May 9, 2024 
Share This PostIn January, we shared our top tips for how to get started with gaming fundraising. We shared UK statistics about online gaming, the benefits of fundraising with online games, and how your charity can get started. We are back with more gaming for giving advice and tips in this blog. Read on to maximise your charity’s chances of success and boost fundraising efforts with gaming.
Leverage social media and influencers
People love watching others play their favourite video games. They watch influencers in order to learn ways of advancing in the game. They may want to see more of the game before playing it themselves. They may even watch others play for the calming effect it has on their mental health. Gaming influencers can be extremely helpful for your charity as they will bring their own audience to the fundraiser – and help raise funds for your charity by participating in your events.
Work with your Marketing team to get in touch with influencers who share a passion for your charity. For example, if you’re an animal welfare charity, you might create a fundraiser with an influencer who always has their pet next to them during sessions.
If you’re a charity for disabilities, consider partnering with an influencer that discusses their own disability, and promotes how games help them with their unique situation.
Build partnerships with gaming organisations
Cross collaboration between a popular video game brand and your charity could be a game-changer in terms of reach. Online gaming organisations are now working hard to prioritise and promote online safety too. Counsellors have even found that Minecraft can help improve children’s mental health.
Social platforms such as Discord (well known for its robust game communities) is in partnership with groups such as the Crisis Text Line in the United States and many other safety organisations – creating voluntary teen support channels.
With a little bit of effort, partnering with a gaming brand can be mutually beneficial – they get to share their passion for user safety and you as a charity will increase visibility and funding – to a brand new audience.
Create shareable content and challenges
In 2019, Fortnite hosted its first Summer Block Party event – a game-off competition which awarded donations to the winners’ favourite charities. The event was so popular that they have repeated the event annually ever since.
New generations (such as GenZ) relate to creators who game – and these creators popularise their favourite charities at these events. Bridging the gap between newer creators, your charity, and a whole new generation of potential lifelong fundraisers.
Incorporate live streaming and real-time interaction
Set up coordinated areas on one of these live chat spaces for the audience, and invite your charity, gamers, the hosts and brand (if you’re partnered with one) so everyone can engage with each other.
The live spaces can be used to broadcast live, and create special activities, challenges and cheering on your fundraisers together. This further solidifies the bond between the community, the fundraisers, and the charity which can lead to an increase in loyal fundraisers for the future.
Check out the recent GameSafe Festival – co-hosted by NSPCC. The events were promoted as a new way to play safely, and included well-known gaming creators, tips for playing safely, and competitions highlighting the importance of safe playing while having a fun time. StrawberrySocial partnered with NSPCC, moderating and supporting the entire festival which ensured top-notch safety was front-and-centre of the entire event.
The Festival proved to be a huge success, raising £7.5k for the charity.
Create a sense of competition and community spirit
Live event hosting is definitely not new to community building – but it does require specific skills which deliver different (and successful) results. YouTube, Twitch, Discord, or even Web3 (the ‘Metaverse’) are fantastic spaces for attendees to interact with you and talent. Compare listening to an artist on Spotify and going to their live concert. There is an emotional bond, a relationship amongst audiences that is built when everyone is invested in the same activity, in real time.
For example, you want to assign hosts that attend the event(s) and are able to both engage with the audience in a positive manner, call out their accomplishments and also be a voice of reason, ensuring it’s a safe and fun environment.
Ask around your office! Are any of your colleagues fans of the game, or fans of any creators you plan to work with? Make sure they’re a part of the event, regardless of what department they are in (e.g. if a member of your IT support is a gamer, bring them in, help them learn to engage and play along). They will bring a real sense of what the game community is about.
Reward donors and participants
Depending on your costs, it would be a great opportunity to advertise your event, your charity and your mission if your marketing team, and the brand’s marketing team could come up with some fun swag as incentive to join the event and raise funds.
Specially branded T-shirts and hats always work well, especially if you can swing the cost for something unique. (For example, adding a date and a year to make it memorable.)
And, if the gaming company or brand can spare some, offering gift cards for their product would be a fantastic ‘special reward’ to those individuals who raise over a certain amount for the charity. Gift cards, or special items within the game itself (‘rare’ items, such as a special ‘skin’ in Fortnite, or a unique in-game badge) they can use in the game on their own time).
Charity fundraising and online entertainment is a fast growing industry. Reaching out to a younger audience where they live can yield fantastic results for both raising funds, and creating lifelong volunteers and fans of your organisation.
Foster trust and engagement with gaming moderation
It’s crucial to create a vibe where everyone feels welcome and safe to join in, so make sure to keep an eye out for anything that could ruin the fun. Ensure you have robust gaming moderation professionals and tools in place to maintain a positive community, ensure people’s safety, and prevent any toxic behaviour.
Want to get started in gaming fundraising but worried about the online safety implications? We’ve got your back. At StrawberrySocial, we are proud to provide experienced, multilingual moderation and engagement support (including experienced gamers) to well-known brands and charities. Our primary focus is safety – especially where vulnerable audiences may be involved. We have vast experience in moderating youth-centric brands 24/7/365.
Find out more about how our gaming moderation specialists help keep gaming and live streaming environments safe and enjoyable for everyone.