Marius Maré, President of the charity supporting platform that originated in South Africa, says there’s much to learn from “online fundraising 2.0” methods that emerged during COVID-19.

As public events were shut down, charities and fundraisers have had to find creative new ways to raise money without breaking lockdown rules – and the results speak for themselves, he says. “But even when marathons are reinstated and door-knocking campaigns can begin again, fundraisers should keep using the new virtual ways of raising money alongside them.”

Ordinary people have sprung into action. Activity on the GivenGain platform has climbed by more than 60% year-on-year since 1 April, Maré says. “Donations are also hitting record highs – April was our best ever month in South Africa.” He adds that around 40% of donations to South African charities were made in foreign currencies, with donors from 90 different countries stepping in to help.

Social media, livestreaming apps and video conferencing platforms like Zoom have given fundraisers a way to reach out to a global network of donors and share inspiration with each other, but they also provide a platform for fundraising events.

For a perfect example of the kind of fundraising this enables, look no further than South African video game streamer Grant Hinds. He spent his birthday in May raising money for homelessness charity New Hope SA by livestreaming a marathon gaming session on Twitch; alerting his followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and directing viewers to donate through his page on GivenGain. By using all the online tools available to him, Grant raised more than R40 000 without leaving his house.

Maré says the average fundraiser on GivenGain connects with 15 donors and raises R10,000 simply by creating a project page and sharing it with friends and family.

South Africa’s lockdown continues, and it could still be months before events are allowed to resume. But after the power of online fundraising has been shown so clearly, it seems sure to become a permanent part of the fundraising landscape.

Image credit – @katyukawa

The average salary of a South African music professionals is set at more than R700 000. So it’s pretty embarrassing that as flush with cash as so many people here are, shortages at local charities mean that many needy families in Mzansi are likely to not benefit from worthy causes. And in the top 10 corporations that gave the most cash to charity in 2013, there was not one music company to be found.

Not for the BlackCoffee foundation that is. The foundation, in association with Bridges For Music launched their scholarship, which will provide the opportunity for a highly
talented and physically disabled student to study SAE’s renowned Higher
Certificate in Sound Production qualification, at their incredible facility
in Cape Town’s Woodstock Exchange.

Only a few artists understand the challenges of living with a physical disability better than DJ Black Coffee – an award-winning DJ from KwaZulu-Natal. What many may not be aware of is that the genius behind the renowned Black Coffee compositions and performances does not have the use of his left hand. Instead of relegating himself to obscurity DJ Black Coffee chose to take his considerable skills to the world – performing on the international circuit and becoming a household name in South Africa.