Timeless lyrics from the late great Errol Brown and one of the finest British soul groups ever, Hot Chocolate.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2YeymL3Kn5y43vJOO2rhmW?si=6447c5fd1b4647bb
The more observant among you may have noticed a slight creative discrepancy in those lyrics, but for now, let's roll with the whole supporter experiences thing.
As a casual listener of 70s British soul music, the only other line from that song that I could blurt into a karaoke microphone would be:
"You don't remember me, do you?"
Where is this going, Bernard? Let me explain.
In the first phase of the song, Errol's lyrics depict the stirring highs of first love (supporter acquisition). During the second phase, the song describes the waning of emotive connectivity (reduced retention).
In the end, Errol concludes that as time has passed by, his first true love no longer remembers him (attrition).
Getting to the point. This love-to-loss journey depicts the typical lifecycle of a charity supporter. But why?
How can connectivity endure without regular communication?
A commonly overlooked area for charities is their performance in collecting communication consent and then utilising it effectively to maintain supporter connectivity.
Hand on your heart, do you feel confident in your comms consent collection, and are you using it effectively?
- Are you aware of the percentage of supporters who give their consent, or perhaps more importantly, those who don't?
- Do your data collection points make consent options prominent, clear and thought-provoking, or is it a cursory tick-box exercise?
- Do you understand how, what, and where you can use consent collected from third-party suppliers, such as Enthuse, Eventbrite, and JustGiving?
The crucial ingredient
Without consent to communicate, it is challenging to retain donors. While you may have the right to send supporters information by post, this method is increasingly disparaged by supporters due to postal fees and environmental impacts.
On the other hand, if we can make consent collection a fun and engaging experience, then, you guessed it, "Everyone's a winner".
https://open.spotify.com/track/5MXXbGYNmRHR7ULMvZYo5R?si=0fae44e9a7364529
Everyone's a winner, Baby!
For those of you who find it difficult to modify or change your consent collection experiences, then the recent legislation changes to "The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations" will be music to your ears (excuse the pun).
For many years, charities have been excluded from using the PECR "Soft Opt-In" exemption, which allows companies to send digital communications about similar goods or services to customers.
This was permitted on the condition that customers had the option to opt out when they first provided their details and that they received an unsubscribe option in all future communications.
Never thought it would come to this
This bill change has been slowly moving through the House of Lords and the House of Commons for quite some time. Initially instigated by the previous government, it was unclear whether we would ever reach this point.
This change to PECR legislation presents significant opportunities for the charity sector and should be a high priority for review and implementation. You can find additional reading on the following websites.
In particular, I recommend this article by Hannah Lyons as a good place to start:
Other sources:
- https://evalian.co.uk/changes-to-the-data-use-and-access-bill-can-charities-use-the-soft-opt-in/
- https://ciof.org.uk/about-us/latest-news/win-for-charities-as-soft-opt-in-amendment-accepte
- https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/the-data-use-and-access-dua-bill/information-commissioner-s-updated-response-to-the-data-use-and-access-dua-bill-house-of-commons/
- https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3825
So you win again
https://open.spotify.com/track/1tMi57U5Nkk6qRZSNwbzQr?si=f07f92c277ec4845
Don't let consent slip away. Transform your charity into a powerhouse for collecting consent, ensuring your supporters remember you and the lives you're helping to improve.
Consider reporting on the number of supporters who provide consent and seeking ways to improve that performance. Ensure you're effectively using consent not just to retain supporters but to reactivate lapsed supporters.
Assess whether to utilise the latest changes to PECR legislation and implement soft opt-in consent as your preferred route to retaining supporters.
Consent collection options
Our charity website platform (hapi) and automation service (hapiLite) provide clients with a range of options for collecting and storing communications consent.
Clients can modify their preferred consent collection model and configure the presentation and options available to supporters during transactions, all without needing technical coding skills.
Furthermore, our products report on consent collection and synchronise consent collection across multiple platforms, including donorflex, Donorfy, Raiser's Edge and MS Dynamics.
If you would like to learn more about consent collection and how to utilise it more effectively, please reach out to us for a demo.
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