CAF Australia research finds charities ignoring high value donors
Howard Lake | 22 July 2011 | News
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Australia’s research study “Disasters, Donors and Giving” warns that Australian charities are at risk of losing valuable donors re at risk of losing valuable donors by not thanking them or informing them of what their donations are achieving. This risk is heightened during disaster giving appeals.
According to the research, 75% of donors feel charities do not communicate well about how their regular donations are used.
The research is based on 1,045 employee donors from 59 companies that operate a CAF Australia’s Workplace Payroll Giving programme. It was conducted following the string of natural disasters this year to find out why people give during disasters and/or why they give on a regular basis at other times.
The survey found that 91% of respondents had given to a disaster appeal in the past two years via their CAF Workplace Payroll Giving programme. However, 75% of those donors said that they were unhappy with the lack of information charities provide back on how and when those donations are being used.
Average donations for these disaster appeals rose to $150 against the average donation through Workplace Payroll Giving of around $60 a month from each donor.
Don Willesee, Chief Executive of CAF Australia said: “Employees who give through Workplace Payroll Giving are a valuable group of donors who provide vital regular income for many charities. However, many feel they are being ignored by the charities they give to.
“Charities need to treat and inform these very loyal donors who give in this way as ‘VIP donors’ and ensure they get the feedback and communication that is right for them.”
The research confirmed that Australians continue to be willing and supportive donors. However, many charities could achieve more by being more transparent, for example by communicating administration costs and timelines for appeal efforts and demonstrating the impact of donations through success stories and the scale of their efforts.
www.cafaustralia.org.au/research.php
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.