Elaine Jay

Benchmarking Charity Performance: Returns from Direct Marketing in Fundraising

ABSTRACT Despite rising public interest and concern only a handful of extant studies have addressed the performance of fundraising techniques and outlined the returns that might be expected. To date no one has examined the returns accruing from direct marketing activities in fund-raising. In this paper we present the results of a study of 150 UK charities currently employing a range of direct marketing tools/techniques and indicate the ROI that can be achieved through each. Cold and warm direct mailings are considered, as are reciprocal mailings, unaddressed mail, DRPA, DRTV and face-to-face (i.e., on street) recruitment. The results indicate that most charities lose money on donor recruitment activities and that the overall returns accruing to all forms of direct marketing activity are comparatively low. The implications for both professional practice and further research are explored.

Communicating the “Realities” of Charity Costs: An Institute of Fundraising Initiative

This article reports the background to a new initiative by the Institute of Fundraising in the United Kingdom to supply the public with information with respect to charity costs and in particular the costs of fundraising. The initiative is described, and the results of a recent benchmarking survey of the Top 500 Fundraising Charities that will be used to underpin it are reported. The mean cost of raising £1 was found to be £0.21.

The Role of Funders in Nonprofit Merger Activity: Implications for Charity Fundraising and Marketing Practice

Considers the role of nonprofit funders in stimulating merger activity in the U.K. voluntary sector. Provides the first empirical evidence of the impact of a nonprofit merger on subsequent fundraising and marketing activity. Based on a series of 12 elite interviews with senior personnel who have experienced a nonprofit merger, the article concludes that the implications will vary by category of funding sought and that, for example, individual donors who might previously have been supporting both organisations will only offer one gift (at the previous gift level) to the merged organisation