The use and management of data stands at the core of the work undertaken by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. The set of survey tools CEP has developed as well as field-wide research builds comparative data drawn from key constituent groups—grantees, donors, staff members and others—providing insights that enable funders to better define, assess and improve their effectiveness. We are posting this series to share our data more broadly and to highlight specific data points.
In this case, the source is the Donor Perception Report (DPR), which helps community foundations to better understand donors’ awareness of their organizations’ strengths and future opportunities.
Data comes from responses to the following question:
Please think about your giving to or through the Foundation over the past 3 years. Rate the importance of each of the following factors in your decision(s) to establish a fund with the Foundation, or to make contributions to the Foundation or to your fund instead of giving to or through other charitable options.
Donors taking this survey were asked to rate on a scale of 1 (Not at all important) to 7 (Extremely important) several elements related to their community foundations, in categories such as leadership and knowledge, finance and administrative services, or reputation and referral network. While the highest rated factor among the over 2,500 donors surveyed was the Foundation’s integrity and trustworthiness, the quality of the Foundation’s staff was the next highest rated factor as shown in this chart. The Foundation’s efforts to connect the respondent to other donors, however, stood on the opposite end of the scale as factor with the lowest rating.
Readers of this blog post are invited to respond. Does this information fit with your expectations about how donors make decisions?
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CEP’s work is rooted in the conviction that feedback can play a role promoting change in foundation practice. For a broader look at the role of feedback in philanthropy, see the report, Can Feedback Fuel Change at Foundations? written by Phil Buchanan, Ellie Buteau, Ph.D., and Shahryar Minhas and published by the Center for Effective Philanthropy.
Kevin Bolduc is Vice President – Assessment Tools at the Center for Effective Philanthropy.
