How The Salvation Army UK converts 49% of donors with Fundraise Up

About The Salvation Army UK

For over 150 years, The Salvation Army UK has defended our society’s most vulnerable from homelessness, poverty, addiction, and more through Christian-based community work. With 650 churches and centers across the U.K. and Ireland, they provide critical resources to people in need.

The challenge: Goals outpacing legacy technology

To serve those in need, The Salvation Army UK relies heavily on the generosity of online donors. The organization recognized that a seamless, positive donor experience was critical for increasing digital donations and driving deeper engagement with supporters.

Several key goals needed to be addressed:

• Increasing donor conversion rates beyond the industry standard of 15% to 17%.
• Seamlessly integrating Gift Aid, a tax benefit for charities in the UK, to maximize donation revenue.
• Quickly creating and launching new campaigns to respond to urgent needs and crises.
• Accessing clear, actionable data insights to inform fundraising strategies and make data-driven decisions.

With these goals in mind, The Salvation Army UK sought a solution that would optimize its online giving experience and better equip its team to meet the growing demands of its mission.

The solution: Modern features for a superior donor experience

In searching for a technology partner to deliver that superior donor experience, The Salvation Army UK found Fundraise Up. The platform’s ability to personalize the giving experience, streamline processes, and provide modern features tailored to the U.K. market made it the ideal choice.

• AI-powered features that boost conversion rates with personalized giving suggestions.
• Easy Gift Aid enablement
• Dozens of modern payment methods
• 20+ supported languages

With Fundraise Up’s high-touch support team, The Salvation Army UK transitioned from its legacy donation platform to a true technology partner.

The result: Transformational donor experiences

The impact of implementing Fundraise Up was immediate and transformational. Within just five months, The Salvation Army UK experienced significant improvements in donor conversion rates, revenue generation, and staff productivity. The intuitive platform and innovative features empowered the team to optimize their fundraising strategies and better serve their mission.

Personalization drives donor conversion

Fundraise Up’s AI-powered giving experience proved to be a game-changer for The Salvation Army UK. By collecting real-time PII data points from website visitors, Fundraise Up offers personalized giving suggestions tailored to each donor. This approach resulted in:

• 70% of donors choosing the AI-suggested giving amounts.
• A 49% donor conversion rate — far exceeding the industry standard of 15% to 17%.

Emily Casson, head of digital at The Salvation Army UK, highlights the platform’s ease of use and its ability to attract new donors who might have been deterred by the less user-friendly experience of the previous donation platform.

Gift Aid integration increases revenue

Fundraise Up’s seamless integration with Gift Aid had a profound impact on fundraising revenue. By simplifying the process for donors to claim this tax benefit, The Salvation Army UK saw Gift Aid adoption rates jump from 66% to 74.5%.

For one Christmas campaign alone, this increase translated to an additional £27,000, simply because more donors clicked the Gift Aid option. Emily noted, “Because of the way Gift Aid was presented to them, it was more obvious.”

Quick campaign setup for crisis response

The platform’s intuitive Campaign Page feature enabled The Salvation Army UK to act quickly during crises. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the organization was able to set up a Ukraine Crisis Appeal campaign in just 10 minutes.

This rapid response allowed The Salvation Army UK to provide immediate support to those affected by the conflict, leveraging its network of 131 Salvation Army organizations worldwide to deliver life-saving services. Some Ukraine-focused campaigns achieved a 75% conversion rate, demonstrating the platform’s ability to mobilize donors during critical times.

Fee coverage boosts revenue

Fundraise Up also offers Adaptive Cost Coverage — the option to cover processing fees, ensuring that 100% of their intended donation goes directly to the organization. While fee coverage is not typically offered to donors in the UK, The Salvation Army UK found that 59% of supporters opted to cover the fees.

Emily explained, “We don’t have the transaction cost automatically checked so the donor has to actively opt-in to do that. That’s really exciting to show to our supporters that we’re being transparent about what the fees are and that they’re willing to cover them.”

Elements streamline processes and save time

Fundraise Up’s interactive Elements, such as donate buttons, donation reminders, and impact sliders, proved to be invaluable for The Salvation Army UK. These tools not only enhanced the donor experience but also reduced administrative burdens for staff.

One standout feature was the use of QR codes, which the organization incorporated into direct mail campaigns and community outreach efforts. The QR codes made it easier for donors to give online, eliminating the need for cash or checks and significantly reducing backend administrative work.

Emily shared, “It’s been great to see people using them. Previously, a donor might put cash in an envelope or send a cheque. Now, they can scan a QR code, and that cuts down on the admin time. It takes less staff time needed on the backend because everything works a lot smoother.”

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