Net Favorability Ranking of Charities in America

North Americans are known for their philanthropic behavior with Americans giving nearly $300 billion dollars to charities in 2006. However, in the post-Enron climate of transparency and accountability Americans are demanding more from their charities of choice and the sector is rapidly awakening to this.

The Ipsos Global@dvisor survey shows that in the first half of 2007 the charitable and non-profit sector is lagging behind industries such as information technology and the retail industry in terms of the net favorability of U.S. citizens.

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The charitable sector is well aware of the challenge it faces and is fighting back. Many organizations that have not traditionally engaged in formal survey research are turning to companies such as Ipsos to help them more effectively navigate the turbulent waters. Some charitable organizations in the sector have been using sophisticated research by sophisticated means for years now. They commission research for a variety of reasons: to segment the population to identify their own niche target market; to increase their "donor market share" among the giving public; to test and refine marketing and social marketing campaigns; or to conduct a full blown reputation study.

For other charities, research is at the heart of their communications campaigns. For example, World Vision recently commissioned Ipsos Public Affairs to run a seven country study for them to inform its World AIDS Day campaign in December.

We are now seeing a trend whereby organizations that have traditionally not been research buyers are now commissioning Ipsos Public Affairs to undertake research. These organizations recognize and value the research as an investment in their futures.

The overarching trend that we are seeing in Ipsos Public Affairs is that this is a unique sector, with unique needs. Charitable organizations are calling on us more and more for our expertise across the sector.

With this in mind, we are delighted to announce that later this year Ipsos Public Affairs will be formally announcing the launch of our Charity Research practice.

It is important to note though, that at this juncture we have deliberately avoided the use of the word `new', simply because this is not new for us. What we are doing is recognizing the demand of our clients in this sector and consolidating what we have already been doing in this area.

While you wait for us to go to press with the formal launch of this initiative, it is business as normal and we'll continue to offer our best service and insight to the charitable sector.

In the meantime, if you have any queries about this article, our recent findings, or the Ipsos Charity Research practice, please do not hesitate to contact Sam McGuire at [email protected] or Glenys Babcock at [email protected].