Tracking stewardship trends

While I’m lucky enough to be involved in all the elements of research we do at THINK, the one area that consumes more of my time than any other is the business of stewardship. Via our THINK Stewardship Tracker and new Digital Experience Spot Check programme, we are constantly gathering data on supporters’ experiences of UK charities and have an impressive (and rather overwhelming!) data bank to draw on for insights.

Recently I spent a bit of time analysing the latest trends in stewardship (mid 2018-late 2021), which I want to share here.[1]  There are five headline findings I’d like to draw out of this rich dataset here, along with some key learnings.

1. Donors’ experiences are improving…

Over the last four years, the experience of one-off and regular donors has improved over time, based on their scores, with one-off donors’ scores increasing slightly more.[2]  This is partly driven by the fact that one-off donors say they find it slightly easier to find information on how to donate than regular donors.

2. …. But everyone wants more communication

When asked in more detail about the content and frequency of the initial communications they receive post-donation, it is clear that regular givers have a consistently better opinion of the content of their communications.​

In terms of frequency of receipt, the story around how much communication is received fluctuates between regular and cash givers year-on-year, but it is evident that most donors feel they are receiving too little on average, with results improving earlier this year, and declining in the most recent report. ​

3. Post is a struggling channel

When comparing entry channels, post has consistently struggled in recent years compared with charities’ websites as a channel to receive donations, which has seen an improvement, and telephone, which has seen a small fall.[3]  The overriding factor here is the difficulty supporters face in finding information on how to make donations by post, indicating that ease of finding information is a key stewardship gateway point. Difficulties at the first hurdle can, and do, tarnish an entire donation experience.

4. Legacy materials are rated highly but the interactions experience does not match. One-off online donations tops the stewardship experience table…while cancellation experiences are getting worse over time.  

Since 2020, we have seen supporters score their experience of requesting legacy information more highly than in previous years, though it had previously been on a downward trend. Where low scores are given, these are linked to poor signposting or a failure to respond to communication, however, the content of information material received continues to be well-rated.

The lower ratings for regular gift direct debit (DD) cancellations are awarded based on a series of recurring core themes: the absence of cancellation acknowledgement, and the perception that charities are not attempting to re-engage or thank supporters for their contributions.

5. Supporters feel more positive about the charities they supported during the pandemic.

Our data finds that when comparing pre-pandemic data sets with 2020/21 data, there was no change in scores for regular givers and a very minor increase in scores for one-off donors. There were also only marginal changes in scores when looking at channels.

However, when faced with a series of positive statements about the charities they were supporting, there was an increase in agreement levels during 2020/21 (56% in 2019 vs. 62% in 2020/21), indicating that member charities handled the challenges of the pandemic well, and supporters were left with more positive impressions than pre-pandemic.

During the pandemic more supporters:

1. said they felt involved with the charity (49% vs 40%)​
2.  felt that they were responded to as an individual (59% vs 53%)​
3.  would be likely to recommend the charity they had mystery shopped for (60% vs 54%)

These are historically the lowest scoring statements and indicate that many charities took positive steps towards building loyalty and longer term engagement via their communications during the pandemic.

So, what can we learn moving forwards?

• Cash donors are having a slightly better experience overall, but everyone wants more communications!​
• If it is hard to find information at the start of your supporter journey, this impacts on the overall satisfaction felt at the end of the journey. ​
• There are some simple things to address around DD cancellation and legacy enquiries​.
• Covid hasn’t resulted in a downturn in supporter experience; in fact, it has led to a greater degree of supporter involvement, individualisation, and levels of recommendation.

Arani Mylvaganam, Research Manager

March 2022

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[1] We measure our supporters’ experiences using three key metrics, which I won’t go into the detail of here, but am happy to discuss in detail with any interested readers.

[2] This score is calculated via a combination of mystery supporters’ scores out of 5 across a number of dimensions: ease of finding information on how to donate, post donation communications and overall satisfaction.

[3] This score is calculated via a combination of mystery supporters’ scores out of 5 across a number of dimensions: ease of finding information on how to donate, post donation communications and overall satisfaction.