Understanding the public mood, and people's attitudes to charity giving and support, is crucial to planning your marketing and fundraising activities.
The UK charity sector isn't just about fundraising; it's a dynamic ecosystem deeply intertwined with public sentiment. In a landscape where donor preferences and societal attitudes are constantly evolving, how can your organisation stay ahead of the curve? Our groundbreaking new quarterly tracker survey is here to shed light on the ever-changing public perception of charities, empowering you to make data-driven decisions that drive real impact.
TL;DR?
We're teaming-up with Savanta, one of the UK's leading polling companies, to survey public attitudes to charitable giving and support on a quarterly basis, and will be reporting the results widely with each wave of our survey.
Why charities need to understand public opinion
No charity, social enterprise or non-profit exists in isolation, and success will always be affected by the world in which they operate and in which their donors, volunteers and supporter find themselves.
Inflation, cost-of-living crises, and changing employment trends can all influence individuals' capacity and willingness to donate. Younger generations may have different values and preferences for giving both time and money to good causes compared to older generations. And whilst online fundraising and engagement are growing, understanding digital donor behaviour is critical for success.
Tracking the vital signs of public opinion over time is therefore essential, but nobody is doing it. That's where our new quarterly tracker comes in, and is designed to help your charity in two key areas:
Fundraising success
Aligning your campaigns with current public sentiment is crucial for attracting and retaining donors. The survey will reveal what motivates people to give, which causes resonate most, and how economic factors influence their decisions.
Strategic planning
Making informed decisions about your organisation's future requires a deep understanding of the landscape you operate in. The quarterly tracker will provide invaluable insights to guide your strategic planning, ensuring your efforts remain relevant and impactful.
What we'll be examining and how we'll be doing it
Our quarterly tracker will specifically look at:
✳️ Attitudes to and propensity for giving
✳️ Barriers to supporting charities
✳️ What works best when it comes to attracting supporters
We've chosen these topic areas because they're the most likely to provide a useful picture of the extent to which giving can be expected to change over time, provide actionable insights into the things charities and non-profits can do to overcome obstacles that might prevent them from gaining support, and assist in the conception of promotional and fundraising campaigns so that budget can be channeled into those most likely to be successful.
As this is a longitudinal study, it will be possible to see trends emerge over time.
The fieldwork will be conducted for us by Savanta who will survey a representative sample of 2,000 GB adults once every three months, with the same questions asked each time.
How we'll report the findings in each wave of our quarterly charity attitudes tracker
Once the results are in, we'll study what they tell us and prepare an executive summary, shareable slide deck and detailed report of the findings.
The detailed report will also draw on quarterly data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and other relevant sources to help establish the broader context to our survey results, whilst also reflecting on the political environment.
This will provide third sector stakeholders and decision-makers in charities and non-profits with a better understanding of the way in which public attitudes to charity giving and support are affected by changes in the prevailing economic and political climate.
Each quarter, we'll launch the latest wave of results with an invitation-only live webinar.
Five reasons why your charity or non-profit needs this research
1. Stay ahead of the curve
Public opinion is fluid. Our survey will be tracking emerging trends, allowing you to anticipate shifts in donor behaviour and adjust your approach proactively
2. Maximise your impact
By understanding what motivates and deters donors, you'll be better able to tailor your campaigns and messaging for maximum resonance and effectiveness
3. Data-driven decision making
Move beyond guesswork. Our research will equip you with hard evidence to guide your fundraising, marketing, and outreach efforts
4. Boost resilience
Understanding how public attitudes change as a result of economic and political factors will help you plan ahead for tougher times
5. Invest with confidence
Secure in the knowledge that your fundraising strategies are aligned with current public sentiment, you can invest your resources more wisely
When we're planning to launch our new charity attitudes tracker and how you can make sure you get the intel it provides
We're currently working on question design to make sure we get the answers your charity really needs, and plan to launch the first wave of fieldwork at the end of June 2024, with the first report published in late July or early August.
The research will benefit:
Charity leaders
Fundraisers
Marketing and communications teams
To make sure your charity or non-profit benefits from this work, you'll need to join our stakeholder list so that you get invited to the free launch webinars. If you'd like to make sure you're kept in the loop, you can register here.
Remember, you'll get:
Comprehensive analysis
We'll be delving deep into a wide range of factors influencing public attitudes.
Timely updates
Quarterly data will ensure you're always ahead of the curve.
Expert commentary
Our team will provide analysis and recommendations to help you interpret findings
Learn more about our work with charities, social enterprises and non-profits
In recent years, we've developed something of a specialism when it comes to marketing and PR for charities. Find out more about our third sector work here.