NEWS
In the first of a series of ReDigIm blogs, Dr Jonathan Paylor (Postdoctoral Researcher) discusses the recent rise of ‘digital giving’.
In 2020 the European Fundraising Association (EFA) reported that non-profit organisations across Europe had ‘ramped up’ their use of digital technologies to raise funds during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a report published earlier this year, the EFA demonstrate how the use of digital technology continues to be a key focus for European non-profits as they seek to diversify their funding streams in order to deal with an increasing demand for services and a further stretching of resources driven by the Russia-Ukraine war and the cost-of-living crisis.
The EFA’s findings point to an acceleration of the move towards donations being made via online platforms and contactless payment devices – what’s often referred to as ‘digital giving’. Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) note how digital giving has grown in popularity over the last 20 years and is now supported by a ‘digital giving ecosystem’ that encompasses a wide variety of methods (e.g., In-app giving, Internet-of-Things applications, donation buttons integrated into social media platforms, online retail platforms, cashless donation points).
The rise of digital giving is advocated by individuals and organisations from across the public, private and third sectors. MP Danny Kruger, for instance, recently called for the UK government to ‘support new digital platforms to stimulate giving across the population’ – a proposal that forms part of a wider set of recommendations aimed at fostering an ‘entrepreneurial, communitarian spirit’. Similarly, in a report published by Barclays bank, digital technology is promoted as a way to make donating ‘easier and more efficient’ and to ‘maximise giving’. This claim is echoed by CAF who position digital fundraising at the heart of effective fundraising strategies, arguing it has the potential ‘to reach new and broader audiences’.
While such proponents advocate digital giving, there are those who are more critical of this growing trend. Writing in response to the increased number of online appeals during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK, Moya Lothian-McLean draws attention to the risks of reviving Victorian ideas of the deserving poor and furthering the dismantling of the welfare state. Similarly, in warning us of the danger of becoming ‘a GoFundMe nation’, Nesrine Malik flags the risks of emphasising individual responsibility over government support.
The concerns expressed by critics underscore the need to be wary of uncritically advocating digital giving. At the same time, being critical shouldn’t leave us blind to the different ways of thinking and acting that digital giving opens up. Studies on the proliferation of mutual aid groups during the pandemic (e.g. Penny Travlou’s study in Athens and Adélie Chevée study in North London) show how digital giving can play a role in fostering networks of care and solidarity that surpass the logic of individualism and open up possibilities for political mobilisation.
Insights into everyday practices of mutual aid point to the importance of undertaking empirical research that is attentive to the different ways in which digital giving unfolds in specific contexts. Pursuing such empirical research shouldn’t simply mean substituting a pessimistic account with an optimistic one. Nor should it mean downplaying the effects of dominant visions of society that shape how digital giving is understood and enacted. Rather, it entails an approach that works with ambiguity and fosters an openness to the diverse and multiple visions of society that are ascribed to and expressed through acts of digital giving. The value of such an approach lies in the ability to recognise the dominant visions of society that are perpetuated while simultaneously making visible those that are emergent and which point to alternative futures.
Developing such an empirically grounded understanding of digital giving is one of the central aims of ReDigIm. Based on a qualitative approach that combines various methods (including the analysis of media texts, digital platforms and interview data) ReDigIm examines how citizens across five European countries (UK, Switzerland, Finland, Spain and Montenegro) are using digital tools to engage in practices of giving. In doing so, the research explores the ways in which digitalisation is changing how people share economic resources for the benefit of others. Moreover, it investigates the ‘imaginaries’ that shape and are reflected in these digital practices. The findings will be used to build scenarios for the future of ‘prosocial contribution’ in Europe.
The ReDigIm team are working closely with five cooperation partners who will play a key role in the project’s knowledge exchange activities. The team are also keen to engage other non-academic audiences to explore the knowledge exchange potential of the project. If you’re interested in the project and its outcomes, please contact the ReDigIm team.