Sustained Giving Results

Audience Insight and Research

Sustained Giving Research Results

June 3rd, 2010


Summary of key findings

• Sustainers’ main reason for giving is communal, while nonsustainers’ main reason is personal:– Sustainers give because they want to help their community & feel more connected to it

– Nonsustainers give so that they can keep listening to programming that’s personally important to them

• When deciding how much to give, sustainers rely on subjective value while nonsustainers rely on objective practicality:– Sustainers decide how much to give by thinking about how much their station means to their

community

– Nonsustainers decide by thinking about what fits their budget

• Sustainers are more involved in the public radio community and are more reliant on it than other listeners:– Sustainers have a better understanding of how much of their station’s funding comes from

listener contributions

– Sustainers spend more time listening not just to their own public radio station but also to other public radio stations

– Sustainers engage in more cross-platform usage of public radio content2


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KUHF

WXPN

KPLU

MPR

CPR

VPR

WAMU

WUNC

WMFE

WBEZ

WUWM

Who participated?Total Response 22,082 audience members


Methods

• NPR provided each participating station with a survey invitation text and a survey template. They had the ability to:– Modify survey invitation text

– Modify the survey template content

– Add in custom questions in line with their needs.

• Each station had control over who they wanted to survey (or not), and how they wanted to deploy their survey. For example:– Some stations chose to survey a subset of their givers; others chose to

survey all of their givers; and yet others chose to survey both givers and non-givers.

– Some stations chose to field surveys via email invitation; some chose to do so through a website link; and some chose to do so through a newsletter link.

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NPR Sustained Giver Respondents

N=22,082


Summary of top reasons why listeners think someone should donate to a public radio station

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Sustaining Givers Nonsustaining Givers Nongivers

#1 ReasonThe station is important

to the communityThe station is important

to them personallyThe station is important

to them personally

#2 ReasonGiving keeps public radio

free of commercial influence

Giving keeps public radio free of commercial

influence

Giving helps support the station in general

#3 ReasonThey feel a sense of

obligation as a listenerGiving helps support the

station in general

Giving reduces the number of on-air fundraising days


Sustainers focus on community as the main reason to give. Other listeners focus on personal reasons.

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What are the top 3 reasons why you give to you station?

N = 22,082 (total respondent count)


Sustainers decide how much to give based on communal value. Nonsustainers decide based on what’s personally practical.

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Which of the following do you agree with as ways you decide how much to give?

N = 21,199 (where N is givers only)


When convincing others to give, sustainers focus on community gains. Other listeners focus on personal gains

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We asked respondents to write pitches they thought would convince other listeners to give. We coded whether their pitches were community- vs. individual-oriented.



Typical examples of pitches written by sustaining givers

• “Think of the all the ways you donate to your community, whether through volunteering, giving to food drives, making sure your trash goes in the right place. This is one more way to give and make life better for everyone in your community” – Female, Age 45-54

• “Trustworthy content needs community support.”– Male, Age 25-34

• “By giving to our station you’ll feel a sense of connection and community.” – Female, Age 25-34

• “Think of it as giving a gift to your community.. You can help those around you and feel closer to them all at the same time.” – Male, Age 45-54

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• “If you want to support and strengthen our community, then you need to support and strengthen our station by donating now.” –Male, Age 35-44

• “Community is built on shared experiences and values . Our station helps us know and appreciate of each other and the world. In the same way as our station helps our community, we need to help it by donating.” –Male, Age 65-74

• “Giving to our station is one of the best ways to support and strengthen the community in which we live. They give to us, we should give to them. “ – Female, Age 25-34


Typical examples of pitches written by nonsustainers & nongivers

• “If you look forward to turning on your radio to NPR, especially in the morning, you should probably donate.” – Male, Age 18-24.

• “As a listener I receive my news and entertainment from NPR and that’s why I donate. So give so you can continue receiving whatever your favorite programs are.” –Female, Age 35-44

• “Just imagine where you would be without public radio. You wouldn’t get to listen o any of your favorite programs anymore.” –Female, Age 55-64

• “Do you like commercials and biased content? If the answer is no, then you need to donate.” – Male, Age 25-34

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• “Giving isn’t about donating. It’s about investing in your future. If you like what you’re hearing and want to keep hearing it, then you should give.” – Male, Age 45-54

• “If you use it, you should contribute - so - use it or lose it!” – Male, Age 45-54

• “Love what you hear? Why not show your love and donate?” – Female, Age 35-44

• “Imagine what you would feel like without your public radio station. You would have to listen to commercials and programming that’s not intellectually stimulating. If you don’t want to feel that way, then please donate.” –Female, Age 55-64


Does Your Station Thank You Enough For Being a Sustainer?

Yes

I don’t know

No

56%

39%

5%

N = 4,748 (N is Sustainers from stations opting to ask this question)


Sustainers have the most accurate understanding of how important listener contributions are

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We asked respondents to guess how much of their station’s funding comes from listeners. The chart below shows how many gave underestimates.



Community & convenience are top reasons for sustained giving

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Which of the following do you agree with as reasons why you’re a sustaining giver?

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N = 7,508 (N is sustaining givers only)


Desire for independence & discomfort with billing options are top reasons for not being a nonsustaining giver

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Which of the following do you agree with as reasons why you aren’t a sustaining giver?

N = 13,691 (N is nonsustaining givers only)


Discomfort with billing options is the top nongivers have never donated to their station

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Which of the following do you agree with as reasons why you don’t donate to your station?

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N = 883 (N is nongivers only)


Sustainers devote more time to public radio than other listeners

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Listening to public radio station that sent out the survey

How much time per day do you spend listening to public radio?

Listening to other public radio stations

N = 22,082 (N is total respondent count)


Sustainers access public radio in more ways than other listeners

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How many platforms do listeners use to listen to or access public radio content?

N = 22,082 (N is total respondent count)


The majority of sustaining givers are female

19N = 22,082 (N is total respondent count)


Sustaining givers skew younger than nonsustaining ones– largely as a result of greater comfort & familiarity with online payments

20N = 22,082 (N is total respondent count)

Sustained Giving Results

Documents

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