Here’s How Fundraisers Want to Be Contacted in 2026 (New Research)
Feel like your fundraisers just aren’t engaging? We asked 1,000+ fundraisers how they really want to be contacted.
Earlier this year, we talked to 1,000+ fundraisers and 100+ charities that participated in London Marathon 2025. And what they told us is clear: charities aren’t necessarily communicating with them in the ways they’d prefer during their fundraising journey.
Read on to see what we learnt and how important your channels and contact methods can be to your fundraising success.
Check out our free charity webinar: Sophie from Scope shared the charity’s London Marathon strategy and actionable fundraising tips your charity can use today. Watch free.
What we learnt
How fundraisers want to be contacted
We asked London Marathon fundraisers how they actually want to be contacted by the charity they’re supporting, and here’s what they said:
- Email. Still the favourite: 88% of fundraisers chose this as their top channel!
- WhatsApp. A growing channel: 22% like direct messages and 20% prefer groups.
- Phone calls. Calls feel more personal and help build strong long-term relationships, especially with high-value fundraisers.
How charities currently contact fundraisers
Meanwhile, charities’ top fundraiser outreach methods are mismatched to what fundraisers want: email, phone, and WhatsApp, in that order!
So while most charities rely heavily on email and phone calls, it seems WhatsApp is still underused, despite rising fundraising interest.
What to do now
It might be time to mix things up!
If you’re already using email as part of your communication strategy, keep it up! When it comes to using email for fundraiser stewardship, email is one of the top-performing channels, with 88% of fundraisers saying that’s their number one channel.
If you rely on email alone, try adding WhatsApp or phone to your stack (especially for those raising the most money).
If you’re prioritising phone calls, keep things balanced: charities say calls are one of their best-performing stewardship tools, even though fundraisers are showing less interest in them. In fact, nearly 70% of 18–34s prefer texts over calls! Calls are valuable because they create two-way conversations. But because they take more time and can be hard to schedule, use SMS or WhatsApp as a backup.
If you’re already doing all these, try mixing in even more personalised methods, like handwritten postcards, thank-you videos, good luck packs, and simple shoutouts on social media.
Need help with your London Marathon stewardship? Grab a complete set of pre-written emails you can copy, paste, and send to your London Marathon fundraisers to help them raise more at every phase of your campaign! Get the free templates here.
The incentives fundraisers want
When it comes to incentives and gifts, fundraisers said receiving these would have helped motivate them to raise even more money for their cause:
- Free running kit
- Prize draw to win £1000 donation to my page/charity
- Free training tech (eg. Apple watch)
More insights from our research
The more contact, the better
When it comes to high-performing fundraisers, the more contact the better. Only 2% of fundraisers felt they had too much contact, and of those who raised over £3,000, none said there was too much!
Provide the path to fundraising success
Fundraisers want to know specifically how they’re helping your cause, as well as stories about those you’ve helped. A simple way to do both is tying your cause into your target: what are you raising money to do, and how will the target you’ve chosen specifically help you do it?
PRO TIP: Share pre-written messages your fundraisers can pop on social media, in an email, or in a text to make it fast and easily to get donations and help you reach your goal.
Provide opportunities for incentives
People raise money for you because they’re passionate about your cause. But a little extra motivation can go a long way! Fundraisers say things like free trainers, prize draws for donations, and smart watches can help motivate them to raise more.
To fully leverage incentives (especially early in the process), set clear deadlines. For example, “get your first donation by [date] to enter the prize draw.” This helps fundraisers get that first donation early, which leads to more raised over time.
Check out how Barnardo’s inspires fundraisers with campaign milestones and incentives.
FREE WEBINAR!
Stewardship strategies from Scope
Ready, set, activate! One of the most important metrics is your fundraisers getting donations on their pages.
Sophie Maggs from Scope took us through a deep dive into the charity’s activation strategy, stewardship journey, and so much more.
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