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Should cause marketers be so worried about changing the channel?
By Justin Goldsborough | August 16th, 2010
Photo courtesy of Convio “Next Generation of American Giving” study
Cause marketing is something I’m passionate about, but I haven’t had a chance to work on a social fundraising campaign until recently. As part of the research for the initial campaign proposal, I was tasked with checking out donation tendencies across different generations. What I came across, thanks to Sue Anne Reed (@Sue_Anne), was a recent study by Convio that analyzed four different generations and how they prefer to engage with and donate to nonprofits and organizations they support. Here was the demographic breakdown:
- Matures (born 1945 or earlier)
- Boomers (born 1946-1964)
- Gen X (born 1965-1980)
- Gen Y (born 1981-1991)
The study included a variety of findings, some that probably wouldn’t surprise any of you. Matures are still pretty big fans of direct mail. Gen Y is more open to newer technologies than earlier generations. The list goes on and on and the research really is worth diving into. Perhaps I will in future blog posts. But there was one point above all others that stood out for me after I’d read the study from front to back — Fundraising is profoundly multichannel and causation may be impossible to track.
What does that really mean? Well, for starters, it means that when nonprofits attribute the donations they receive to certain channels, they likely aren’t accounting for the whole story. Fewer people than ever before actually learn about a cause through one channel (e.g. website), interact with the organization through that channel and also donate through that channel.
A more likely scenario is that Jane, a 40-year-old Gen Xer, sees a direct mail piece about a nonprofit organization. She then goes online to check out their website, reviews some of the content and sees they’re on Facebook. From there, she might check out the organization’s fan page, sign up for its e-mail list or even opt in to its text program. Sooner or later, Jane will likely ask her peers for their two cents on the cause. And when it comes time to donate, she may very well send a check. Or if she’s more comfortable with technology, donate via a Paypal widget on a blog or fan page.
That’s a lot of touchpoints for Jane and probably a bit overboard when talking about the average person’s path to relationship with and donation to a charity. But in Jane’s scenario or one with even half those touchpoints – which Convio tells us is becoming more and more common – which channel gets the credit for the awareness? How about Jane’s donation?
All this analysis begs one final question: Should nonprofits spend valuable time and resources trying to analyze the channels that create the most conversation and funding? All the finance folks and executive-level leaders just choked on their gum. But follow my reasoning here for a little longer. Isn’t it most important that the organization is gaining awareness and donations through multichannel outreach? I know many want to analyze the value of every single tactic, compare and cut to save a few bucks. But isn’t it possible that the changing technological landscape has altered the public’s expectations when it comes to how they interact with any organization, nonprofit or not?
This Convio study says the answer is yes. It says that causes shouldn’t be so focused on specific channels and that the direct mail specialists should be working with – not competing with – the digital specialists. Research says we would be wise to adopt a different POV when it comes to nonprofits and fundraising. The question is:
- Will we?
- How long will it take us to evolve from years of monitoring channel vs channel?
- Do you agree with the Convio POV?
August 16th, 2010 at 6:38 am
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August 16th, 2010 at 6:52 am
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August 16th, 2010 at 7:37 am
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August 16th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
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August 17th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Justin,
Great post! We are preparing to create a campaign for one of the St. Luke’s Foundation organizations here in KC and this post helps affirm the approach we are taking. We encourage a “7 times 7 ways” strategy primarily due to what you found in this Convio research. People are connecting with a brand (be it non-profit or not) in a multitude of ways and it is important to establish a consistent and engaging end-to-end experience. As for determining which channel is the “most successful” it is becoming more difficult to determine. This is why it is very important to establish the overall fundraising goals up front and measure them early and often. Number of donors, funds raised, and contact information obtained (recurring opportunity is priority for many) are just a few of the key indicators that should be reported on along with your campaign specific measurements. If the overarching goals are being met while keeping the campaign on budget, it helps take the pressure off any one channel.
Thanks again Justin for a valuable post!
Cheers,
Lisa
August 18th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
@Lisa Thanks for stopping by. Look forward to hearing more about your work with St. Luke’s Foundation. Sounds like a worthwhile cause.
I think what makes this issue tough is organizational culture. Many culture’s are built on measuring departments and roles against one another. It’s how people are evaluated and how budgets are formed. Ideally, we’d all be shooting for the same goals and to hit the same objectives. But some cultures have to be torn down and built back up to embrace that mentality and that takes a while.
The Convio research is clear — donors and supporters DO NOT interact with causes they support via only one channel. And they expect a cohesive interaction across channels. Anyone can read that and say they understand it. But it’s up to leadership to allow an organization’s people to act on it. And that all goes back to culture, IMO.
Btw, you are so right about consistently setting and reporting on clear benchmarks. Absolute must!