Market Research Survey
In this project, we were helping nonprofit organizations better understand what draws supporters to in-person fundraising events. The idea was to help them identify key elements to try to replicate in virtual versions of those events. The data below come from an early pilot survey. The goal of this survey was to see if there were any obvious patterns that we could then follow up on in more depth. One of the things that stood out to us was that participants in these kinds of events seem to value the social/community aspects of the experience.
Method
- Conducted 4/28/20 – 4/30/20
- 58 respondents recruited via Amazon MTurk who reported living in Washington or Oregon
- NOTE: This is a preliminary survey with a fairly small number of respondents, additional data collection would be needed before basing any significant decisions on the numbers reported here.
Respondent Demographics
Age
| 18-34 | 43% |
| 35-49 | 31% |
| 50-64 | 19% |
| 65+ | 7% |
Gender
| Female | 41% |
| Male | 43% |
| Unknown | 16% |
Financial Situation
| I feel pretty well-off | 28% |
| I have enough to get by | 57% |
| It's tough to make ends meet | 14% |
| I prefer not to say | 2% |
Type of Cause They Most Care About
| Social issues | 24% |
| Health-related | 24% |
| Environmental | 22% |
| Political | 12% |
| Education | 10% |
| Animal welfare | 5% |
| Other | 2% |
Attended a Charity Fundraiser in the Past Year
| Yes | 64% |
| No | 36% |
Questions asked of people who have attended a fundraiser (N=37)
What Kind of Event
| Auction | 35% |
| Fun walk/run | 30% |
| Lunch/dinner | 19% |
| Other | 16% |
Who They Went With
| By themselves | 14% |
| With one other person | 46% |
| As part of a group | 41% |
Why They Went
| The cause was important to them | 51% |
| Someone invited them to go | 24% |
| The event sounded like fun | 22% |
| As part of their work | 3% |
What They Liked Best
(open-ended question; these numbers are for common themes respondents brought up)
| Pleasant social interaction | 27% |
| Feeling like they’re supporting a good cause | 27% |
| Opportunity to build community | 16% |
| Having a fun time | 14% |
| Good food and drinks | 11% |
What They Liked Least
(open-ended question; these numbers are for common themes respondents brought up)
| It was boring or too long | 14% |
| Poor behavior by other attendees | 11% |
| There was bad weather | 11% |
| It was too crowded | 8% |
Questions asked of people who have not attended a fundraiser (N=21)
Why They Didn’t Go
| I prefer to donate in other ways | 38% |
| I don't enjoy this kind of event | 14% |
| I didn't hear about any that were for a cause I care about | 14% |
| I didn't want to go by myself | 14% |
| I didn't hear about any that sounded interesting | 10% |
| Other | 10% |
Other Ways They’ve Contributed to a Non-Profit
| Monetary donation | 81% |
| Donation of goods or services | 43% |
| Volunteering | 24% |
| Other | 5% |
| Serving on a board | 0% |
What Would It Take to Get Them to a Fundraiser?
(open-ended question; these numbers are for common themes respondents brought up)
| It would need be an event they’re interested in | 43% |
| It would have to be for the right cause | 24% |
| They would have to have friends to go with | 14% |
| They would need to believe the event and the non-profit are actually going to make a difference | 10% |