Gaming as a fundraising tool

There are 99 thousand streamers live right now on the platform Twitch and at any given time 2.4 million people are tuning in to watch them.With these numbers in mind, it's no surprise that many charities have turned to the gaming live-stream industry as a fundraising tool. But not all of these fundraisers are created equal... So what sets success stories like Jacksepticeye's $25 million 'Thanksmas' and Yogscast's £25 million 'Jingle Jam' fundraisers apart? We've seen that two key elements can make or break a gaming fundraiser: knowing the streamer and knowing the audience. Without a clear ask from either of these groups, charity fundraisers can struggle to get the kinds of numbers which make these campaigns a smash hit - as both an experience and, most importantly, in funds raised.Successful gaming fundraisers can typically be broken down into one of the following:

• Recruiting existing, popular streamers who have an established base and history of viewership 
• Recruiting active gamers with an interest in streaming for the first time / newer streamers
• Partnership with e-sports players, game developers, or game publishers

For each of these potential fundraisers and their audiences, you'll find there are unique online communities with established patterns of participation which are crucial to maximising engagement, whether that's a new streamer playing Fortnite for his friends and family or a popular Youtuber streaming to thousands of subscribers. Interested in hearing more about how to set-up the best possible fundraising tool with this ever-growing market? Tune in to our free webinar on Tuesday 13th August, 12pm 

By Esra Balkas

Senior Research Executive