Breaking Up With Big Tech: Fundraising On Your Own Terms

Many fundraising organisations rely on big tech platforms to manage donor and member data. This often comes with hidden costs (your donor data) and, in some cases, serious risks. The dangers of this dependence became painfully clear when Microsoft shut down the email account of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court due to U.S. sanctions.

Many civil society organisations want to move away from these platforms, but don’t know where to start.

In this session, we will explore the risks of depending on techbros and share practical, realistic first steps for managing donors and memberships. Bits of Freedom, a Dutch digital rights NGO, is ranked as the twelfth most influential NGO in the country overall and has been fundraising for years without giving in to big tech’s appetite for data. Using real-world examples, you will learn how other organisations are taking steps towards digital autonomy and how you can do the same.

Learning outcomes

• Understand the impact and consequences of dependence on big tech platforms.
• Learn practical, achievable first steps to reduce reliance on big tech.
• Explore smart alternatives and tools for managing donor and member data.
• Get inspired by real-world examples of organisations choosing greater digital autonomy.
• Gain the tools to implement these strategies within your organisation.
• Leave with strong arguments to convince your colleagues to support moving away from big tech.

Who should attend

• All NGOs that handle sensitive data or politically sensitive topics in the broadest sense.
• Fundraising professionals and managers in civil society organisations.
• NGOs that handle donor and membership data.
• NGOs that are interested in reducing their reliance on big tech platforms.

Suggested level of participants

• Beginners.