4. Attitudes to higher education Overall Education should be a right rather than a privilege A valuable experience that encourages independence Increased university fees, seen as a recent and dramatic change Direct impact on the student and parents, exacerbated by the current financial climate Greater intake coupled with more vocational courses has led to a degree carrying less weight as a qualification – feels ‘watered down’ for many “The cost is astronomical” “I think it’s genuinely wicked, what’s happened to funding” “There’s a lot of dumbing down – people don’t even need to be literate” “Degrees in ‘Golf Course Management’ drag the rest down”
5. Differences by age group Overall A right not a privilege Increased fees Can feel ‘watered down’ A valuable experience Younger Current Fees and debt Individual benefits: Employability But not guaranteed Older Idealised Social benefits: Aspirations Life skills Confidence and sociability Intellectual curiosity Positive experiences and attitudes tainted by tuition fees and a very inclusive system: frustration for Younger and disappointment for Older
6. Donating to HE: First impressions Immediate responses to the idea of donating to HE are consistent A source of passionate opinion and debate Linked to political policy or personal political stance for many All are familiar with the concept of donating to HE Though for many it is relatively low level in terms of awareness Several already donate to their own previous universities or colleges Feel grateful and want to give something back A way of staying in touch with formative memories “The university I went to did a lot for me – I benefitted and so I want to give something back” “I give to my old college – it’s a personal thing”
7. Donating to HE: Drivers Drivers are articulated by the majority, particularly those already donating Perpetuating their own universities and departments Helping gifted, underprivileged young people Contributing to society Assisting with research funding “Funding a scholarship or something like that” “I guess I like to think I’m helping our tomorrow’s real leaders and thinkers” Drivers tend to focus on individual points of connection or personal experience
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9. Learning from charities Charities are seen as a ‘better’ use for their donations We know that donors are always going to feel a strong pull towards these more emotive causes Well managed, reputable industries And / or a very personal connection Perceived to have no other funding, so a greater reliance on donations Feelgood factor – a strong emotional hook “There are causes that I would always donate to first, I perceive them as having a greater need” “It’s a real need. You feel as though you’re really achieving something, no matter how small” This is a different playing field, but there are interesting lessons to learn from donor’s responses to charity
10. Making a connection to HE That crucial ‘feelgood’ factor can be generated in a number of ways An education piece on HE – what is needed, where and why Clarity around how funds will be distributed, and by whom Clear examples of spend, spelt out with tangible, affordable examples (borrowing from the Oxfam model: £x = x benefit) A sense that donors have some say as to what their money is spent on Reassurance that donations are for added benefits on top of what the Government ‘should be’ funding, not supplementing that commitment “I don’t want to pay for teachers but I’d happily contribute to a bursary for a less well-off student Respondents were articulate as to what was needed with very little prompting or stimulus
11. Summary recommendations The target audience is warm to the idea of donating to HE but have a real gap in understanding The most compelling areas echo tried and tested strategies that charities currently implement Clarity; personal connection; choice; placing value on even the smallest offer Tone of communication is a fine balance Warm but not twee or cuddly Detailed but not corporate Informative but not patronising
13. Campaign aims and objectives The collective view was that the campaign should focus on promoting university philanthropy in general, not just the Matched Funding Scheme (MFS) The campaign needs to support lower level gifts as well as larger donations Consensus was to make campaign wider in focus, with potential to extend beyond MFS
14. Use of ‘Matched Funding’ The collective view was that this term is widely misunderstood and hard to explain “Don’t like reference at MFS as it will be gone soon” “Most won’t know what MFS is about” “I like the reference to MFS but it needs explaining” “The masses this is aimed at won’t understand MFS” Consensus was that Matched Funding is better used in a copy based argument in media such as direct mail
15. Use of gift vs. donation The collective view was that ‘gift’ is a more appropriate term but that ‘donation’ is better suited to use as a call-to-action Consensus was to consider using both terms in most appropriate contexts
16. Use of Higher Education vs. University The collective view was that ‘Higher Education’ is poorly understood amongst donors and often leads to confusion Consensus was to use ‘University’ in future communications
17. Tone of voice The campaign tone of voice needs to be inspiring and dynamic, yet simple and easy to engage with “Universities change people’s lives” “We need to get those surprising facts out there” We need to answer the question of why people should give, and challenge their misperceptions
18. ‘Big push’ vs ‘low level’ campaigns Both a focused ‘Week’ and a constant level of activity were seen as having advantages “ We’d probably use a ‘Week’ to link in to one of our mini-appeals” “National presence is important” “We need to get examples of the difference we’ve made out there” Consensus was to develop a campaign with ongoing presence, but one main focus
19. Campaign materials There were mixed views on what campaign materials would be of use, and how universities would use them “ We might use the slogan on emails” “We wouldn’t use any pre-produced marketing materials” “Organisations with less developed marketing teams might use them” Consensus was to widen involvement in Steering Group and look at different support options
20. Additional audiences Aside from the public, internal audiences were also identified as important “ We have an internal education job to do with our staff” “If we could turn our students into ambassadors, it could have a really big impact” Campaign activity going forwards should also consider these audiences
22. To what extent, if at all, have you personally experienced HE or university? (%) Almost 50% have been through it, but 25% have no experience whatsoever Source: YouGov Base: All GB Adults (2178)
23. Have you been approached by your former HEI to encourage you to donate as an alumni? Less than a third of alumni have already been approached for donations Source: YouGov Base: All GB adults that have been through HE (1064)
24. Which one of the following best describes your attitude towards giving or donating to HE? (%) Only 25% are favourable towards the idea of giving to HE Source: YouGov Base: All GB adults (2178)
25. Crosstab with Q2: relationship between HE experience & attitudes towards giving to HE (%) Unsurprisingly, those who are the most positive when it comes to giving to HE are those who are still experiencing it or will soon – (future) students & staff. Those with no experience of HE whatsoever will be the most negative about the idea of giving to HE. Source: YouGov Base: All GB adults (2178)
26. Which one of the following options would make you most likely to consider giving to HE? 38% are unlikely to give to HE, showing that respondents have a much more positive attitude towards giving to HE when prompted than when not (38% at Q5 vs. 75% at Q4). Source: YouGov Base: All GB adults (2178)
27. Crosstab with Q2: relationship between HE experience & reasons for giving to HE (%) Those who plan to study in HE are much more likely to be attracted by the idea of ‘helping the least fortunate students’ than the rest of our respondents. Those who are currently going through HE are more likely to be attracted by the idea of ‘funding research’. Those with no experience of HE whatsoever will be the most likely to reject all the options. Source: YouGov Base: All GB adults (2178)
28. Have you heard of the Government’s ‘Matched Funding Scheme’ to support donations to HE? An overwhelming majority has never heard of the ‘Matched Funding Scheme’ before. Source: YouGov Base: All GB adults (2178)
29. Have you ever seen or heard anything in the media or in advertising encouraging the general public to give to HE? Our base level for campaign recognition is 2% Source: YouGov Base: All GB adults (2178)
37. Ensuring third party support Briefings through forums and Mission Groups Matched Funding celebration event Formation of Steering Group Letter to VCs Brand distribution Toolkit of supporting materials – updated for key events Newsletter for key engagement groups Looking to extend stakeholder networks outside of immediate fundraising audiences e.g. Business, research, charity Continuing of regular forums Letters to VCs/ heads of fundraising/comms at key times – e.g. Run up to Week, pre-launch CASE Annual Conference
39. Ongoing activity Building the case study bank – high profile media stories, gaps e.g. smaller scale donors, non-alumni donors Building spokespeople – especially high profile/ celeb Targeting medium to high net worth individuals – features in niche market publications Targeting corporate philanthropists – profile and opinion pieces in national business pages, links to CSR Reaching the charity sector – targeting sector to explain eligibility, linking with e.g. Charities Aid Foundation Media monitoring – Monitoring and commenting on debates
41. Getting alumni to change lives Target alumni and highlight benefits that even small scale donations can achieve Aimed at alumni in general – supporting the difference that small donations can make What difference could be made to higher education if each one of this year’s alumni donated £2 a month? Backed up with case studies of recent alumni who give Will need careful handling/ timing
43. Saying ‘thank you’ to donors Thanks for Changing Lives Day – Encourage everyone who has received to say thank you to donors 1000 Thank Yous- Grass root movement to gain 1,000 thank yous from a wide variety of people. Post messages of thanks on web portal High profile thank yous– Invite high profile individuals to say thank you – linked in to a media photocall or event
46. Extending the campaign Countdown to matched funding deadline – burst of activities every six weeks, online counter Ross-CASE 2011 – revisiting key statistics, packing report for the media End of the tax year – factually based story on maximising donations July 2011 – leaving a legacy through second Thanks for Changing Lives Day, celebrating campaign achievements
48. Developing digital Developing the web portal – search facility to help people decide where to donate; support for specific events Social media programme – Monitoring, blogger engagement, infographics/ Flickr
52. How you can support the campaign Spread the word in your organisation Support the campaign through existing communications channels Provide campaign collateral e.g. Spokespeople and case studies Carry the campaign branding on your materials Get involved in the big activities!
