SWFF Friday Re:connect - Feb 2024

South West Fundraisers Forum online networking event - an informal space to network, learn and be empowered to raise more. 

Fundraising in a perma-crisis: the view from supporters

Covid followed by Ukraine War followed by a climate and energy crisis followed by soaring inflation followed by rising interest rates. There's many reasons people might NOT donate to charity at the moment, but perhaps just as many reasons FOR getting behind a cause.

So, how are donors feeling, and what advice do they have for charities to encourage support?

This session will share Beautiful Insight's latest proprietary research into donor's views on 'the state of the nation', the issues that matter to them right now, their donation intentions and how they want charities to evolve in these unprecedented times.

Beautiful Insights have provided market research to charities for over a decade and have been tracking donor reactions to the cost-of-living crisis since it started in 2022. This session will provide the latest insights to help keep donors motivated and willing to give, including:

· Who's planning to increase or decrease their giving as the cost of living crisis continues

· How charities can be empathetic and relevant for donors right now

· Opportunities for fundraisers to maximise income despite challenging conditions

Presented by:

Steven Dodds, Managing Director, Beautiful Insights

Steven is an experienced researcher and communication strategist with 25 years in the field, the last 15 of which have been working primarily with charities in the UK, Europe and Australia. Prior to Beautiful Insights, he worked extensively in communication agencies, helping guide the development of successful campaigns and brands. Central to this role was understanding the use of research in the creative and innovation process, and how brands can build strong emotional connections with audiences. He also worked client-side, with senior fundraising roles in Australia and the UK.  Based in Bristol, he is a trained qualitative researcher and cultural analyst and former chair of the Institute of Fundraising’s Insight Committee.

Paul Seabrook, Founder and CEO, Beautiful Insights

Paul Seabrook started his marketing career in the automotive industry. He witnessed first-hand the power of research when involved with the launch of challenger brand Daewoo. A car company that asked what its customers wanted, this approach resulted in the UK’s most successful car launch.

In 2006 he co-founded fast.MAP, a specialist quantitative online research agency. Over the next 7 years he grew the business working with some of the UK’s most successful consumer brands across multiple sectors. In 2013 he founded Beautiful Insights, a full service market research agency specialising in turning questions into insights, and has since worked extensively in the charity and commercial sectors.

Paul is a committee member on the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Insight Committee.

The session will not be recorded to enable people to talk openly and frankly. We hope you’ll join us and be part of the conversation!