The supporter experience is emotional. But more than that: it’s universal.
We’ve measured the supporter experience at organisations around the globe - not just in the UK but in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and across Europe, to name but a few. And in every country, we’ve seen the same results:
People who love what you do (and how you treat them), and who feel a strong personal connection to your cause, are more likely to go on giving more - and giving for longer.
By tracking your supporter experience (SX) and taking steps to improve it, you can secure more long-term income from your loyal audience. And that’s not just a guess. Over 10 years of research with more than half a million nonprofit supporters, we’ve proven that an increase in Loyalty (our measure of SX) can increase your income by up to 20% in just three years. That's 20% more donations, from people who are already on your database!
So, what does an excellent supporter experience look like for an Australian nonprofit? How loyal are your donors, and what are they saying about you?
To celebrate our first ever visit to the FIA Conference 2025 in February, we did some digging into what we know about Australian givers. Here’s what we found…
Australian SX isn't the worst - but there's room for improvement.
The average Loyalty score for Australian nonprofits sits at a solid 6th position in our 10 largest datasets. It scores higher than the UK average, but lower than Ireland, France, Italy, Germany and the USA.
It’s a great start, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Taking a measure of your SX is the first step, as it allows you to understand where the best opportunities for improvement may lie – as we are about to see…
Supporter commitment is high - but their satisfaction is low.
Looking at the three key drivers that indicate a great supporter experience – commitment, satisfaction and trust – helps to paint a more detailed picture.
Here we can see that, whilst Australian supporters feel highly committed to the cause they support, their experiences are leaving them feeling less than fully satisfied.
"What does that mean?", you ask?
When someone feels commitment to a nonprofit, they share a common purpose. That organisation shares their vision for a better world, something they work towards together. They feel like they have a close relationship, and may be likely to say that “This is my favourite nonprofit!”.
On the other hand, a low satisfaction score could be due to a number of things. Perhaps someone feels like they aren't being thanked appropriately, or their maybe communication preferences aren’t being respected.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. The good news is that there are tangible actions that you can take which will improve your supporter satisfaction. And that’s where we can help.
Supporter feedback is your friend.
We’ve asked thousands of people across Australia how they feel about their chosen nonprofit – and we’ve also asked why they feel that way. Here’s an example from one particular supporter:
"I care about helping people in need and I feel [they're] working toward the same common goal."
These nuggets can help to shed a light on opportunities for improvement, and shape your plan of action for optimising your supporter experience.
How will you improve your supporter experience?
There’s lots more to unpack here, and we will be doing more of this over the coming months. Watch this space!
But more importantly, we want to hear from you:
How do you feel about your supporter experience?
Do you feel like there’s more you can do, but you don’t know where to start?
Do you know that supporters love what you do, or have you never asked?
When it comes to improving your supporter experience and growing long-term income, we know what works. So, if you're wondering what steps to take to boost supporter engagement and nurture their loyalty, we can offer some free and friendly advice on where to start.
Come and say hi at the FIA Conference, or drop Richard an email, to set up a chat about all things supporter experience. We can’t wait to hear from you.
FIA Conference 2025:
The Excellent Supporter Experience Hackathon - Wednesday 19 Feb 2025, 8:30 am to 2:00 pm
How great supporter experiences lead to great fundraising - Thursday 20 Feb 2025, 11:20 am to 12:50 pm