Catch 'Em Young
The recent study into donor motivations featured earlier this month
in the Chronicle of Philanthropy made for interesting - and potentially
useful - reading.
I'm normally sceptical about lifting research from one country and
applying it in another, (especially if the research was done in the
US!), but the study by California based Hope Consulting makes some
valuable conclusions that may well apply in the UK too.
In their study, funded amongst others by the Rockerfeller and
Hewlett Foundations, Hope surveyed 4,000 individual donors about their
giving, seeking to identify what led to their selection of charities to
support. The survey targeted donors with household incomes over $80,000
per annum, as this group collectively make 75% of all charitable
donations in the US.
One key finding is that donor motivations differed little between
those just above the bottom end of the chosen income scale and the very
wealthy. In addition, donors were found to be generally very loyal to
their chosen causes. Hope's conclusion is therefore that charities
should seek to recruit donors young, i.e. before they have settled on
the causes they will often support for the rest of their lives.
This is a gross simplification of a107 page report, with many
interesting findings. Although some of it is specific to the US, my
feeling is that there are some useful nuggets for us here too. To read
the report in full see:
http://www.hopeconsulting.us/pdf/Money%20for%20Good_Final.pdf
What strikes me is that we could do with more research of this
scale and quality in the UK. Let's hope the IoF's attempts to achieve
this will be successful!