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Great Expectations For Modern Philanthropy
Figaro Digital spoke to Matt Jerwood, Head of Digital Fundraising at Oxfam, about the ways Oxfam is using its digital services to provide a fl exible and engaging service for the modern philanthropist.
W
ith the speed and ease of the digital world altering consumer behaviour, a fast, easy-to-use digital
service is now expected on all platforms. Adapting to this shift is essential for all organisations that want to remain relevant. For charities, making the donation process user-friendly and streamlined should be a priority.
Responding To Changing Expectations: Speed And Convenience
With consumers carrying out so many daily activities on their mobiles, Oxfam was aware that ease of donation via mobile should be the focus of its budget and attention. The ‘My Oxfam App’ has been developed to provide a fast, convenient way for people to donate and bring supporters closer to the cause they are giving to. “Very few charities have truly moved with the change in people’s everyday lives. Digital has transformed the expectations of the supporter, and we really have to stay on our toes – people expect things to be fast, bite-sized and eff ortless,” explains Jerwood. As people are now used to hailing a cab or changing their central heating on their phone, asserting the charity in the mobile space was vital: “we had to make it possible
for people to support us easily – why should it be easier to spend £2 on Amazon than it is to donate £2 to Oxfam?”
Inclusivity At The Heart – Avoiding The ‘Black Hole’
Collaboration and inclusivity were at the heart of the development of Oxfam's app. “We have created a feedback loop – at least once a week, a story is added to a supporter’s timeline on the app that will show what Oxfam is working on,” says Jerwood. Oxfam uses fi rst-person content in order to share its frontline work, allowing supporters to gain an even greater level of connection. “We’ve got [Oxfam employees] doing selfi e videos out in the fi eld with their smartphones, showing where they are and telling people what they are doing.” As well as the app, Oxfam are also innovating their approach on their other channels to achieve this connection. “As part of a recent giving
initiative, we invited people to give ten pounds via SMS. This money went on a cash card in Iraq, and could be spent on Oxfam approved items, at Oxfam approved retailers, for Oxfam approved prices. We then texted back the person who had made the donation after the money had been spent in Iraq, to tell them where the money had gone.” Consumers often fear a lack
of control over their money when
they give to charity, so reducing this fear was a major consideration in the app’s development. “Some people may feel like they sign up and never hear from a charity again and the money just goes into a black hole,” explains Jerwood. Oxfam introduced a dial with which you could adjust the amount you give month-on-month, so that supporters can give what they want, when they want. “In order to aid our acquisition, we wanted to be straightforward with people – by providing them with a dial that they have control of to adjust their gift.” This makes Oxfam unique, as no other charity has a fl exible direct debit like this. “We hope this fl exibility will drive greater retention, because people may not stop giving altogether, but rather may decide to decrease slightly instead – we are hoping that we will see that pattern,” says Jerwood.
Attention To Detail In The User Journey
Continuous testing is essential for Oxfam to ensure it remains receptive to user needs, and it constantly experiments with diff erent ways to engage its donors. “We introduce challenges to the website, or to any project. For example, we put GIF-type videos in our emails with the view to explore if that will increase engagement on the email with the video, versus one without. We monitor it to review which one comes out better, which becomes the new control, and then we introduce another new challenger.” When developing specifi c products, Oxfam focusses on testing on a variety of real
42 issue 31 spring 2018
Words: Ellen McHale
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