How to create a supporter journey

Download the Supporter Experience Toolkit

 

Keeping supporters happy is important to charities and their ability to operate. Blackbaud’s Supporter Experience Report 2022 revealed that 93% of charities considered supporter experience to be important to them, while two thirds said they made it a priority.  

 

Providing a good supporter experience comes down to a lot of factors. It includes being available to them on their preferred channels, minimising the steps required to get them from A to B on your website, and much more. 

 

These elements might seem simple, but they bring myriad benefits to the charities who implement them successfully. Increased engagement and loyalty are two of the biggest rewards for a good supporter experience, with donors more likely to return to you and donate more besides.  

 

But where can charities begin when evaluating their supporter experience and how can they make sure it continually meets their needs?  

 

According to the Supporter Experience report, the most successful organisations say that investing in technology and maximising the impact of data are essential when it comes to achieving their supporter experience goals.  

 

Data can help you to understand your audiences better and assess whether your current processes are working for them, not against them. This is a particular challenge for the sector, with 38% of organisations saying they don’t know where to begin when it comes to measuring supporter experience. A similar proportion (37%) say they do not have the knowledge to do so, while 32% don’t have the skills. 

 

In this article, we show how charities can map out their supporter journeys, identifying the data points you’ll need and how to put supporter feedback into action. 

 

 

Look at your data 

 

When it comes to understanding your donors, the two most important data points, according to Blackbaud’s Supporter Experience Toolkit, are donor retention and acquisition rates. These two work together alongside each other to form a full picture of your current supporter experience.  

 

For example, if your acquisition rates are higher than your retention rates, this might suggest that while you are able to attract supporters, your actions after they donate are failing to inspire them to stick around. 

 

Similarly, if your acquisition rates are low, you need to think about how you engage with new supporters and people visiting your website. Are you giving them the right information to encourage them to donate? Is it easy for them to find your charity and your donation page? Data can tell you a lot about where your supporter experience currently stands.  

 

The Supporter Experience Toolkit also suggests that charities benchmark their performance against others in the sector. With so much competition in the charity sector, delivering a great supporter experience makes all the difference – knowing where you stand in relation to other organisations is a great way of determining next steps.  

 

Sector reports, such as the aforementioned Supporter Experience Report, are a good way to benchmark, as they aggregate information from across many different organisations, but it’s worth noting that these offer a more general picture, rather than a direct comparison to charities in your area of expertise. 

 

 

Ask supporters directly 

 

The Supporter Experience Toolkit offers tips on what to include in your supporter surveys so you can ensure you’re getting valuable feedback that will then inform your supporter experience. 

 

Any surveys you conduct should also be created with supporter experience in mind. Charities are more likely to get insightful results if the survey asks relevant questions, is sent to the relevant people, and is easy and not time-consuming to fill out.  

 

Research suggests that the best time to send out surveys depends on the length of the survey. For example, survey software company CheckMarket found that longer surveys gained more responses when they were sent out on Wednesdays and Fridays. Essentially, the best time depends on your audience – don’t be afraid to test the best times for yourself and adapt accordingly.  

 

 

Start the journey 

 

The Supporter Experience Toolkit defines ‘supporter journey’ as a “series of interactions that a supporter has with your organisation, which will hopefully result in a donation and continued support for your mission”. 

 

Your supporter journey should be engaging, informative, and allow them space and time to invest in your organisation and its mission. 

 

One way you can do this is by making it easy for your supporters to understand your impact. Put key statistics on key areas where your audience interact with you, such as people helped, programmes delivered, or relevant details about your mission and its urgency.  

 

WaterAid, for example, tells visitors to its website how many people it’s reached with clean water and how many people continue to lack clean water close to their home (one in ten). This information is clearly displayed on its homepage, while providing multiple options to click through to donate. 

 

Use your user feedback to determine what is important to your supporters and provide them with that information. The toolkit advises that charities “keep things simple. Think about all the touch points you want your supporters to experience, and work them in”. 

 

The Supporter Experience Toolkit provides examples of classic supporter journeys and information about tailoring them for supporters, using technology to support your work. You can download the Toolkit below.