What do you picture when asked to visualise an average UK charity donor? Having a typical image in your mind isn’t necessarily wrong – after all, your charity might claim certain demographics as key supporters. What’s important, however, is not to let fundraising success with certain demographics give you tunnel vision when you’re next coming up with a fundraising or brand strategy.
It's easy to develop a feedback loop. You find your core donors, market heavily towards them, and they stay as your core donors. But then how do you reach new audiences? Well, in researching minority ethnic communities, we’ve found that despite the under-representation of many minority ethnic groups within the sector, there’s no lack of enthusiasm to get involved as donors, volunteers, and campaigners. This can mean that it can be a simple case of outreach to develop closer relationships with these audiences.
A core element of nfpPublic Minority Ethnic involves identifying the issues that most concern people of various backgrounds. For some issues, there’s universal interest. Cancer charities, for example, are a favourite of the general public to almost exactly the same degree as in minority ethnic communities (45% vs 44%). A striking difference emerges when we compare preference for animal charities. These can expect more traction with the general public (35% favoured) than with minority ethnic groups (19% favoured). Meanwhile, certain causes are more near and dear to minority ethnic audiences, such as overseas aid, religious causes, homelessness, and mental health, the latter of which is a favourite cause in a staggering 31% of minority ethnic audiences, compared to a 19% UK average.
Differences like these can beg the question as to why certain charity causes garner varying support between audiences. Reasons can include proximity to these issues, social disparities that make causes more present and personal, or cultural differences that guide individuals towards particular charities. In any case, what’s needed from charities is to understand the specific relationship that these groups have with their cause, or even more specifically, with their brand. Understanding how to unlock these groups as supporters could be a big win not only for fundraising, but for encouraging more diverse voices in the charity space.
In order to facilitate a better understanding of the relationship between the sector and minority ethnic groups, we at nfpResearch will be hosting an online event on Wednesday 5th June to explore this dynamic. Using interviews with members of the public from various backgrounds, we’ll be opening up a frank discussion about how charities can diversify their reach and better resonate with groups that are looking to get involved.
Sign up here to attend, or consider downloading info about our upcoming August wave of research with minority ethnic audiences, where we’re testing engagement with causes and individual brands across different backgrounds in the UK.
We look forward to seeing you at the event!