After charitable gaming and crypto-philanthropy, Connected TV reinvents the gesture of donation. It is now up to NGOs to seize the opportunity.
Philanthropy is not immune to the great experience marketing revolution. For several years now, donation campaigns have gone beyond conventions. NGOs have learned to make donation an experience integrated with other logics: fun, community, and interactive. And the act of giving has interfered with other rituals: a game of video games, an online purchase, a live broadcast on social networks.
Charitable gaming was one of the first strong signals. On Twitch, the Z Event revealed the power of streaming. Since its first edition in 2016, the event has continued to break its own records: to the point of crossing the barrier of 55 million euros collected, all editions combined. In the same movement, crypto-philanthropy and NFTs have allowed organizations like Action Against Hunger to open up giving to a new type of donor profile.
This transformation reveals, implicitly, a requirement that NGOs can no longer ignore. To deliver, audiences need the emotion to immediately extend into the action. And this is the equation that the sector is still struggling to resolve. How can we encourage donations when audiences are solicited by 1,200 promotional messages per day? Another screen, another application, another request. Acting out dies in this friction. What if the answer was just two words? Connected TV.
More than a buzzword
Buzzword of the moment in the commercial sector, Connected TV is not the topic on the other side of the spectrum: on the side of NGOs and associations. And yet, the sector has reason to be concerned. Because if there is one thing to remember about Connected TV: it is that it now allows us to reconcile emotion with giving, without friction.
Connected TV captures new donors in a context of maximum attention: the sofa, the shared screen with the family, the moment of relaxation where emotion is available and defenses lowered. It reactivates dormant donors via programmatic retargeting on premium inventories. It builds, over time, a relationship of loyalty that the short formats of social networks struggle to generate.
The formats emerging on major platforms already provide a striking overview. Overlays come to life at the most emotionally charged moment of a humanitarian report. Dynamic QR codes appear on the screen, redirecting in a few seconds to an optimized donation page. “Give now” buttons integrate directly into streaming interfaces – Roku, Samsung Ads, Amazon Fire TV – transforming intent into a frictionless transaction. The mechanics are validated: emotion and gift coexist, from the living room.
NGOs facing their next strategic turning point
Big breaks in fundraising have always rewarded the first movers. Those who invested early in online giving in the 2000s, in mobile giving after 2010, in social networks from 2015. Connected TV opens the same window today.
But seizing this opportunity requires not repeating the mistakes of the past. Integrating CTV into a collection strategy does not mean transposing a classic TV spot onto a new screen. This requires a native approach: creatives designed for the large interactive screen, an impeccable donation process, and a data ecosystem solid enough to personalize the message according to the profile of the household exposed. Donating should be as seamless as making a purchase on Amazon. Any additional friction is a lost donor.
If the philanthropic ROI of CTV still remains to be documented on a large scale in Europe, the signals coming from the United States are clear enough for the wait to become a risk in itself. The NGOs who understand this, and who have had the courage to invest before the market becomes standardized, will take a decisive lead. Not only about their competitors, but also about their own history.
