Focus on the heart of your donor.

The key to improving fund-raising programs is to listen carefully to your donors. Often this is best done through focus group research.

In the old days, and still too often today, new or "improved" fund-raising programs were solely the product of staff discussion. The top development management

The key to improving fund-raising programs is to listen carefully to the heart of your donors. Often this is best done through focus group research.

Focus groups have been used for years by the for-profit sector. Virtually all of the Fortune 1000 companies use and benefit from focus group research. In recent years an increasing number of non-profit organizations have taken advantage of this valuable research method.

Focus Groups Contrasted With Surveys. A focus group is basically a group interview. It is like a survey, but the participants are interviewed live and allowed to share in much greater depth. They also hear each other's responses and interact with one another, which in turn, stimulates more discussion regarding the issues being investigated. The typical focus group usually lasts for two hours and consists of a professional research moderator and six to twelve participants.

Focus groups are similar to surveys in that they both allow the organization to ask questions of a targeted population. The difference is that surveys are limited to "surface" questions, which don't require much thinking on the part of the respondents. The answers are usually limited to yes/no and multiple choice. The respondents do not usually have much time to spare and therefore won't provide extensive answers even if prompted. However, surveys can be conducted with many people allowing the results to be easily summarized by numbers, (e.g., 30 percent said "yes," 65 percent said "no," and 5 percent "weren't sure.") For this reason surveys are considered to be "quantitative" research.

Focus groups are considered "qualitative research" because they provide a look at the deeper feelings of the donors. As the donors discuss the issues of interest to the non-profit, they become increasingly in touch with their feelings and share them candidly. The moderator can be spontaneous, probing further when important topics are raised. Focus groups are excellent for gaining insight with regard to a variety of purposes. Examples include, but are not limited to the...

* evaluation and improvement of a current fund-raising program/campaign.

* design of a proposed fund-raising program/campaign.

* evaluation and improvement of an organization's newsletter or magazine.

* evaluation and improvement of an organization's communication pieces (brochures, direct mail, telethons, TV/radio spots, etc.)

* potential success of targeting a new market or niche.

A good example of the latter purpose occurred when I was serving as a marketing researcher for World Vision. Some preliminary tests showed that Spanish-speaking persons were very open to sponsoring children, and were actually far less expensive to acquire than the typical English-speaking market. However, we knew very little about why the Hispanics were so interested, how deep their commitment was, whether, and how, their motivations were different from the English-speaking market, how important was it that all our follow-up materials be provided in Spanish, what would be the best name for the program, etc. As a result of the focus groups and other research we had conducted, we were able to experience rapid growth in donors and income when other sponsorship organizations' growth was almost flat. Today, the Spanish-speaking market accounts for a third of World Vision's nearly half million sponsors and about a third of the sponsorship program's $120 million in annual income.

Focus Groups are also excellent at raising issues and opportunities that the staff of an organization might have never thought of. Recently, I was discussing focus groups with Steve Woodworth, former V.P. of Marketing from World Vision (currently executive V.P. at the Raymond Group). He shared how at a World Vision focus group the discussion raised an opportunity which he later pursued, resulting in an increase in World Vision's income of $2 million per year. I believe that "find" was serendipitous to the actual purpose of the group, which was achieved and, by itself, justified the cost of the group!

How Focus Groups Work: A focus group is basically a discussion of the issues an organization is concerned about (e.g., a new major donor club, fund-raising materials, etc.) by the donors themselves. It is best moderated by a neutral third party who is experienced with this type of research. After the issues and target audience have been identified, the research moderator will draft a screener and discussion guide. The screener is a short survey and invitation script which the telephone recruiters will use when they call to invite the people to the focus group. The short survey accomplishes two purposes. First, it screens out all of the people on the calling list, which do not have the particular characteristics desired by the researcher and client organization (e.g., those under 35, those who don't qualify as prospective, etc.). Second, it allows the researcher to learn more about the prospective focus group recruits with regard to issues relevant to the discussion.

The discussion guide is a carefully prepared list of usually 9-14 questions which the moderator will ask the group. The questions are not necessarily read verbatim. The open-endedness of each question allows for as many spontaneous sub-questions as the moderator feels will be helpful.

Both the screener and discussion guide are submitted by the research moderator to the client organization for their suggestions and eventual approval.

When the screener is approved, the recruiting begins. Usually the focus group recruiters call the target population based on a list of names provided by the client organization. Phone numbers, if unavailable, can be obtained by the research agency. Then the respondents are invited to a discussion group regarding a general topic at a specific time and place. These groups are usually held on weekday nights at 6 p.m. or 8 p.m., when most people are available. They are usually offered a cash incentive ranging from $25 to $50 per person. The 6 p.m. participants are also usually served a deli-dinner.

The location of the group is prearranged by the researcher depending on the needs of the client organization. The best focus groups are conducted in professional facilities designed specifically for this purpose. They feature a well-appointed discussion room with a large oval table, and a one-way mirror. The organization's staff view the discussion through the one-way mirror from an adjacent room. There are hidden microphones and a video camera.

Before starting, the moderator always mentions that he has some associates behind the mirror and that the discussion is being recorded. Usually the name of the sponsoring organization is not revealed so as to reduce bias in the participants' responses as much as possible. During the discussion, the researcher asks the questions in an open-ended, objective manner.

The first question is usually aimed at breaking the ice and developing some cohesiveness. The research questions at the beginning of the focus groups are usually somewhat general (e.g. what do you think of "such and such" type of not-for-profits?). These general questions, which are intentionally easy to answer, allow the participants to become comfortable with the discussion and to get their minds thinking about the issues at hand. The questions at the core of the client organization's concerns are usually saved for the end of the group. By this time the participants are more relaxed and are sharing very candidly. Because the earlier questions were general, the participants may not be clued in on who the sponsoring organization is.

At least once during the group interview, and usually toward the end, the moderator will give the group a short task to work on and excuse himself from the room for a few minutes. During this time the moderator ducks into the observation room to see if the discussion has caused the client to think of any more questions he might like to ask.

After the focus group is concluded, the participants are dismissed and paid the promised fee. The researcher and client usually discuss the insights they gained from the focus group.

Focus groups research can involve anywhere from 1 to over 20 groups for very large studies. Two, four or six groups are common. Additional groups allow organizations to learn which are truly the most common feeling/issues among participants rather than a skewed perception resulting from an unusual mix of participants. In order to obtain a representative cross section, the groups may also be varied, geographically (e.g., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.) demographically (e.g., African Americans vs. Caucasians, or older donors vs. young donors, or prospects vs. donors, etc.), or in any other relevant way.

After the entire series of focus groups is complete, the moderator will systematically review and analyze all the interviews and produce a written report. This, together with audiotapes and videotapes if requested, are provided to the client. A live presentation of the results is often also provided at the time.

Focus groups are a tried and true technology, which can improve donor/listener satisfaction, and have a direct and positive impact on income. They have been used with great effect by the for-profit sector and can benefit non-profits as well.

Bruce Campbell is the founder and president of Marketing Solutions, 345 W. Foothill Blvd., Ste. D, Glendora, CA 818-914-5399. Marketing Solutions specializes in research services for the nonprofit sector, including surveys, focus groups, lifetime donor value analysis, donor file audits, segmentation analysis and mapping. He has been a featured speaker at many national fund-raising conferences, and is a widely published author.