Against this bleak backdrop, the average size of cash donations generated by door drops has more than tripled since 2011, indicating that on a one-off basis without commitment people are inclined to be generous even in these difficult times.
It also shows that door drops can still deliver the numbers and tap into the latent generosity of the UK population, which is second only to the USA in the amount it gives to good causes.
How door drops are bucking the trend in charitable giving
At a local and regional level the picture is pretty complex, according to recent analysis by TNT Post, who use postal geography as the basis to target those areas with the greatest propensity to donate to good causes. Analysing over 120,000 anonymised donations they have built up a fascinating picture of the UK in terms of its relative levels of generosity and the trends that prevail by region.
As highlighted in a recent Royal Mail study on the charity sector, The Charities Aid Foundation found that direct mail and door drop are the preferred methods of communication between charities and consumers. In particular door drops are used by many companies as a cost-effective means of communicating with new customers.
Cancer Research UK reveals its door drop spend to recipients
Interestingly in a recent campaign, Cancer Research UK drew deliberate attention to this fact in their copy advising people that they use door drops as a low-cost way of reaching as many people as possible with their messages and that it only cost them 9p per household to communicate in this way.
Indeed some of the recent improvements in targeting of door drop media have shown that between 2011 and 2012, for the same marketing spend, the number of donations and the return on investment from this channel have doubled, bucking the general downward trend in the marketplace. Put simply this means that for every 9p that Cancer Research UK and others spend, they receive a sum greater than 9p in return – a positive return on investment.
The most charitable postcodes for charities
TNT Post’s regional insights based on the geography of charitable giving are even more revealing. Central and Northern Scotland are the most generous regions of the country with London in third place. The lowest donation values are seen from Wales and West, the North East and the Midlands.
In terms of counties, Inner London, Grampian, Strathclyde, Tayside, Lothian and Fife are the most valuable areas for charitable giving with Gwent, West Glamorgan, Tyne & Wear, Cleveland, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire at the other end of the spectrum.
For our cities, the folk of London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are on average twice as generous as those inhabitants of Swansea, Leicester, Stoke and Hull.
And Enfield, Slough and Dundee can lay a claim to being the most generous towns in the United Kingdom with Gateshead, Newport and Blackburn having to accept the title of stingiest!
Door drops drive regular donations
Royal Mail’s research has illustrated that supporters are five times more likely to sign up to regular giving via direct mail or door drop, particularly if the pack contains an offer. Door drop is considered less intrusive than other methods such as street collections and it gives the potential donor time to consider the message and the cause and respond accordingly. With its unparalleled reach, door drop also opens up opportunities to communicate with communities where other more expensive channels are not available.
And for those of you who like lists and league tables, here are the top eight charities by income.
No big surprises here…
1. Cancer Research UK
2. British Heart Foundation
3. Oxfam
4. RNL
5. NSPCC
6. Macmillan
7. RSPCA
8. Salvation Army
Source – Mark Davies, Managing Director, TNT Post
