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| Frequently
asked questions about face-to-face
fundraising |
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There is substantial evidence - much of it collated by
our charitable partners - that face-to-face fundraising
is one of the most cost-effective methods of fundraising
currently available, comparing very favourably with other
approaches such as direct mail, telephone fundraising,
press advertising, DRTV etc.
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The benefits are many and varied. Face-to-face fundraising
is cost-effective. Our charitable partners only pay for
those donors successfully recruited. Secondly, it is a
visible form of fundraising, helping to increase awareness
of campaigns. Face-to-face fundraising means charities
secure committed donors who will give for an average of
five years. Some donors have been giving by standing order
or direct debit for over 13 years. Moreover, face-to-face
fundraising has had particular success targeting a younger
generation of donors who respond better to this style
of approach than to other traditional methods, such as
tin rattling and direct mail. Increased efforts are being
made to build relationships with those younger donors,
cultivating a bond that could be maintained for many years.
Its effectiveness is confirmed by the facts, which show
that in 2002 alone, 690,000 new donors were signed up
for charity in the UK using this method.
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Firstly, street fundraising campaigns are more cost-effective
the bigger the campaign. For this reason, it can be less
straightforward for some charities to get involved. Secondly,
it must also be remembered that street fundraising is
one of a number of fundraising methods and charities may
not want to run concurrent campaigns using different methods,
for a range of strategic or economic reasons. It may not
benefit the charity to continually use the method; for
some it may be more effective if used for certain timely
campaigns.
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All the money raised from donations, 100% of it, goes
directly to the charity, which in turn reinvests a small
part of it in future fundraising initiatives.
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Certainly not. If face-to-face fundraisers ceased to operate
it would impact hugely on the ability of charities to
carry out their valuable work. In some cases face-to-face
fundraising represents 65% of a charitable organisation's
income. It is one of the most efficient ways for charities
to achieve funding streams so necessary for them to deliver
their valuable services. In 2002 it raised support worth
over £240M to UK charities - money they would struggle
to replace from other media, recruited through 690,000
new, long-term donors.
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This fundraising approach was pioneered by DialogDirect
in Austria in 1995 and has since spread globally. In the
UK, DialogueDirect has been in operation since 1999.
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Recruiting a long-term donor can be expensive in the first
year. In the second year however, the cost of raising
the money is effectively 0p in the pound, and this can
continue for many years. The value over the "giving
lifetime" of a donor is higher than through almost
any other form of fundraising, and fundraisers would expect
to raise £5 for every £1 spent on this form
of fundraising over the first five years from the initial
direct debit alone, not taking into account any further
money the supporter will donate, for example to Christmas
appeals. And fundraisers know that donors who support
them through a monthly payment are the most likely to
support them in other ways, such as through campaigning,
or even leaving something in their will.
Another benefit of this form of fundraising is that unlike
mail-shots, newspaper advertising or television advertising,
generally the acquisition is risk-free for the charity.
The charity only pays for the donors they receive, instead
of making a speculative spend in the hope that enough
people will respond to the ad or mail-shot.
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Many charities have found it more cost-effective to work
with a specialist company, such as DialogueDirect Fundraising,
than run teams of their own. Furthermore, charities do
not always want to run face-to-face campaigns and an agency
such as ours, can offer the resource tailored to the charity’s
needs. One of the other key benefits of using an agency,
is the professionalism of the staff and unpaid volunteers
may not have had the same training as those employed by
agencies such as DialogueDirect Fundraising.
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