Why Charity Marketing Needs to Think Local in a Cost-of-Living Crisis

Image credit: Allef Vinicius via Unsplash

Picture your typical regular charity donor and you may assume that they are someone with a high disposable income, living in an affluent area and with a philanthropic bent. But you may be entirely wrong.

The latest UK Giving report from the Charities Aid Foundation, published in March, reveals some fascinating data about the UK’s attitude to charities. Yes, charity donations are being eroded by inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. But unexpectedly, those living in some of the least affluent parts of the country are among the most generous. Breaking it down by parliamentary constituency, people in Belfast West (one of the most deprived parts of Northern Ireland) were four times as likely to give to charity than those in wealthy Kensington or Bayswater, for example. And people in London give less than those in Cardiff, Edinburgh or Belfast.

The report also spotlights a core of ‘Super Givers’ to charity-- those who support charities in multiple ways, donating both money and goods, sponsoring, volunteering and fundraising. They are more likely to be female and over 45, and although many are retired, a significant number (43%) fit in their support around full time working.

When it comes to choice of charity, the report found that people are far more likely to be encouraged to donate based on their personal experience, or that of friends or family, than by an ad in a public space or by a celebrity.

So what does this mean for charity advertising and media partners?

Consider the geography

It’s clear that we need to make better use of the data at our fingertips. There is room for targeted out-of-home advertising in areas where there are untapped pockets of generosity, or where we know there are Super Givers more likely to get involved with the cause. People also feel the power of local connection: tech brands like Spotify have used hyper local data to huge effect in their advertising, and there’s no reason charities can’t do the same. Knowing that your donations are making a difference in your hometown or city is a powerful motivator.

As the CAF report suggests, national charities could also do more with local partners that have similar causes, in order to harness the power of community. This can benefit both, while raising more awareness of the wider cause.

The power of friends and family

The CAF report found that donors tend to find out about the charities that they support through either their own experience (32%), or via friends and family (28%).

This seems logical; people who know someone affected by a particular disease will get involved with that charity, or perhaps if someone they know became homeless they will be more likely to think about donating to a housing charity. Hearing how these things affect people they don’t know might tug at the heartstrings, but may not ultimately lead to a significant donation. 

So how can charity campaigns be doing more to harness the power of family and friends? Investing in a media campaign that encourages donors to share their own fundraising efforts and motivations could be more powerful than a high profile ad fronted by a celebrity. The CAF report found that 68% of people don’t share when they donate or volunteer, but that a third of people respond positively when people do share, with more pride or respect for the person.  

Local heroes

Highlighting local ‘Super Givers’ could be a way of giving back to these under-the-radar superstars and encouraging others to do the same.

While wholly admirable high profile charity fundraisers (like the so-called “Hardest Geezer” who recently ran the length of Africa) may dominate newspaper headlines, to many ordinary people, their efforts could seem extreme and out-of-reach.

But by putting the spotlight on local heroes, charities could reap some unexpected benefits. One of these could be enhancing trust: CAF found that while trust in charities has been slowly increasing in recent years, still only around half of people across the country in 2023 agreed that charities are generally trustworthy.

If trust is boosted by knowledge and familiarity, what better way to encourage people to trust your brand than showing them where their gifts are going – locally – and shining a spotlight on those doing the fundraising, volunteering or making the biggest donations.