It’s a new year which naturally leads us to look forward into what’s in store for the coming year. Although always unknown, here at Big Cat we like to give our best shot at predicting marketing, design and communication trends so we’re always a step ahead for our clients. The charity sector is a huge part of our portfolio and is an industry we’re incredibly passionate about helping and pioneering marcom strategies for. Because of this, we’ve put together predictions for 2018 in the hope of staying one step ahead of the game!
Engaging with Generation Z
The process of recruiting and engaging Gen Z will help charities to really think about and tap into their digital fundraising skills. Charities will need to offer highly personalised and interactive experiences for their donators and volunteers that are at the cutting edge of latest digital advances.
Similarly, trustee boards will have to embrace working with Gen Z. Currently, many boards are managed by volunteers at the older end of the demographic scale; in order to clearly identify and execute digital campaigns, this will have to change. Board leadership thought will have to be injected with digital skills and inter-generational volunteering in order to give charities the best possible chances at succeeding in their 2018 missions.
User Expectations
For those who rely on the services provided by charities, access to digital-first solutions is vitally important – it’s what they now expect. With the vast majority of people online for hours every day, there’s an unfortunate risk that the charity sector will become disconnected from its beneficiaries if it fails to embrace digital solutions.
Whilst we know anecdotally and statistically that this is the case, it’s still incredibly important to find out why this is and what the consequences might be and how digital communication can help charity users and donators.
Consequences of GDPR
The new GDPR is coming into play in May 2018 which is clamping down on all mailing lists. This database cleanse that all companies will have to undergo will make it significantly harder to target donors through more traditional mediums. We envisage the move towards smaller, more frequent communication using more interesting marketing initiatives and making more efficient use of social media. If not well prepared for this curve ball, some charities may find costs increase this year due to the required changes in strategy, staff training and overall management time. To avoid this, it’s important to get familiar with the new processes sooner rather than later!
Getting started
Helping our charity clients to move forward in their digital strategies is more important this year than it ever has been before. By embracing rather than isolating the coming of age Gen Z, steps must be taken to ensure charities are actively including them in their plans with a heavy emphasis on cutting-edge digital techniques. Likewise, today’s charity users are also expecting to be communicated with via digital means, highlighting the need innovative communication.
The new GDPR is something we will be advising our clients on. Not only will we lend a helping hand in how to follow the new rules, but also on what you can do as a means of replacement strategy whilst rebuilding email databases.