6 preview insights from 2016 Fundraising Media DNA research
Howard Lake | 18 April 2016 | News
This year’s Institute of Fundraising/fast.MAP Fundraising Media DNA report will be launched in June, but UK Fundraising can exclusively reveal six insights that the report will contain.
Last year’s inaugural fast.MAP Fundraising Media DNA report was covered by UK Fundraising in a series of monthly reports looking at the different channels used in fundraising, examining how they were viewed by fundraisers and donors.
2016 report
The launch of the 2016 report will take place at the Holiday Inn London-Bloomsbury on 10th June.
This report will follow the same formula as last year, examining in detail the attributes of each fundraising channel – its DNA.
This includes each medium’s
• Profile – the people who engage with it
• Personality – the attributes associated with it
• Action – the ways people respond or react to the communication
Almost 3,000 donors and more than 100 fundraisers have been interviewed as part of the research. These responses have been aggregated to build an index where the average score of 100 provides the benchmark against which performance can be measured. So, for example, a score of 150 indicates a 1.5-times-above-average performance.
Channel sponsors include ONEPOST (direct mail), Home Fundraising (door-to-door), WPN Chameleon (DRTV), Kudos Data Solutions (preferences) and Listen (telephone). Sponsorship opportunities are available for agencies and experts in email, SMS, social media, street fundraising and for the new channels – press and inserts. A lead sponsor is also being sought.
fast.MAP Account Director Mark Mina explained:
“We are seeking sponsors to champion fundraising channels not just at the event, but with the ongoing publication and distribution of the report. If you would like to know more, please contact me on 020 7242 0702”.
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What will the 2016 study reveal?
The preview insights that fast.MAP shared exclusively with UK Fundraising are:
1. Email – donors aged 55+ strongly prefer it as their way of receiving communication (Preferred Index: 55+, 264).
2. Inserts – a new channel –fundraisers underestimate the likelihood of them being shared with others (Share with Others Index: Overall, Estimated – 78 vs. Actual – 101).
3. SMS – donor engagement is growing (Engagement Index: Overall, 2015 – 64 vs. 2016/17 – 75), particularly among 35-54s (2015 – 54 vs. 2016/17 – 71).
4. Street fundraising is welcomed among 18-34s and those who donate more than £100-a-year (Welcomed Index: 18-34, 106, High Donors, 106).
5. Social media is welcomed among high-value donors (Welcomed Index: High Donors, 137)
6. Press ads are most likely to encourage people to research further (Research Index: Overall, 105) e.g. by visiting a charity website.
Daniel Fluskey, Head of Policy and Research at the Institute of Fundraising, said:
“This year’s Fundraising Media DNA research will help charities and fundraisers to understand the nuances of different channels and the way donors engage with them. By knowing more about how people respond and react to different forms of communication we can build compelling campaigns that will resonate with what donors want.
“The dual approach of the research, both asking donors what they think directly, and asking fundraisers to predict what donors will say, creates a compelling piece that will help guide how we think about fundraising.
“The full results – which will be revealed on Friday 10th June – will provide useful insights to help to challenge assumptions and add fresh thinking to campaign development and promotional activity.”
fast.MAP Managing Director David Cole added:
“By studying the strengths and weaknesses of each medium’s DNA, fundraisers wishing to maximise the effectiveness of a campaign can carefully combine the most effective media mix by balancing one medium’s weakness against another’s strengths.
“The way people consent to charity marketing which is communicated by each medium is a specific area of investigation. To learn more about consent generation UK Fundraising readers can take advantage of free access to the fast.MAP Guide to Creating Permission Statements which would otherwise cost £50.”
Register your interest for this year’s Fundraising Media DNA event. fast.MAP state that attendance is limited.
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.