# Lack of donor engagement affecting donation levels

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/03/15/lack-donor-engagement-affecting-donation-levels/
- Published: 2016-03-15T15:38:32+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**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](http://amazeone.com/from-hunting-to-farming/) 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.

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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⌉⌊Four out
of five donors are unengaged with the charities they support⌉[

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.”

 * **[Younger people now give more than over 55s, report shows](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/05/03/younger-people-now-give-more-than-over-55s-report-shows/)**(
   3 May 2018)
 * **[Blackbaud report shows youngest donors give most overall, but more older people give](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/09/10/blackbaud-report-shows-youngest-give-charities-older-people-give/)**(
   10 September 2018)
 * **[From the Olympics to climate change – how issues around us impact charitable support](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/09/01/from-the-olympics-to-climate-change-how-issues-around-us-impact-charitable-support/)**(
   1 September 2021)

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