IoF Face-2-Face Conference 4 December 2012

Sam Wilson, Marketing & Policy Manager Fundraising Standards Board

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Content…

The Problem

Complaints trends

Their implications

Attrition

The Solution

How’s my fundraising?

The bad & the ugly

FRSB complaints trends – 2011 data

Key observations: 9.6 billion donor contacts, just over 30,000 complaints

received

Top 50 charities by voluntary income account for 71% of all complaints. However, they also account for 86% of volume.

Direct mail generated the highest number of complaints Followed by telephone & door to door

Only 15 complaints were escalated to Stage 2 of the FRSB complaints procedure

Three went to a full adjudication

Source: FRSB membership annual returns for period Jan – Dec 2011 (those who have been signed up to self-regulation for longer than 6 months).

Door to door collections (DD)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Fundraiser conduct

Dislike of method

Timing of call Calling on no charity cold

callers premises

Frequency of approach

Other

No of complaints

Of particular note in the other category were 23 complaints about targeting the elderly & vulnerable

Source: FRSB Members, Annual Complaints Return 2011

Street collections (DD)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Fundraiser conduct Dislike of method Frequency of approach

Other

No of complaints

Source: FRSB Members, Annual Complaints Return 2011

Did you know?

More than half of people now complain all or most of the time if they are unhappy with a product – an increase of 18% in 5 years…and that was in 2006

Just think about PPI misselling & MPs expenses

Source: National Complaints Culture Survey, ICS/TMI 2006

The implications?

Of all your unhappy supporters, only 1 in 25 will tell you

‘Silent complainers’

A happy supporter may tell 2 or 3 people.

An unhappy one will 10. 20% of them will tell 20 more…

Resolve their problems fast and 85% will come back again

Source: Profiles International

How many supporters are you losing?

Average annual attrition rate = 10 -20%

Small improvements can make big difference

Has additional benefits:

More efficient marketing spend

Cross sell / up sell

Increased feedback

Word of mouth

Source: McGrath 1997; Base: All supporters who make more than one contribution

Don’t forget…

It costs at least 5 times as much to

gain a new supporter than keep an existing one

So what’s the solution?

How’s my fundraising?

Feedback is a great opportunity

Encourage it, good or bad But make sure you can deal with it!

Have a process to deal with the negative Put yourself in their shoes. How would you like to be

treated?

Record it all, including the detail Put it into context

Monitor & review

Learn & improve

Give feedback to your supporter

Words of wisdom from Bluefrog Creative

Tackle the silent complainers

Keep donors happy

Saying thank you is a start

Giving donors a channel to feedback will help you find out what they really think

Sharing their experiences – good & bad – and your answers in a place other donors will see it may help answer complaints from people who don’t have the time or inclination to air them

Learn from your own experiences, and adapt them for your charity

Source: Bluefrog Creative, Monday 12 November, How do you answer complaints from donors who don’t complain

The bad & the ugly

“An expression of dissatisfaction whether justified or not” (BS8600)

How’s best to do it?

Agree what recording

Agree how recording

Agree who’s going to co-ordinate

Agree communication channels

Establish handling processes

Regular reporting & monitoring

Submit ACR if FRSB member

Why is it important to have a complaints process?

Empower supporters by instilling confidence in your services

Ensures consistency across the organisation

Shows you’re focussing on your supporters’ needs

Shows you have an open, honest and fair approach

Benefit your charity’s development by setting a benchmark for supporter care.

Enhance your charity’s reputation by confirming its commitment to excellence.

What should your process look like?

Must be available in writing or on your website (if you have one)

Must outline how supporters can make a complaint to you.

Must outline clearly defined timeframes

Needs to make reference to the FRSB (if you’re a member)

Designate a complaints co-ordinator (someone primarily responsible for handling complaints)

Top Ten Tips!

• Convey thanks • Obtain all the facts • Make it easy • Put yourself in their shoes • Learn from every complaint • Authorize & empower your staff • Ignore at your peril • No two complaints are the same • Train your staff • Say sorry – always apologise

In summary…

The –ve you hear about is probably just the tip of the iceberg

Resolve their concerns & they’ll keep giving

Make sure all staff are aware of the implications of poor supporter care

Listen to them…ask them what they think

Learn from your own experiences

Follow through on promises

Be better every time…