The average UK charity is losing out on a 105% increase in lifetime value
Every year you spend time, money and resource trying to engage your donors in the hope that they’ll give more and stay longer. Yet frustratingly little ever changes for the better (though frequently for the worse!)
Why’s nothing changing? Because our journeys are starting in the wrong place.
Take your current ‘supporter journey’. What was the thinking behind it? Chances are you sat in a series of meetings with an agency guru. You studied colourful charts of giving behaviour. You minutely analysed at what point people dropped off your file. You did a comprehensive creative audit to identify messages that had been popular. Then out came the white board and together you mapped the perfect journey. Yes it felt an awful lot like the one you did last year (and the year before, and very similar to the year before that), but this time you were going to have ‘big vision’ and be ‘innovative’. You were going to use the latest ‘insight’ to re-segment the data. You were going to tell ‘stories’ and be ‘emotional’. Oh, and you were going to add a few ‘thank you’ messages along the way for good measure.
How’s it working so far; any significant net improvement on last year?
If, like so many charities, your answer is no then it’s time to look for the missing piece of the puzzle.
In this UK study commissioned by Ken Burnett and Roger Craver, you’ll hear exactly how you can get the insight, application and tools you need to drive immediate and long term value. As Ken Burnett says “…only a fool will ignore these findings.”
Charlie Hulme, Managing Director, DonorVoice UK
If you’d like to learn more, ask questions or schedule a meeting please contact Charlie Hulme, Managing Director of DonorVoice UK, chulme@thedonorvoice.com
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
Read Full Answer
Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
Read Full Answer
Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
Read Full Answer
There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
Read Full Answer