Lack of donor engagement affecting donation levels
Melanie May | 15 March 2016 | News
Four out of five donors are not engaged with the charities they support, according to research from Amaze One, Harvest and Boy on a Beach.
The study surveyed 1,000 UK-based respondents who had supported at least one of the UK’s top 50 charities (as ranked by CBI) in the last 12 months via at least two methods. The research specifically examined the levels of engagement and supporter behaviour within the third sector.
However, the research also indicates an opportunity for charities that do engage their donors. The findings suggest that those who do engage with the charities they support, on average, donate 50 percent more compared to those that did not feel engaged with charities. This ‘engaged’ group was also 10 percent more likely to increase their year-on-year spend with their chosen charity, as opposed to just three percent for neutral supporters.
Engagement was defined as any activity that causes a supporter to invest in a charity – cognitively, emotionally, and behaviourally – so that their lifetime value increases.
Four out of five donors are unengaged with the charities they support
Steven Dodds, founder and planning partner at Harvest, said:
“We have found there to be a severe disconnect between support and engagement, so charities need to be asking themselves tough questions on how they want to be looked at through the eyes of their donors. Mix this with the fact that a large percent of donations come from a small proportion of individuals, then you have the recipe for a complicated marketing landscape.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.