Transforming fundraising success: how exceptional supporter experience drives long-term loyalty

Think back to the last time that you ordered something online, had to call your energy supplier or made a charity donation. You’ll probably have a memory of how the whole experience felt. Did you enjoy the experience? Did aspects of the experience annoy you? What did you think of the organisation that provided it?

What is supporter experience?

Supporter experience refers to the overall experience that a supporter has with a charity or non-profit organisation. It encompasses all aspects of the supporter’s interaction with the organisation, including fundraising appeals, communication, events, and stewardship activities. It is the sum of all the touch points that a supporter has with the charity, and the feelings and perceptions that these touch points create.

The CIOF describes supporter experience as:

“The way a supporter thinks and feels about your organisation: the sum of every interaction; everything you say and do; every time you talk or are quiet; every time you disappoint or delight[1]”

It’s all about putting supporter needs at the centre of what a charity needs to do, and then ensuring that along all the touch points, and even more so along all the relevant supporter journeys, that the supporters have a flawless experience.

Why is supporter experience important?

When a supporter is satisfied with a charity, they not only cost less to serve, but also have a higher potential to be more loyal supporters. They’ll be more likely to promote the charity among their friends and networks. And in the long term, they may offer a higher life time value to the charity.

Leading companies understand that they are in the customer-experience business, and they understand that how an organisation delivers for customers is beginning to be as important as what it delivers – and the same applies to charities. And in a competitive market, supporter experience is the best way to stand out from competitors.

Not only is supporter experience the right thing to do for supporters, but if you offer a positive supporter experience, chances are your supporters will be loyal to your charity and continue to support. But that doesn’t happen without real effort.

What makes a good supporter experience?

You might have an intuitive sense of what separates a good supporter experience from bad. Imagine you want to organise a coffee morning to raise money. When you contact the charity to ask for advice, are they appreciative? Is the process straightforward? Do they take your details accurately and send you relevant information promptly? If you have a problem, is it promptly resolved, or does someone get in touch to help you? Do they proactively reach out to understand your overall experience? Are follow up communications relevant and timely? Does the charity recognise your previous support? All of those questions touch on elements of supporter experience.

A great supporter experience is one that is personalised, well-timed, appropriate, easy and straightforward, integrated, memorable, and consistent.

And it is important to recognise that supporter experience is everyone’s job – from the CEO to the newest member of staff. Everyone can impact on the supporter – even if you’re not dealing directly with a supporter, you are most likely supporting someone who is.

One of the key parts of creating a great supporter experience is understanding the entire journey a supporter takes.

What are supporter journeys?

A supporter journey describes the supporter’s end-to-end experience, as opposed to their satisfaction at various individual transactions or touch points. These can include many things that occur before, during, or after the supporter experiences a given fundraising product or service.

Understanding the supporter journey is about learning what supporters experience from the moment they begin considering supporting a charity, and then working to make the journey towards supporting as simple, clear, and efficient as possible. Create a supporter journey map to help you understand every touchpoint you have with your supporters – and then focus on how you can make each touchpoint a positive experience.

Attending to full supporter journeys instead of touch points can drive stronger outcomes. Supporter satisfaction is more likely when the entire journey works well than when only touch points do.

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Want to know more?

Delivering an excellent supporter experience is just one of the topics we have covered at THINK’s Supporter Services Forum. You can find all the details about THINK’s Supporter Services Forum and how to get involved here.

If your organisation has a challenge or opportunity related to supporter experience that you’d like to discuss with one of our consultants, you can get in touch with us here – we’d love to hear from you.

Amanda Warhaftig, Senior Consultant at THINK
May 2023

[1] https://ciof.org.uk/about-us/groups/supporter-experience

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