The Indian social sector reached a staggering INR 23 lakh crore ($280 billion) in annual spending. Social impact has undoubtedly achieved scale, and India is making vital progress in generating tangible social change. However, a significant funding gap of INR 15 lakh crore is projected by FY 2028, threatening to disrupt these substantial strides.
As traditional fundraising methods face growing competition and struggle to keep pace with evolving donor landscapes, MarTech is emerging as a game-changer for philanthropies and impact investment organisations. It has quietly revolutionised civic engagement processes, enabling more impactful outreach. This transformation is fuelled by diverse applications beyond traditional marketing functions.
From content creation to customer relationship management, it acts as a connective tissue in the cause work landscape, facilitating donor connections, aiding organisations in impactful cause marketing campaigns, and empowering governments to drive policy changes at scale. Here’s a closer look at how it’s transforming the social impact landscape:
Content creation: Content creation is a potent tool for CSOs, corporations, and donors to maximise their roles in social impact. Through storytelling, educational content bytes, and intentional thought leadership dissemination, the stakeholders can illustrate the outcomes of their initiatives, inspiring support. Such collaborative efforts amplify reach, while user-generated content humanises impact. Clear calls to action direct individuals on how to contribute to the cause, while impact reporting nurtures transparency and long-term engagement.
Targeted outreach: It empowers social causes by enabling precise audience segmentation, and tailoring appeals to individual donor interests. These efforts are complemented by community events, fostering vital face-to-face interactions to deepen engagement. Additionally, data-driven insights refine strategies for maximum effectiveness. By leveraging social media advertising platforms and marketing automation tools, organisations can target specific demographics with precision, thereby amplifying the reach and impact of their outreach efforts.
Donor relationship management: Segmentation based on demographics and engagement history enables tailored messaging for specific audiences. It’s tools help organisations manage donor interactions effectively. CRM systems integrate with data analytics tools for impact measurement, ensuring seamless coordination of fundraising events and community outreach activities. Grant management is enhanced through CRM, streamlining application processes, and ensuring effective fund allocation.
Cause marketing campaigns: Organisations can leverage tools to design impactful cause marketing campaigns that resonate with their target audience and generate social good alongside brand awareness. It empowers organisations to move beyond traditional sponsorships. Social listening tools can help identify trending social causes that align with their brand values, while influencer marketing campaigns can amplify reach and engagement.
Policy advocacy: It empowers NGOs and advocacy groups to mobilise supporters and amplify their voices on critical issues, influencing policy changes at scale. Social media platforms and online petition tools allow organisations to build large and engaged communities around specific causes. It empowers advocacy groups to influence policy decisions and create lasting social change by harnessing collective action.
Data forms the backbone of this ecosystem. Just as financial markets rely on a steady flow of capital, they also thrive on the responsible collection, analysis, and utilisation of data. This data offers insights into consumer behaviour, campaign efficacy, and social impact. While it contains a plethora of quantifiers to measure performance and customer network, it can be made even more powerful by coupling it with the tool of Impact Multiple of Money (IMM) to ensure their social impact efforts are not just well-intentioned but demonstrably effective.
Positive trends are surfacing in corporate giving. More companies are fulfilling their CSR mandates (2% of profits), and even non-BSE 200 companies are increasingly involved (participation jumped from 50% in FY 2018 to 59% in FY 2022). It empowers civil society organisations to leverage this growing pool of purpose-driven organisations through targeted outreach and engagement.
But the landscape is evolving. Businesses are transforming models to generate cash flow tied to their social impact. Civil society organisations need to anticipate the future, where regulatory, consumer, and investor pressures will likely intensify. This is where the Indian government’s upskilling initiatives for the workforce become crucial. Over 3,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and 400 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have already joined the ONDC network, signifying an opportunity to deepen public-private partnerships in the tech for social impact space.
Building capacity for collaboration is key. CSOs can create training programs for volunteers, small and medium businesses, and beneficiaries, equipping them with digital skills like data analysis, social media management, and content creation. This empowers all stakeholders—governments, CSOs, and organisations – to strengthen the capacity of MarTech for prosocial behaviour.
The future demands a digital leap in public-private-philanthropic partnerships. Traditional, one-size-fits-all marketing tactics are no longer sufficient. The future of humanity requires a purpose anchored in accountability. This is where MarTech can enable a giant leap into the future.
(The author, Anubhuti Sharma, is the founder, of Impresario Global.)
