OCF’s donor survey reveals that 83% of respondents are satisfied with the overall service they receive from OCF. We have listened to your feedback and are already implementing key insights in our plans for 2024-25.
Earlier this year, we asked our donors to complete a survey to gain valuable feedback and insights into how we can make donor experiences as fulfilling as possible and improve any areas of our service.
The survey was open for three weeks and received responses from a diverse range of supporters: individual or family fundholders; corporate fundholders; charitable trusts; Friends and Patrons; statutory funders; Collective Business Fund donors; and one-off or occasional donors.
The key findings are:
- 83% of respondents are satisfied with the overall service they receive from OCF.
- The most important reasons for donating were OCF’s understanding of local needs, our relationships with local charitable organisations, and the opportunity to combine donations with other funds to make a bigger impact.
- The theme donors are most passionate about tackling is poor health, followed by unaffordable essentials. These are reflected in our key grant-making activities for the coming year: the Thriving in Nature Fund, which improves physical and mental health; and the Living Essentials Fund, which will help people with debt, food poverty and housing issues.
- The majority of donors are happy with the quality of communication and information they receive, and satisfied with their fundholder statements and the events on offer. Some donors fed back that we could be even more local and targeted in the case studies and impact stories we share, and others were looking for more information about the performance of their investments with our fund managers CCLA.
- Most donors are uninterested in online events, and prefer to attend in person.
- A significant proportion of donors most value hearing case studies about the difference grants have made to local charities, followed closely by research on local need in the county, such as our Oxfordshire Uncovered report. Some donors wanted more information about which organisations had been funded with their donations to our collective funds.
One donor said: “I have always had a happy relationship with OCF over almost 30 years and they are becoming an increasingly effective resource to the neediest groups in the County. Very happy to go on supporting them.” Another commented: “OCF for us are the managers of our own little charity, and we value the personal touch.”
Going forward OCF will:
- Include a geographic focus in quarterly comms to highlight impact in the five districts of Oxfordshire
- Have a greater focus on case studies and impact reporting across our communications
- Include an investment management summary in fundholder reports
- Focus on in-person events rather than online
- Make stronger connections between the themes from Oxfordshire Uncovered and our impact
- Publish reports on our Collective Business Fund, Living Essentials Fund and Thriving in Nature Fund.
Overall, we feel that the results align with our approach to donor engagement and communications during the past year, and in our plans for the coming year, whilst also offering some insightful comments that have informed our future plans.