What Fundraisers Can Learn from REMARKABLE Experiences (part one)

What AI Imagines a REMARKABLE Experience to Look Like

Applying insights from the REMARKABLE 2025 Experience Report to events, individual giving, and supporter experience

Craig is a long-standing member of the World Experience Organisation (WXO). He wants to share insights from a fascinating new report published by Laura Hess in conjunction with the WXO. This is part one of a two-part series. Find the second part here.

The world is changing. People crave connection, meaning, and a memorable experience. It’s why the growth of experiential events and activities has exploded in recent years.

While the charity sector often looks inward for innovation, there’s a wealth of inspiration beyond our bubble.

The REMARKABLE 2025 Experience Report by Laura Hess explores how experiential art and entertainment can spark joy, reflection, and community. But here's the twist: many of its lessons are directly relevant to fundraising. Especially if you're focused on supporter experience, individual giving, or events.

Here are five powerful ideas we can steal, adapt, and remix.

1. Emotional Resonance Creates Lasting Impact

“Some works were so affecting they became treasured memories… They made my life intrinsically better.”

Fundraising Takeaway:
Whether it’s a legacy ask or a charity walk, people give when they feel something. Great fundraising is about creating emotionally resonant experiences. Not just telling a story, but inviting supporters into it. Memory-making matters. Can supporters relive the experience in their mind? That’s where real connection (and loyalty) lives.

2. Live Performers and Human Connection Are Priceless

"The performers were the show. They could not have been more essential to its superb execution."

Fundraising Takeaway:
Behind every gift is a human connection. Events that include live storytelling, authentic conversation, or moments of shared vulnerability score higher in engagement. It could be a beneficiary speaking, a caseworker sharing their experience, or even a donor reflecting on why they give. The magic lies in the people.

3. DIY and Playfulness Can Outshine Perfection

“The unpolished, occasionally failing, in-process state is the most real, playful, and joyful of all.”

Fundraising Takeaway:
Not every campaign needs a five-figure budget. Some of the most effective appeals feel raw, intimate, and genuine. A lo-fi peer-to-peer challenge can often outperform the glossiest of events. Just look at how some of the biggest fundraising events and trends in the world started. A homemade thank-you. A user-generated campaign. Supporters don’t want perfect. They want personal.

4. Sensory Design Embeds the Experience

“Fragrance and sound are the keys to world-building... They travel invisibly, but they change the way we see.”

Fundraising Takeaway:
Engage the senses. How does your event feel? How does your mailing sound when opened? What music plays at the annual ball? Sensory inputs enhance memory and emotion. And they don’t have to be expensive to be effective. We’ve often thought that smell and touch are under-used in fundraising and

5. Less Box-Ticking, More Intentional Design

“Trying to be all things to all people leads to creative dilution.”

Fundraising Takeaway:

You don’t need to cram every touchpoint into one campaign. Instead, focus on the core emotional journey. Do one or two things exceptionally well rather than five or six mediocre touch points – think ‘wow’ not yawns! Simplicity with heart wins.

In a noisy world, fundraising that moves people will always win. The REMARKABLE report reminds us that powerful experiences aren't reserved for the arts. With care and creativity, they belong in every charity's toolkit. So let’s go beyond KPIs and build supporter journeys and moments that are unforgettable, emotional, and truly remarkable.