Why do we need new fundraising formats?

Non-profit organisations are facing growing challenges: internal resources are often limited, traditional communication channels are losing reach, and acquiring new donors is becoming increasingly difficult. Economic uncertainty and the changing expectations of younger audiences further intensify the situation.“Attention spans are short, competition for visibility is massive – we need to find new ways to connect with our community,” explains Rebecca, fundraiser at UNICEF Austria.

Fundraisers know this reality well: between print and email marketing, information overload and declining attention, new approaches are needed – approaches that build trust, activate supporters and, ideally, enable sustainable donation relationships. Community Fundraising, especially when combined with social networks, offers promising new opportunities.

Community Fundraising: participation creates impact

Community Fundraising describes a form of fundraising in which supporters actively collect donations on behalf of an organisation. They organise their own campaigns, highlight personal occasions or use events to launch donation appeals – digital, visible and impactful.

A lot is possible with Community Fundraising:

• Sports challenges (e.g. sponsored runs, hikes)
• Birthday campaigns (“I’d like donations instead of gifts”)
• Anniversaries or personal milestones (e.g. weddings or retirements)
• Employee Giving
• Crowdvoting and creative fundraising goals

At the core is always the triangle of organisation – supporters – donors. This creates a personal connection that builds trust and opens up new audiences.

A recent study by Shen, Barkhi and Razvan (2025) clearly demonstrates the potential of Community Fundraising. Based on a dataset of 1,075 organisations, 5,471 campaigns and more than 450,000 transactions with a donation volume of USD 67 million, the following effects were observed:

• Community Fundraising campaigns generate higher donation volumes
• The number of donors is significantly higher
• Donors remain active for longer and donate more frequently
• Campaigns reach a broader and more diverse audience
• Social connections create trust (social proof)
• Personalisation is strengthened through interpersonal experience
• Lower “ask avoidance” – less pressure on donors 

Social networks thrive on their communities – it’s in the name. Anyone looking to use social media for fundraising campaigns needs to understand the specific characteristics of each platform. Twitch, as a streaming platform, offers particularly exciting opportunities and opens up new paths for creative, interactive fundraising.

Twitch is the world’s leading live-streaming platform and has long since evolved beyond gaming. Music, politics, education and creative formats all have their place. What makes Twitch special is the close interaction between streamers and their communities. Live chats, emotes and spontaneous challenges create a sense of proximity that is ideal for donation campaigns.

As usage data and audience analyses show, Twitch is used particularly intensively by younger people. Anyone looking to reach the next generation of supporters needs to be present exactly there – approachable, authentic and relevant.

The result: within a very short time, €101 was raised – purely through the interplay of community interaction, technical implementation and playful ease. This integration shows what is technically possible – and how powerful the impact can be when modern fundraising tools meet community power. Would you like to implement a similar set-up for your non-profit organisation? Get in touch with us – we have the right solution for your campaign. 

Community Fundraising works particularly well where people are connected with one another: on social media. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok or YouTube provide the perfect stage for personal stories, authentic appeals – and wide reach.

Influencers can play a key role: they combine reach with personal proximity. Through pro-bono collaborations or creative challenges, organisations can access new audiences and strengthen trust in their work. UNICEF Austria has consistently taken this approach further – for example, through a collaboration with fitness influencer Sascha Huber in 2019. The goal was a one-million push-up challenge in support of UNICEF, combined with a dedicated donation campaign.

Rebecca adds: “At the time, we didn’t yet have RaiseNow’s Community Fundraising tool. Today, we would fully leverage the product’s capabilities to generate even more impact – for example through the automatic capture of contact details. This would allow us to engage supporters in a targeted way after their first action and strengthen their connection to our organisation – fully aligned with the donor journey and nurturing process." This combination of community, visibility and fundraising is at the heart of modern online campaigns.

Fundraising with community – digital, dynamic, impactful

UNICEF Austria clearly demonstrates how modern tools, creative ideas and committed supporters can work together. Whether on Twitch, Instagram or within personal networks – Community Fundraising gets people moving. For a good cause, with a personal touch and strong impact.

And best of all: it lowers barriers, strengthens relationships and shifts fundraising to where reach is created today – into the hands of the community. Anyone rethinking fundraising will find a future-ready answer here.