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DEC launches new website as it tries to tie in more with member brands

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 29 Jul 2011

The Disasters Emergency Committee has relaunched its website, now heavy on multimedia features that feedback on how donations are spent, as the organisation's annual report shows the organisation looking to build closer ties with member charities' brands.

The new site is live today and emphasises impact reporting via online video, slideshows and interactive maps and has been hailed by DEC chief executive Brendan Gormley as heralding a “a step change not just in technology and functionality but also in accountability and transparency”.

The DEC’s 14 member agencies will soon have a platform on the site on which they can share videos from the ground with donors.

Nick Torday, account director of SiftGroups, which designed the site, said it “concentrates on stronger story-telling to communicate how people’s money is being spent and the real difference it makes on the ground. Combined with our user-centred design process, the underlying technology of the site follows this core strategy, providing a quantum leap for the DEC in terms of how it communicates with its visitors as to where their money is going.”

The site was launched today to coincide with the release of the DEC's 2010/2011 annual report which shows that with the Haiti earthquake and Pakistani floods last year, 2010/2011 was the most prolific fundraising year for the DEC. More £100m was raised directly by DEC members and the DEC itself for Haiti and £71m in total for the Pakistan appeal.

Coordinating and reflecting member brands

A key theme of the DEC's reported plans for the next year is involving and reflecting member agencies more in the DEC brand and activity. There will be changes to both the secretariat and member activity as a result of fundraising changes in the next year, the report says.

"The brand adjustments are expected to mean closer ties between member and DEC brands", it reads.

Member agencies have been doing a significant amount of fundraising for the key appeals under their own brands also. The 2010/2011 report shows all agencies report some independent fundraising income for the Pakistan, Haiti and Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines appeals, but Oxfam regularly reports one of the highest independent fundraising totals. Somewhat predictably, Islamic Relief also reported high income for Pakistan, while Tearfund, British Red Cross and Christian Aid all raised significant amounts for Haiti.

A priority for the DEC in the coming financial year is to look at how the DEC secretariat and these members can “work together to deliver the fundraising strategy”. In its annual report, the DEC says it will try to address “challenge” of making sure the DEC brand “incorporates and promotes the trusted charities that make up the DEC”.

After setting up a fundraising committee last year, now led by Judy Beard, the DEC bought in a new fundraising database from ThankQ and reports that the committee will now look into what kind of communication DEC donors would like to have from the organisation after making their gift. 

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