Who's Afraid of In Memory Donors?

Who’s Afraidof

The Big Bad Wolf ?

In memory

donors

Institute of Fundraising NI Conference 2012

Damian O’Broin

[email protected]

@damianobroin

slideshare.net/damianob

pinboard.in/u:damianobroin

www.askdirect.ie

The Rise and Rise of In Memory Giving

In MemoryIn Honour In Lieu of Flowers

Funeral Collections Tribute funds

“Money given… in memory… will outstrip money given through legacies in 10 years’

time, delegates at the Institute of Fundraising’s

National Convention heard”

Just Giving in memory donations

1 2 3 4 5£0

£500,000

£1,000,000

£1,500,000

£2,000,000

£2,500,000

First quarter income

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

The top 5 fundraisers

on mycharity are all giving in memorymycharity.ie 15/3/12

There’s a market for memories…

…and the private sector has recognised this.

What In Memory Donors Want…

How donors relate to charity

With In Memory, it’s a bit more complicated

Family

Friends

Others

In Memory Research 2011

Grieving

Mourning

Supporting


Grieving

• To provide a positive focus

“For my husband, he wanted something positive out of it, so he said we’ll be pro-active, instead of sitting around in self pity...”

(Female, 40s)


Grieving

• To keep the relationship alive

“You look at your life, it’s really really weird, I feel, I wouldn’t say it’s guilt, I feel I want to give... I feel I’m giving something to her... she’s not down here for me to give it to her...”

(Female, 40s)


Grieving

• To combat helplessness

“You feel a bit helpless, and it’s nice because at the end you think I’ve raised all this money now, you push and push people to sponsor you.”

(Female, 30s)


Grieving

• I want them to be proud of me

“I like to think she’s looking down from heaven, if there’s a heaven, and she thinks ‘good on her’. That’s what she’d say, good on you. You go girl”

(Female, 20s)


Grieving

• I want them to know I loved them

“I want him to know he was valued so much, that he meant so much to me, to all of us.”

(Male, 40s)


Supporting

• Make the bereaved feel better

“For her she could see all the names of her friends which I think is lovely... she could say all these people care about me and I can count on my friends when times are rough.”

(Female, 40s)


How we actually treat them…

…we’re frightened.

/

Donor Benchmarking Research 2011

6 countries x 15 charities each x 3 types of gift

Average speed of response*

Ask Direct/Bluefrog Benchmarking 2011

Ireland

Canada

New Zealand

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

In MemGeneric PostalOnline -1st postal

Average speed of response*


Average communication volumes

Aver

age

num

ber o

f com

mun

icati

ons

Pape

r mai

l and

em

ail

*Average volume of communications received between donation and end-Sep 2011


Average communications volumes


Volumes received by charity – UKN

umbe

r of c

omm

unic

ation

s re

ceiv

ed


Volumes received by charity – Ireland

Amne

sty

Inte

rnat

ional

Irelan

d

Barna

rdos

Barre

tsto

wn

Bótha

r

CMRF

Conce

rn

Focus

Irela

nd

Irish

Can

cer S

ociet

y

Irish

Hea

rt Fou

ndat

ion

Irish

Red

Cro

ss

MS S

ociet

y

Oxfam

Tróca

ire

Unicef

Wor

ld Visi

on0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Online:email

Online:postal

Generic postal

In Memory

Nu

mb

er o

f co

mm

un

icat

ion

s re

ceiv

ed


Irish In Memory Donors receive almost 20% less mail.46% of Irish charities sent nothing beyond a thank you within first 6 months.

Why are we ignoring In Memory Donors?

54%

46%

Follow up to donation

Yes No


Irelan

d

Australi

a

New Zeala

nd UK US

Canad

a0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

% of charities with no follow up

But not as much as some…


A bit more detail…



A bit more detail…

So much for the quantity.What about the quality?

Do In Memory donors get a fitting reply?


Ireland New Zealand Canada0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Got nothing

In Mem Thank You

Generic Thank You

Num

ber

of c

harit

ies

Do In Memory donors get a fitting reply?


Breaking it down – in the UK

Gift-specific thank you In Mem focus Hand signed Hand written Mention cousin Mention flowers Offer tribute Offer support Offer to tell family

Amnesty ü ü ü û ü ü ü û û

Greenpeace ü ü ü ü û û ü û û

Macmillan ü ü û û ü û ü ü û

CRUK ü ü ü û ü û û û û

GOSH ü ü ü û ü û û û û

NSPCC ü ü ü û ü û û û û

Red X ü ü ü û ü û û û û

RNLI ü ü ü û ü û û û û

SA ü ü ü û ü û û û û

STC ü ü ü û ü û û û û

UNICEF ü ü ü û ü û û û ûWorld Vision ü ü ü ü û û û û û

BHF ü ü û û û û û û ü

RNIB ü ü û û û û û û û

Oxfam û û û û û û û û û


Breaking it down – in Ireland

Gift-specific thank you In Mem focus Hand signed Hand written Mention cousin Mention flowers Offer tribute Offer support Offer Condolences Offer to tell family

Amnesty û û û û û û û û û û

Barnardos ü ü û û ü û û û ü û

Barretstown ü ü ü û ü û û û ü û

Bóthar û û û û û û û û û û

CMRF ü ü ü û ü ü û û ü û

Concern ü ü û û ü û û û û û

Focus Ireland ü ü ü û ü û û û û û

Irish Cancer Soc ü û û û û û û û û û

Irish Heart Fnd ü ü û û ü û û û û û

Irish Red Cross ü ü û û ü û û û ü û

MS Ireland û û û û û û û û û ûOxfam ü û û û û û û û û û

Trócaire ü ü û û ü û û û û û

Unicef ü ü û û û û û û ü û

World Vision û û û û û û û û û û


Amnesty International IrelandBarnardos

Barretstown

Bóthar

CMRF

Concern

Focus Ireland

Irish Cancer SocietyIrish Heart Foundation

Irish Red Cross

MS Society

Oxfam

Trócaire

Unicef

World Vision

0

5

10

Quality of Response - Ireland


Quality of Response - UK


In more detail


Gift sp

ecific

In M

em fo

cus

hand

sign

hand

writ

ten

cous

in

flower

s

offe

r trib

offe

r sup

port

Condo

lenc

es

tell f

amily

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Ireland

New Zealand

Canada

In more detail


Time for some examples…

Possibly the worst…

Tax Receipt?!

No personalisation.No mention of

In Memory.

MS Ireland:

No personalisation.No mention of

In Memory.

Personalised.

But no mention on In Memory

Concern.Is a tax reminder appropriate?

That’s enough about you.Let’s talk about me.

Children’s Medical & Research Foundation

Good. But Slow.

MSF Canada: Sympathy card… then thank you letter.

The personal touch…

Entirely handwritten

Personal. And information gatheringRef to relation to bereaved, but also, to the flowers. No other charity did the latter.Hand signed card from Director. No other charity did this.Option to leave message online. (Relationship development AND meeting donor needs)

Hand signed

GOSH comes close

Charity giving itself invitation to ask on anniversaries

Meeting even more donor needs

Offer of bereavement support

Almost there. But would this jar?

New-donor prospecting

Nice touch. If it were appropriate for a £10 donation.

Almost there. But would this jar?

A bit much?

Very few calls

Pre-call post card from the Australian Salvation Army

The British Red Cross called three times in five days. None of the callers had any record of the previous. All said exactly the same thing – talking at, not with.

The Canadians were better at calling…

Four things you can do.

1: Collect, care for and use data appropriately

Donor surveys:Gather data.

Begin the conversation.

Is this gift in memory of someone?

If yes, perhaps you’d like to tell us their name.

2. Stop. Listen. Think.

€ arrives Fundraising Dept checks

Specials flagged for attention

Thank You issued

Data recorded on database

Money to accounts for processing

3. Be Human

“You know when it’s a computer saying thank you and when it’s a person.

And, quite frankly, I prefer if it’s a person.”

(Female, 62)

Source: After the love has gone. Bluefrog 2008

4. Put the donor in control. Of everything.

THANK YOU

Institute of Fundraising NI Conference 2012

Documents

Who's Afraid of In Memory Donors?