Aloha United Way utilizes technology to evolve fundraising efforts

Dec. 20, 2019

Here in Hawaii, we have a natural tendency to give, and with the holidays here it’s the perfect time to do so! Aloha United Way knows all about giving and is making it easier than ever through the use of technology.

In many ways, the basic principles for fundraising remain the same, and Aloha United Way has been doing it for 100 years! One thing to remember? Trust is key. When donating, it’s important the organization is reputable. Nonprofits must make their Form 990 available to the public and often post on their websites. With so many nonprofits, GuideStar is a great resource for verifying the nonprofit is legitimate. Aloha United Way works with more than 300 local nonprofits and the money donated through the organization stays in Hawaii.

It’s always been important for donors to know their money is being spent wisely and making an impact. With younger generations, knowing the impact is more important than ever. Through social media, donors can see the faces and hear the stories of lives they touched. That’s inspirational and will always be a motivational factor. Digital media just makes it so much easier to capture the impact!

Aloha United Way also finds that donors are focused not only on supporting a program that fills an immediate need, but also looking for long-term solutions. Younger donors are wanting to know that problems of their lifetime and their children, and their children’s children, are being addressed. They also want to get involved and feel the impact thorough volunteerism. That experience influences where they want to donate.

Social media, online donations and digital apps are very relevant for philanthropic giving. In fact, United Way is undergoing a digital transformation and, in turn, transforming its relationships with nonprofits and businesses. Core to this transformation is Salesforce.org Philanthropy Cloud, a comprehensive platform that connects employees with the causes they care about most through giving and volunteering opportunities. This will be rolling this out to businesses across Hawaii to support philanthropic donations as well as volunteer efforts of their employees.

With this technology, donors set up their profiles to include which causes they are passionate about. Content is then customized to show impact, stories and information with an opportunity to give, like and share. Like anything, you must evolve, adapt and innovate to stay viable and relevant to your audiences. Aloha United Way has been around for 100 years and have every intention of serving the community for 100 more!

For more information: AUW.org, or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @AlohaUnitedWay