As the vaccination programme continues its progress, and with working from home guidance set to end on July 19, companies are starting to implement their plans for the safe return of workers. The absence of fundraising events has been a key challenge for charities since last March. But an additional issue that has had much less discussion is the impact of the pandemic on workplace fundraising, and how charities should navigate the return to desks of employee fundraisers.
This is a particularly important question when only a quarter of workers expect to return to their desks five days a week. As much as half of the public will be working flexibly or in the office just three days a week or less, according to Enthuse’s Donor Pulse Summer 2021 report.
Slow drift to office
Overall, 58% of people were displaced from their normal workplace last March – either through a switch to home working or being placed on furlough. This was on top of 7% who already worked from home meaning a total of two thirds of workers were physically away from workplaces.
Gen Z and millennials bore the brunt of the changes, with 29% of 18-25 year olds and 26-35 year olds furloughed or made redundant. A further 34% of under 40s began working from home. For Gen X (40-54 year olds), there was a large-scale shift to home working with 43% of them making this move, while only 16% were furloughed or lost their jobs. 55-64 year olds were the least impacted by the change with 40% of them continuing at their normal workplace.
While many companies are still planning how staff return safely to their workplaces, 34% of those displaced are already back in their usual office or place of work. And it is the under 40s who are going back fastest with 43% of Gen Z and 38% of millennials having returned. For those still to return, a third do not have a sense of when they will be returning yet, as they either do not know (8%) or it’s down to when their company tells them to (25%) and they are not clear on when that is. 1 in 12 won’t be returning to their normal place of work at all.
Flexible Fundraising
While there is positive news with 75% of people feeling the same or more likely to get involved in fundraisers when they return to the office, the split between home and office working is likely to present challenges for charities. A total of 55% of the public said time challenges prevented them from previously taking part in workplace fundraising and these will be even more difficult with the new flexible working arrangements.
26% stated they were too busy at work to take part, 16% said they weren’t there on the day the fundraising activity took place, and a further 13% said the activity taking place outside of work hours stopped them taking part. This means that more than half of people were already finding charity campaigns that are office based activities difficult to get involved in.
With 50% of people working three days a week or less in the future, these problems are going to be exacerbated, and have knock-on effects for workplace fundraising. With fewer people in the office every day to take part in activities, and staggered working days for companies that have small office spaces, it will be harder to coordinate campaigns and appeals that run or launch on a particular day. It also means there will be much less opportunity for cash donations.
Charities that make sure their campaigns have a virtual option as well as a physical one and offer ‘flexible fundraising’ options will be better placed with businesses looking to run inclusive activities. A few examples of how to do this could include having team or office based leaderboards to encourage competition; companies matching the amount raised to boost employee engagement and morale; and making sure donations are digital friendly and not cash reliant.
The most popular activities
While flexible fundraising is the best way to ensure the widest participation, the types of events people want to get involved in once they return to work are varied. Christmas giving activities are popular with all ages, with 31% stating they would get involved, and a further 27% saying they would participate in Christmas jumper (or other dress up) days.
Under 40s were engaged by a mix of activities – health challenges (37%) were the most popular, followed by testing out lockdown cooking expertise with bake sales (35%), as well as the counter intuitive pairing of abstinence challenges (31%) and pub sports (28%). Interestingly a significant number of under 40s were also motivated by activities that got them more engaged with the charity – a total of 41% selected volunteer days or lunch and learns. Lunch and learns, dress up days and abstinence challenges all lend themselves to flexible fundraising quite easily. But for activities such as bake sales, pub sports or volunteering, charities will need to be creative with how they build virtual opportunities for participation.
Overall, people are drifting back to work slowly, and it’s unlikely that office lives will be the same with so few people back five days a week. This means charities need to consider how they can build on the heightened interest in getting involved in workplace fundraising carefully. There are many different types of activities that motivate people to get involved, but the key to success will be creating flexible versions that accommodate those in the office and those working from home.
Enthuse surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,011 members of the UK public in October for the report.
from UK Fundraising https://ift.tt/2VqZilJ
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