Fundraising Analysis of ActivLives Charity - Essay Example

? ActivLives Charity inserts his/her s Department’s Fundraising analysis of ActivLives charity The market for fundraising charity represents huge scope for ActivLives with more than 160000 such charities in the U.K generating income worth millions (Charity Commission, 2013). The organization attracts funds through a host of events that it periodically conducts. Similarly, one of the ‘birthday’ events managed to raise a generous amount of donations. Additionally, the organization has partnered with websites such as “localgiving.com” which offer single and monthly donation options along with gift cards as low as ?15, the proceeds of which are used for activities such as lunches and singing of ActivLives’ members (Localgiving.com, n.d.). 2. Integration marketing communication analysis of ActivLives charity Usually charities use both B2B and B2C communications to collect donations from corporate sector and public respectively. Emotional marketing is used to get the sympathy of donors and the use of value propositions is largely ignored in this sector (IDM, n.d.). The company has partnered with popular personalities such as the former footballer Roger Osborne to promote its brand and collect funds. Events such as the first birthday of the Community Garden promoted the ActivSinging project of the company (Aallaboutipswich.com, n.d.). 3. Marketing segmentation of ActivLives charity ActivLives charity has segmented its market on the basis of geography as well as age. It targets people of Ipswich and Suffolk, particularly the older segment for which it claims to promote mental and physical fitness and an active live (ActivLives, 2013). The segmentation was done on the basis of careful analysis of demographics as the company claims that both the geographic locations are marked by “high urban deprivation” (ActivLives, 2013). Theory suggests that segments ought to be evaluated on the basis of their size, growth, profitability, competitors as well as business resources (Kotler, 2008). Hence, the segment seems significant enough to be targeted. Segment growth is also high as the U.K is witnessing an ageing population. The aspect of segment’s profitability remains questionable since ActivLives works as a charity and not a for-profit organization. 4. Social Media analysis ActivLives has a strong presence on the social media, particularly twitter and Facebook. However, it has yet to gain greater fan following and, at presents, touts only 127 fans on Facebook. Charities can either engage in fundraising, awareness raising and lobbying as far as their social media campaigns are concerned (CharityComms, 2013). Although ActivLives does not engage in lobbying, it has taken some steps towards fundraising by sharing ‘links’ of its external partner websites on Facebook. Also, it has promoted its “winter warmer kits” through viral marketing on facebook. However, it has yet to make use of more sophisticated tools such as “Twibbon” for gaining funds through social media. 5. Target markets The primary target market for ActivLives is “older adults” particularly those aged 45 years and above in the highly deprived area of Ipswich, for whom the company intends to offer an improved lifestyle including health and general fitness (Localgiving.com, n.d.). Social activities targeted at these individuals are aimed at fostering positive mental and physical fitness amongst these individuals by keeping them active. The secondary target market is people of all ages (not just older adults) for whom ActivLives attempts to offer work placements, educational and health support (ActivLives, 2013). 6. Brand Positioning Building a charity brand requires emphasis on the desire to bring a change to the lives of living things as well as the beliefs and values that accompany it. Clearly, the charities sector is quite competitive in the U.K with over 160,000 charities (Charity Commission, 2013). ActivLives lacks a pre-defined cause such as cancer support offered by its competitor Cancer Research UK or supporting children as in the case of The Save the Children Fund. It is clearly not amongst the top 1000 charities in order of funds raised (Rogers, 2012). ActivLives does not cater to serious medical issues or poverty etc. but simply promotes culture, recreation and fitness amongst its primary market of adults aged over 45 years. 7. Direct Marketing According to a research conducted, majority of the charities considered the “fundraising climate” to deteriorate over the next years with many considering mergers for the same (PwC, 2012-2013). Charities cannot afford huge marketing budgets and watch products fail despite that (Saxton, 2008). Hence, direct marketing and PR is extensively used. ActivLives too uses interactive and direct methods such as workshops, seminars and community events to promote the brand. For instance, the ex-footballer Roger Osborne who is ActivLives' patron was invited to interact one-on-one during a community event. Apart from using the e-mail to reach out to customers using e-newsletters there seems to be limited use of SMS service and telemarketing in the case of ActivLives. 8. Key communication methods ActivLives communicates primarily through its Facebook page which often contains information that is not found elsewhere. The website supplements this method of communication. The company newsletter is another mode of communication. For the most part, ActivLives relies on face-to-face communication such as that during events where it raises donations on the spot. 9. Marketing communications objectives The main marketing communication objectives of ActivLives seems to be that of creating awareness on the well-being of underprivileged individuals over the age of 45 years while encouraging them to engage in activities that promote physical and mental fitness, education and employability. Generating referrals through its social media presence is also at the heart of the communications objectives. 10. Promotion Advertising by charities has recently come under scrutiny because of the negative impact that disturbing images and stereotypes may have on younger children (ASA, 2012). ActivLives’ promotional activity rests heavily on PR and personal selling, especially since sales promotions do not hold much value for charities. The company has used popular personalities such as Roger Osborne to endorse the brand by making him the patron of the brand. Osborne has promoted the brand at several occasions, including a birthday celebration. Additionally, it has advertised itself through websites such as localgiving.co.uk as well as its own website. 11. Competitor analysis of ActivLives charity As mentioned earlier, ActivLives is part of a highly competitive environment with over 160,000 competitors in the U.K. Direct competitors for ActivLives include the 50 organizations in Ipswich such as Victim Support and Age Concern (iSuffolk, 2013). Age Concern, for instance, offers specific services such as the “guaranteed Funeral Plan” as well as a wide range of products related to health, insurance and holiday (Age UK, 2013). 12. Conclusion To conclude, although ActivLives primarily aims for the socio-economic and personal betterment of its primary market, it must compete with larger charities that have managed to go beyond donations to offer specific products (including annuities and mobile health care). Social media presence must also be enhanced as it does not enjoy much support at present. 13. Recommendations It is highly recommended that ActivLives considers re-launching itself in a different light. This can be done by adding more services on its list such as the “Funeral Plan” or Mobile healthcare offered by its competitors. By partnering with local utility companies, ActivLives can further alleviate the burden of these bills and offer concessional or reduced payments of these bills through the donations it receives. Finally, it must be recognized that without donations the efforts of any charity are virtually useless. To gain more support, ActivLives can partner with competitors and offer its members the benefit of enjoying the benefits of more than one charity by virtue of their membership at ActivLives. Furthermore, it is highly recommended that ActivLives uses the services of Charities Advisory Trust. The Card Aid Project which sells top quality cards for various charities is a critical tool which has helped raised funds worth millions (Charities Advisory Trust, 2012). This service can be utilized by ActivLives to boost its fundraising activity. References Aallaboutipswich.com, n.d. ACTIVLIVES CELEBRATES NEW PATRON. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.allaboutipswich.com/whats-on/news/126/ActivLives-celebrates-new-Patron" http://www.allaboutipswich.com/whats-on/news/126/ActivLives-celebrates-new-Patron [Accessed 30 July 2013]. ActivLives, 2013. ActivLives. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://activlives.org.uk/" http://activlives.org.uk/ [Accessed 30 July 2013]. Age UK, 2013. Age UK. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.ageuk.org.uk/" http://www.ageuk.org.uk/ [Accessed 1 August 2013]. ASA, 2012. ASA publishes wide-ranging research on Harm and Offence in advertising. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.asa.org.uk/News-resources/Media-Centre/2012/ASA-publishes-Harm-and-Offence-in-advertising.aspx" http://www.asa.org.uk/News-resources/Media-Centre/2012/ASA-publishes-Harm-and-Offence-in-advertising.aspx [Accessed 31 July 2013]. Charities Advisory Trust, 2012. Charities Advisory Trust. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.charitiesadvisorytrust.org.uk/cat-about" http://www.charitiesadvisorytrust.org.uk/cat-about [Accessed 1 August 2013]. Charity Commission, 2013. Sector facts and figures. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/about-charities/sector-facts-and-figures/" http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/about-charities/sector-facts-and-figures/ [Accessed 31 July 2013]. CharityComms, 2013. CharityComms Guide to Social Media for Charities. 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[Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://localgiving.com/charity/activlives" http://localgiving.com/charity/activlives [Accessed 31 July 2013]. PwC, 2012-2013. Managing charities in the new normal: The latest instalment in our managing in a downturn series. London: PwC. Rogers, S., 2012. Britain's top 1,000 charities ranked by donations. Who raises the most money? [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/apr/24/top-1000-charities-donations-britain" http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/apr/24/top-1000-charities-donations-britain [Accessed 1 August 2013]. Saxton, J., 2008. A strong charity brand comes from strong beliefs and values. London: nfpSynergy nfpSynergy. Read More