

We would suggest four ways that charities could expand their digital reach and bring more eyes to their positive social benefits. Hopefully, this can encourage more people to support a charity of their choice.

    1) Websites

As the usual standard for any internet presence, a typical website is the start of any digital outreach. Regardless of the size of the business or charity, a website can help push your message to more people outside of those already interested in the charity.

A great example would be the Save the Children website. Their website is a great example of a charity website. Like many websites, it should be a hub that displays important information about the business or charity.

In the case of charities, their website should display, “who are you and what do you stand for?” An accessible and clear website page that gives all the necessary information for newcomers to understand more about the charity. Unlike the physical retail store, a website shows more information in a short time. 

This is just the base of the website but you fill it with more content like blogs, videos or links to events. A hub space for those interested in the charity to explore more about you. So fill it with information like how donating will help your mission or personal achievement among volunteers.

    2) Social Media

What is there to say about social media that has not been said by anybody else? Social Media is everywhere, thanks to the convenience of the internet. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - the usual apps that businesses use for digital outreach in social media. 

So how can charities use these different social media platforms for digital outreach yet different from their websites? What we can suggest is to use social media for quicker updates on events or to show another side of the charity. Just have a look at The Felix’s Project’s Twitter page. 

The great thing about social media is that everyone has access to it, more so than with websites. You can use hashtags, start new trends or join in sharing others’ posts. Social media is another community in itself and can have great abilities to reach out beyond outside its boundaries.

    3) Blogging / Stories

As it was mentioned for websites, it is a hub for information about the charity to gather and store for anyone interested. However, the other kind of content that would be beneficial would be blogs or stories. In short, interpersonal information from different staff and volunteers of the charity.

For a charity, you have many options for a blog topic or a story to share. Think of the future events you look forward to or what you have achieved in your previous goals. 

If you want an example, look at Hope and Homes for Children’s blog page. Not only do they share about their aspirations and what they hope to achieve, but the smaller stories of each family they helped.

Sharing a small part of the charities operations, both the method and results are a nice way to showcase what the charity is capable of doing. A humanising factor that can help interested donators judge if their donations will make a difference. 

    4) Online Events

Nowadays, people have a form of entertainment or media intake that is on the internet. From individuals who live-streams their life and game on platforms such as Twitch. On the other end, video creators who make entertaining videos on YouTube and Tiktok.

With internet access all around us, charities can utilise similar platforms to showcase grand events like fundraisers and short stories of those in need. It is not often that every single person interested in an in-person charity event will be able to join every time.

So why not make it an online event. Give more convenience to those who want to join in the fun but sadly cannot stay for the whole event. An example would be live streaming events like Cancer Research’s Marathons. There are many options with live-streaming or video making, so it’s best to make it more convenient for everyone to see.

    Digital outreach for charities

As everyone, both businesses and communities, build and develop with the internet, so should charities. As much as word-of-mouth and in-person events have achieved in the past, digital outreach can provide a greater scale of publicity and awareness. 

Where is the harm of trying something new for a charity? Nowhere we say, as there will always be a community that will be interested in fun events and the altruistic nature of helping those in need.

So give it a shot and try streaming the whole fundraising event or writing the personal stories of volunteers and their achievements. As you may have seen on video platforms like Youtube or Tiktok, short viral videos can go a long way for people to remember you.

If you would like to hear more about handicrafters in developing countries or hear more about our approach to digital outreach, come visit our website and have a chat with us. 

Contact us at support@ruralhandmade.com.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter and whether you wish to support these handcrafters in developing countries.

We, from Rural Handmade, look forward to seeing more charities on the digital plain and how else we can help those in need.