GET IN TOUCH

Six ways to improve your digital fundraising this week

Digital fundraising is evolving faster than ever

AI-powered search, changing social media algorithms and rising supporter expectations mean charities need to continually adapt if they want to attract new donors and build lasting relationships.

The good news is that meaningful improvements for website visibility don’t always require major investment.

Here are five practical changes your charity can make this week to strengthen digital fundraising performance, improve supporter engagement and create more opportunities for long-term growth.

Fundraising in the UK is getting tougher. 

CAF’s latest data shows that public donations fell from £15.4 billion in 2024 to £14 billion in 2025, while the longer-term trend is even more challenging: the UK has lost almost six million donors over the last decade.
 
In simple terms, fewer people are giving, which means charities need to work harder with their digital marketing strategy (and smarter) to keep the supporters they do win.
 
That challenge is shaping the way fundraisers communicate in 2026. Supporters want to feel something real, understand the impact of their gift, and hear from organisations in ways that feel personal rather than overly polished.
 
With that in mind, Reach Fundraising’s Digital Content Lead, Zoe Wilson, has opened her 2026 fundraising playbook to share five practical ideas charities can start testing this week.
1 Tell one real story, not ten polished messages

Authentic storytelling is critical to high performance. Why? Because audiences are overwhelmed with content. Rather than trying to say everything at once, focus on one person, one family, or one moment of impact. The most effective fundraising stories are human, specific and emotionally clear. A single real example will almost always land better than a long list of statistics.

2 Put video at the heart of your content

Video continues to be one of the most powerful tools in digital fundraising because it helps people connect quickly. And it does not need a huge budget to work. Simple, honest video often feels more trustworthy than heavily produced campaign content.

3 Let your community tell the story too (you have to try this)
The strongest stories do not always have to come directly from the charity. User-generated style storytelling can be incredibly effective because it feels natural and credible. Invite beneficiaries, volunteers, fundraisers or frontline staff to share their own words, clips and reflections. When stories come from the community being helped, supporters will trust what they are seeing and connect with the impact.
4 Treat the thank-you as the start of the journey
Too often, the donation is treated as the finish line when it should really be the beginning of the relationship. In the UK, stewardship matters because trust is built through visibility and follow-up. Research for the Charity Commission found that 57% of people have high trust in charities, and that the biggest drivers of trust are knowing that most of the money raised is spent directly on the cause (53%), that the charity makes a real difference (45%), and that it is easy to see how money has been raised and spent (39%). A thank-you, a meaningful update and clear evidence of impact can go a long way in turning a one-off donor into a long-term supporter.
5 Use AI to save time, not replace your voice

AI is quickly becoming part of the modern fundraiser’s toolkit, and used well, it can free up valuable time. It can help draft emails, segment audiences, summarise insight, spark content ideas (even build illustration for social channels) as well as speed up reporting. But the key is to use AI as a support tool not as a substitute for genuine human connection. Let it assist your team’s efficiency, while keeping your messaging warm, thoughtful and unmistakably human.

I frequently utilise AI for artwork on Meta and have had exceptional reach and engagement but at no stage is it trying to pass off as being an original image. And the comment interactions sparked by that artwork are very real and extremely powerful.
In a tougher fundraising climate, small changes can make a big difference. The charities that will stand out are the ones that communicate with honesty, build stronger donor relationships and use new tools in smart, human ways.
6. Make your charity easy for AI to recommend

Search is changing. Increasingly, supporters aren’t just searching Google, they’re asking AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for recommendations.

Questions such as “What’s the best charity supporting veterans?” or “Which UK charities help homeless young people?” are becoming more common, and AI is providing direct answers rather than simply listing websites.

To be included in those answers, your charity needs to be easy for AI to understand and trust. That means having clear service pages, well-structured content, up-to-date impact statistics, frequently asked questions and consistent information across your website and digital channels.

This is where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) becomes increasingly important. GEO builds on traditional SEO by helping AI systems confidently interpret, summarise and reference your charity when people are looking for organisations like yours.

The charities that invest in AI-friendly content today will be in a much stronger position as search continues to evolve.

What this means for your charity…

Don’t just optimise your website for search engines. Optimise it for the people and AI tools that are shaping how supporters discover charities in 2026 and beyond.

Key takeaways

  • Small improvements can significantly strengthen digital fundraising performance.
  • SEO, paid advertising and social media work best when integrated.
  • Video continues to outperform most other content formats.
  • AI search is becoming an increasingly important part of supporter discovery.
  • Consistency and testing deliver better long-term fundraising results.

This article relates to:

  • Digital Marketing for Charities – Create integrated fundraising campaigns that increase awareness, engagement and donations across multiple channels.
  • Charity SEO Services – Help supporters discover your charity through Google and AI search with specialist SEO strategies.
  • Paid Social – Reach new audiences with high-performing Facebook, Instagram and Meta advertising campaigns.
  • PPC for Charities – Maximise your Google Ad Grant and paid search campaigns to generate more traffic and enquiries.
  • Lead Generation – Turn awareness into supporters through structured digital fundraising journeys.
  • Charity Video Production – Produce compelling fundraising videos that increase engagement across digital channels.
  • Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) – Prepare your charity for AI-powered search and improve visibility in generative search experiences.

Related articles

You may also be interested in:

FAQ's

What is digital fundraising?

Digital fundraising is the use of online channels such as websites, social media, email marketing, search engines and paid advertising to attract supporters, generate donations and build long-term relationships.

The most effective charities combine strong content, SEO, social media, email marketing, paid advertising and supporter engagement into a single integrated strategy.

There isn’t one channel that works for every charity. The strongest results usually come from combining SEO, paid social, PPC, email marketing and content creation to reach supporters at different stages of their journey.

SEO helps charities become visible when potential supporters are actively searching for causes, services or organisations like yours. It creates long-term, sustainable traffic without relying solely on paid advertising.

AI is changing how people discover charities online. Optimising content for AI search through Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) helps charities improve visibility in AI-generated search results and recommendations.

Video captures attention, communicates emotion and helps supporters connect with your cause more quickly than text alone. It continues to be one of the highest-performing content formats across social media.

Ready to improve your charity’s digital fundraising?

Whether you’re looking to attract more supporters, improve your visibility in search, increase donations through paid campaigns or build a long-term digital strategy, Reach Fundraising can help.

Our team combines digital marketing, fundraising expertise and data-led decision-making to help charities maximise their impact.

Get in touch to discuss your digital fundraising strategy