Looking Ahead: Fundraising In 2021

Category: Strategies

2020 was a challenging year for a number of people and Globalfaces Direct was no exception. Our business, like countless others, was adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, as our face-to-face fundraising programs shut down overnight.

We took this time to work with our team and partners on a plan to safely and effectively return to work. When our canvassing teams resumed, they found that face-to-face canvassing was still effective during a pandemic – Donors welcomed our physically distanced canvassers and were generous in enabling us to continue to help our charity partners to support others during a time of crisis.

As we enter the first weeks of 2021, we are optimistic about the year ahead, there is still a lot of hard work to be done to control the spread of Covid-19 and roll out a global immunization program, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Here are some of our key focus areas for 2021:

1. Plotting forward through a pandemic

It’s critical that we continue to operate as an essential service, employing rigorous safety protocols including: masked/distanced canvassers, sanitization kits, and digital welcome packages. We continue to support our charity partners on the ground, helping them do some incredible work in supporting others throughout the pandemic.

We’re also continuing to provide our partners with weekly covid-19 reports reflecting national covid data, campaign specific metrics and now: vaccination updates.

2. Finding new ways to acquire recurring donors for our partners

One highlight of 2020, was the launch of our outbound telemarketing services. Developed in June, we’ve seen multiple successful campaigns for clients like UNICEF, BC Cancer Foundation and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, among others. Our call center services have evolved from welcome and stewardship calls to provide direct acquisition through a variety of campaign types such as:

  • Lead generation campaigns (following up on Door-to-Door leads)
  • Lapsed campaigns
  • Winback campaigns
  • OTG conversions
  • Donation upgrades

The success of the program has enabled us to build up a sizable team at our 150 seat call centre in Toronto, ON. Although all our PCI compliant agents will continue to do their calls from home until it’s safe to return to work!

3. Continuing to Embrace and Leverage Technology

Despite being a business based on human interaction, we are continuously investing in new technological solutions to support our charity partners. Our proprietary software platform, Insight has continued to evolve, providing charities with real-time campaign reporting and valuable campaign data. Additionally, we’ve got other exciting projects in the pipeline, which will help provide the benefits of face-to-face fundraising in a digital setting.

As the non profit industry continues to evolve and modernize, it’s critical that we stay on the forefront of innovation, be it at the door, on the phone, or online.

4. Growing our Passionate team of Industry Experts

Globalfaces Direct is built on the strength of our people and it’s essential that we keep working to empower our various teams to excel in supporting our partners. From continuing to build our continent wide team of 1000+ canvassers, to filling key leadership roles and promoting from within, human resources is a focus for us in 2021.

Think you’re a fit? Check out our careers page!