7 Digital ‘Freebies’ For Your Charitable Organisation
As the price of everything seems to be going only one way, it’s always good to remind ourselves that there are various free digital tools, software platforms and even freelancers willing to donate their time, which are available to charities and charitable organisations. Sometimes it’s just a case of knowing where to look, so we have put together a list of digital ‘freebies’ which your organisation can benefit from today. We should make it clear that we are not endorsing these products and/or services, some we have used, some we haven’t. This is simply a guide for you to look through and to make a decision if any of these digital tools could benefit your organisation:
Canva is a design tool which is widely used in the VCSE sector, we use it here at Hunts Forum and we know many of our members do as well. It is fairly intuitive and there are thousands of templates which you can use and adapt to create anything from social media posts to annual reports. Best of all, the Canva for Nonprofits program unlocks all the premium features of Canva Pro for free. Simply, fill out the application form, wait for Canva to verify your eligibility and you will get an email confirmation. Canva also has a design school which takes you through how to use the system and guides to common tasks such as creating images for social media, creating logos etc.
Kualo provide free website hosting for charities on their solo plan, which they suggest will be suitable for the vast majority of charity web sites up to around 50,000 visitors per month. To be eligible you must be a registered charity and your charity must be up to date with its reporting requirements. There are some further limitations as to which charities are eligible, however Kualo say they have helped over 1000 charities to date and…
“The majority of registered charities who apply will receive an offer of completely free hosting. This offer is made at our sole discretion, but is generally made to any small, secular, independent charity which we consider to have a reasonably broad purpose and geographical remit. If we are unable to offer you completely free hosting, we will generally be able to provide you with our hosting services with a 50% discount.”
donate:code aims to match developers and designers with good causes. The platform aims to allow charitable organisations to find people to help with projects that they can’t afford to allocate a budget to, and for IT professionals to use their expertise as something to donate to these causes. The work can range from a simple website update, or getting a social network up and running to something more ambitious such as building an app to generate some extra revenue. If your charity or community group has a great idea but have had problems in getting projects off the ground because of constraints in your budget then donate:code might be worth a look.
PimpMyCause platform works in a similar way to donate:code by aiming to bring together charities and social enterprises with professional marketers including innovators, strategists, advertisers, graphic designers, web developers, PR specialists and researchers who can provide transformational support pro bono. After registering charitable organisations can post help wanted ads for marketers to reply to. PimpMyCause claims to have created over £20 million of social value, and made pro bono marketing accessible to over 2,700 charities and social enterprises.
Media Trust offers communications support for charities. They aim to help charities and underrepresented communities across the UK to build their communications skills through innovative training, volunteering and content creation programmes. Similarly to the 2 platforms above Media Trust connects charities in need of media, communications and digital support with media and creative industry professionals looking to contribute their skills to bring about positive social impact. Over the last 25 years Media Trust has helped thousands of charities and community groups to raise awareness of their work and effectively engage audiences through the power of marketing, media and communications.
Google offers support to charities through its Google Ad Grant programme. Google Ad Grants provide over £7,500 per month of free Google Ads advertising to eligible not-for-profit organisations. Ads will appear on relevant Google search result pages and can boost organisations’ visibility to their key audiences. The program is designed to help people connect with causes to make a greater impact on the world.
£90,000 worth of free advertising per year sounds great, and it is, but this one is not for the faint-hearted as the approval process for a Google Ad Grant can be lengthy and laborious, with no guarantee that your organisation will be accepted for the programme. Applications are often refused or can take months to be approved. If you are approved for a Google Ad Grant, your activities must also follow Google’s ongoing program policies which are extensive. If organisations do not adhere to these policies, they risk their grant being suspended or revoked. The process for keeping on top of account management can be time consuming and difficult.
Ultimately the level of success that charities find with the grant (as with any paid marketing) will be dependent on the level of expertise behind the project. There is a science to crafting the right message, using analytics to measure success, and choosing the right keywords and phrases. If you do not have these skills within your team then it may be worth consulting a specialist.
The Big Give provides a platform for you to boost your charity’s fundraising. They specialise in match funding campaigns which involves bringing charities, philanthropists and the public together – a proven method to encourage more people to give and to multiply their impact. To date they have helped over 10,000 charities to raise money for their cause. The platform is free to join but there is a processing fee on donations. If a donor gives £10 (+£2.50 Gift Aid) then the net amount your charity would receive is £12.08 (less VAT if applicable). They run the well-known Christmas Challenge, an annual match funding campaign which raises millions of pounds for good causes. The Christmas Challenge 2022 will take place from Tuesday 29th November (midday) – Tuesday 6th December (midday) but applications open 16th May with pledges being raised over summer – this video explains the process in more detail.
