Last month we wrote about the cost of living crisis, and ways that charities can thrive despite the challenges. One element that people are keen to know more about is the gaming industry and how that intersects with charity fundraising, or what is known as ‘gaming for good’. This is no surprise when you take into account that funds brought in through gaming are unrestricted, and can be directed towards whichever area of your charity that most needs it. Unrestricted funds are every fundraisers dream, especially as energy costs skyrocket. Gaming is a great way to bring in unrestricted funds, and as you will have heard us mention, so are options like Mobile Lotteries. So why do these options both work so well despite the current climate? What they have in common is that they utilise incentivised giving. With gaming challenges or marathons, viewers receive entertainment, with mobile lotteries supporters have the chance to win cash. So if the trick is to incentivise, let's have a look at what you can do! 

1. Gaming for good

Gaming for charity can take many forms. Some of the most popular kinds are specific challenges (usually for a particular game) or marathon events where gamers stream their gameplay for long periods, often 12, sometimes 24 hours! Streams can take place on a variety of platforms, the most popular of which is Twitch, but platforms like Discord or Youtube are also often used. Running a 'gaming for good' campaign requires you to be able to engage with influencers and streamers, and to know what games and content are popular within the gaming community. You can find influencers and streamers on these previously mentioned platforms. With Twitch, for example, you can search its front page carousel, where the platform displays its big name players each day, many of whom have millions of followers. Keeping an eye on new releases, or challenges that are trending will keep you current and interacting with the most relevant players in the gaming community. With this knowledge in hand, you can host your own gaming challenge or marathon. Here are a couple of our favourite examples that might inspire you!

1. Macmillan are challenging their supporters to sign up to be ‘Game Heroes’, hosting their own gaming marathon alone or with a group of friends. They display a running total of the money they have raised through gaming, as well as their top contributors. They utilise the hashtag #gameheroes where people share their successes and encourage viewers to donate.

2. Rainbow Trust provides screen overlays, as well as instructions on setting up a donation page, and on connecting it to Twitch so that donations can be made during a livestream. We love that they provide all the materials necessary for a successful gaming challenge. 

2. Mobile Lotteries

If you haven’t heard us bang on about Mobile Lotteries by now then (where have you been!?) don’t worry, it’s about to happen. The reason we love Mobile Lotteries so much and are pushing it to our charity partners, is because it works! It is yet another way for donors to give back, whilst also receiving something in return. Mobile Lotteries specifically are four times easier to enter than a direct debit based lottery, and are optimised for mobile entry. Considering that 83% of social media traffic comes from mobile phones, this is massively important. The cost-per-acquisition is actually about six times smaller than traditional direct debit lotteries, with Mobile Lotteries averaging £10-£15 per acquisition, and traditional lotteries averaging £60-£90! 

If you don’t have any experience with lotteries, we are here to account manage and help you every step of the way. If you do - you can integrate the Mobile Lotteries flow with your existing lottery. There is a solution for everyone! Check out our video demo series to learn more, and don't forget to sign up to our newest webinar, where you can hear from a charity themselves on their experience using Mobile Lotteries to create a stable, regular income. 

3. Other forms of incentivised giving

Incentivised giving doesn't stop here. There are loads of ways to give back to your supporters, and to encourage donations using incentives. These incentives can be either physical incentives or more intangible incentives (think emotional, status, recognition).

Here are a few of our favourite physical incentives:

• Branded event merchandise - Fundraising events are the place you can really leave an impression on supporters. Giving out event merchandise is not only a great way to incentivise giving, but it leaves an impression that the supporter can take away with them, and leave them feeling great about themselves.

• Membership kits - A membership kit is a gift bag that anyone who signs up for a monthly donorship program will receive. Badges, stickers, shirts, pens and other accessories, are all great to pop in a membership kit to thank your donors for signing up, and as a deal sweetener! 

• Raffles - A raffle is a great way to incentivise donations, and similar to a Mobile Lottery, works because there is the chance to win real prizes. Securing great prizes is key to making a raffle as successful as possible, and working with local businesses is a great way to both involve people from the community, and sweeten your raffle prizes draw. We can help you out here too with our Text Raffles solution, allowing those who are not able to make the event the opportunity to enter and donate. You can check this solution out here. 

And here are a few intangible incentives that you might like to try! 

• Recognise donors on key platforms - Giving your key donors or fundraisers a shout out on socials (if that is something they are comfortable with of course) switches on that much needed community spirit, and inspires others to give. Who doesn't love a little bit of recognition for their good deeds after all! 

• Exclusive communities - While we're on the topic of community spirit, creating content especially for your regular donors helps to create a sense of community, and a way to thank them. You can offer access to exclusive content (behind the scenes info, monthly newsletters, testimonials or thank yous from beneficiaries), access to pre sale or discounted event tickets, or whatever you feel your community would appreciate. It's worth reaching out to them to see what it is they would most value. 

• Personal thank you letters - Taking the time to write out personalised thank you letters adds a personal touch that can set you apart. If you are a much larger charity, then this might not be feasible, but consider instead a personalised thank you email, using name tags to ensure the donor is named in the email.

Final thoughts...

However you are incentivising your fundraising, be it through video gaming, games like Mobile Lotteries or raffles, or simple thank yous, it's important now more than ever than supporters feel that they are getting something out of it. 

If you are interested in learning more about Mobile Lotteries then sign up to our next webinar which will walk you through the hows and whys of Mobile Lotteries, with help from Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter’s own Marketing & Income Generation Manager who will share her experience with Mobile Lotteries. As always, there is a Q and A section, so don’t just take our word for it, come along and ask Beth any questions you might have about the experience charities have using Mobile Lotteries.

Register for our latest Mobile Lotteries webinar here, or learn more about Mobile Lotteries by watching our video demo series here!