The Spectrum of Philanthropy

Many not for profits are charities choosing to use voluntary income to fund much of their work. This allows them to act independently of government to campaign, innovate and change services as they believe necessary. As such voluntary income is a vital element of the not for profit marketing mix and fundraisers the world over seek to understand donor motivations and behaviour in order to optimise income. This paper is a work in progress report on research taking place in the UK with 30 significant charities looking at how they attempt to understand donor motivation and influence individual behaviour. The objective is to test and develop the "Spectrum of Philanthropy" concept outlined in the paper so as to help charities improve their fund-raising activities.