World Vision - Current Level of Contribution to Charity Organisations - Research Paper Example

Table of contents Executive summary 2.Table of tables 2 3Table of figures 3 4Problem definition 5Methodology 2 3.Participant profile 3 Respondent Gender Respondent Age 3 Employment Status Respondent Income 5 4.Objectives 7 5.1To determine WA resident’s current level of contribution to charity organisations and analyse attitudes, in general, toward helping others and charitable organisations 7 5.1.1Description 7 5.1.2Related Measurements 7 5.1.3Findings 7 Current Level of Contribution 7 5.1.4Conclusion 10 5.2WA resident’s perception of World Vision 10 5.2.1Description 10 5.2.2Related Measurements 10 5.2.3Findings 10 5.2.4Conclusion 11 5.3WA resident’s current level of contribution to World Vision 11 5.3.1Description 11 5.3.2Related Measures 11 5.3.3Findings 12 5.3.4Conclusion 12 6Conclusion 13 7Recommendations 13 8References 15 1 1. Executive summary World Vision is an international humanitarian development aid and advocacy agency that operates in more than 90 countries. The organization operates in all 6 continents, running a budget of more than $2.7 billion. As a whole, they are the world’s largest non-governmental, humanitarian and development agency. This survey was conducted on behalf of World Vision Australia (WVA) to determine Western Australia residents’ current level of contribution to charity organisations, analyse WA resident’s perception of World Vision, and to analyse the resident’s current level of contribution to World Vision. The survey covered 123 respondents who were randomly selected from the general population. The inclusion criteria was that a respondent had to be aged 18 and above and a current resident of Western Australia. The study made the following key findings: 10% of WA residents currently contribute to World Vision Fear of commitment to monthly contributions is a major reason for people not contributing to charity Males are more likely to contribute to charity than females Generally, WA residents have some level of distrust that charity contributions are used for good causes 66% of respondents that do not currently World Vision would consider doing so in future The following are recommendations for improving contributions among WA residents World Vision can initiate civic education programs and use its own brand to build public confidence into joining the current list of contributors The fact that 69% of non-contributing residents are willing to contribute to the organisation in future is an indicator that with adequate publicity and strong policies aimed at improving accountability, World Vision can increase the amount it receives in WA. World Vision should give people an option of making flexible contributions as opposed to regular monthly commitments. 2. Table of tables Table 1: Gender vs current contribution to charity ……………………………………………….7 Table 2: Awareness of how World Vision operates ………………………………………………10 2 3 Table of figures Since 2007, public giving to international development NPOs has flat-lined; just keeping up with inflation. “Statistics suggests that we are getting richer, and at the same time, tighter with our money” (F. Fourie, personal communication, March 2, 2015). WVA has seen a steady decline in its on-going pledge support (child sponsorship, child rescue and donations) over the last 5 years. WVA hopes that the insight from the BUS3100 Research Project will help WVA to reach their 2021 goals: We aspire to contribute to the sustained well-being of 20 million children. We aim to grow our income base to AUD$1 billion. We seek to actively engage 1 million supporters. In 2011, Western Australia brought in 20% of on-going pledge program targets nationally through retail campaigns but that has dropped to 11% in 2014. WVA would like to know what is holding people back from committing to on-going giving (pledge programs) to World Vision Australia. 4 Methodology For this exercise, 123 respondents were randomly selected and taken through the survey module Charity Perceptions Survey. The respondents were randomly selected with the inclusion criteria being that they had to be current residents of WA and at least 18 years old. All respondents were interviewed out of their own consent. 3. Participant profile The survey covered 123 respondents who were randomly selected from the general population. Respondent Gender Respondent Age Race Education Level Demographic data shows 61% of respondents were male while 39% were female and were aged between 18-64 years. Most respondents were of Oceanian race and had bachelor’s degree. Employment Status Respondent Income Respondents interviewed were mostly employed and casually employed with most earning between $400-599. 4. Objectives 4.1 To determine WA resident’s current level of contribution to charity organisations and analyse attitudes, in general, toward helping others and charitable organisations 4.1.1 Description In this section, we analyse the proportion of respondents that currently make contributions to charity organization and WVA in particular. We investigate the possible Focus is also on the perception of WVA residents towards contributing to charity. 4.1.2 Related Measurements Measures that were made to answer this question on current contributions, average donation per month, duration, and likelihood to donate to charity if one had spare funds (Q2 & Q3). Residents were also about their opinions toward helping others (Q4) 4.1.3 Findings Respondents’ current level of contribution to charity is summarized below: Current Level of Contribution ­ From the results, less than a fifth of the population currently contributes (18%) to charity and less than half the population has ever contributed to charity. It’s notable that 22% of the population has previously contributed to charity but is not currently making any donations. Reasons why some people give to charity while some do not include level of awareness, the feeling that even the slightest contribution could make a difference, proportion of the contribution relative to the income amount spent of non-basic needs, and the psychological benefits attached to giving.1 Studies show apart from helping the less fortunate, that the act of giving could boost one’s psychological well-being, self-esteem or status in society besides raising the reputation of the donors.234 The factors do not have the same effect on everyone in a similar way. However, they expose reasons why some groups of the population may feel inclined to contribute. Results of the survey indicate that more males contribute than females. 12% of females interviewed currently contribute to charity compared to 27% of males. Additionally, 20% of females previously contributed to charity, as compared to 25% among male. Gender No Yes Yes, but not currently Total Female 68% 12% 20% 100% Male 48% 27% 25% 100% Total 60% 18% 22% 100% 4.1.3.1 Table 1: Gender vs current contribution to charity A Chi-square test was conducted to determine whether gender was significant in determining whether a person contributes to charity or not. Persons that contributed previously but not currently were excluded from the analysis. Results indicate that gender is significant (p-value=0.019). Survey results also show that men also contribute more than women. Asked how much they contribute to the first charity organization they support, men reported a mean contribution of $41 while women had a mean of $35. On the second organization they support, men had a mean contribution of $120 while women reported $15. A confirmatory analysis using t-test indicates that although males have a higher average of contribution, the difference is not statistically significant. Among respondents who currently contribute to charity, 37% mention World Vision Australia followed by OXFAM Australia with a 9% mention. Attitudes toward helping others and charitable organisations When asked their opinions regarding helping others, most residents agreed that people should be willing to help others who are less fortunate. Respondents also agreed that helping troubled people was important. However, most respondents thought that the money they contribute to charity does not go into good causes and this could have resulted into a decline in the number of people contributing to charity. While most respondents value charity, they do not have a positive image of charitable organizations. However, they still agree that these organizations are important in society and perform a useful function. While not all organizations have a bad name, the few that have a bad name have impacted on others too. In turn this has inhibited persons from making contributing, or contributing less than they used to. This finding agrees with previous acts among charity organizations that have waned public trust in them. High-profile charity organizations have been involved in recurring scandals resulting into a general loss of trust.56 Bekkers and Pamala have suggested that image is the single most important element that influences people to contribute to charity. The authors contend that there are three important facets for evaluating an NPO: familiarity with charity, efficiency of the organization in using funds for the intended purposes, and perceived effectiveness of the organization in meeting its goals. Consequently, a positive image increases monetary donations.78 4.1.4 Conclusion While charitable organizations have previously been accused of misusing contributions, World Vision can use its own brand to build public confidence into joining the current list of contributors. The organization can initiate civic education programs and institute policies aimed at improving accountability and inegrity to win public trust. The finding that males are more likely to donate to charity relative to females has an implication on World Vision’s future publicity activities. The organization can encourage more women to participate in charity. 4.2 WA resident’s perception of World Vision 4.2.1 Description This objective investigated WA residents’ perception of the World Vision brand and what they knew about the organization’s operations. The objective investigates whether lack of adequate knowledge of the organization could be one of the factors that has led to a drop in donations and commitments among residents. 4.2.2 Related Measurements Measures taken to answer this question include respondents’ perception of the WV brand and knowledge of the organization (Q5 - 7) 4.2.3 Findings From the results, most people know about World Vision, however, fewer people can identify the organization brand logo. A similar number could identify World Vision among other charitable organizations while only a smaller number of respondents could quickly recall the World Vision logo. Image is important in influencing people to contribute to charity.9 There is also a general lack of knowledge regarding World Vision’s operations around the world and could be a hindrance towards people making contributions, or making lesser contributions than they would if the organization was well known in WA. The two best known charity roles is provision of emergency relief support and assisting communities become self-sustainable while the least known was provision of support to indigenous Australians. Regarding donations, a small proportion of residents were cognizant that donations go towards on-site programs. The results are shown below: Awareness of how World Vision operates (extent respondent agrees with the statement on a scale of 1-6) Knowledge Score I am aware that World Vision assists communities to become self-sustainable 4.55 I am aware that World Vision provides emergency relief support 4.78 I am aware that World Vision provides advocacy training and education 4.13 I am aware that World Vision provides support for indigenous Australians 3.55 I trust World Vision to distribute donations as they deem appropriate 4.20 I am aware that the majority of donations go towards on-site programs 3.99 I am aware that a small proportion of donations to towards administrative support 4.34 I am aware that I can sponsor a child(ren) for $48/month through World Vision 4.30 Table 2: Awareness of how World Vision operates Respondents were asked to summarize how World Vision operates, most mentioned the word ‘charity’ implying they knew not more about the organization’s work apart from being a charitable organization. 4.2.4 Conclusion Survey results point to generally low knowledge levels regarding World Vision’s areas of operations, and the various donation options that are available. The organization should initiate programs to increase public awareness of its activities and areas of operations within Australia and generally throughout the world. 4.3 WA resident’s current level of contribution to World Vision 4.3.1 Description As mentioned earlier, WVA would like to know what is holding people back from committing to on-going giving (pledge programs) to World Vision Australia. This section investigates current level of contribution and possible reasons for not donating. 4.3.2 Related Measures Measures including whether a respondent is currently donating to WV, amount donated, main reasons for donating and reasons for not donating. 4.3.3 Findings Around 10% of persons interviewed are currently contributing to World Vision. 75% of persons currently making contribution have done so for more than 3 years indicating a culture of charitable contributions among a few persons. Some of the reasons for making donations to World Vision include the fact the contributions make one to express their values, the organization is highly regarded, and the belief that the organization is effective at making a difference. Only a few people feel they have a connection with World Vision. Even a fewer people have a personal connection to a country / areas development program. The main reason for contributing is simply the reputation of the organization and empathy.10 Studies have found empathy to be the most common motivation towards helping others.1112 The major reasons for not giving to charity are as follows: I don’t want to commit to on-going (monthly) donations I already donate to other charities I would rather nominate how much I donate, and when I am overwhelmed with requests to donate Despite the big number of people not contributing to World Vision, close to 66% of non-contributing respondents would consider donating to the organization in the future. The average amount they would be willing to contribute is $17. 4.3.4 Conclusion A major reason why members do not donate to charity is that they do not want to commit to regular contributions. Additionally, respondents would like to decide how much they donate, and when. Current contribution is at 10% of the population while 66% of non-contributing residents are willing to contribute in the future. This indicates that with adequate publicity and strong accountability efforts, WVA can increase public participation in its donation programs. 5 Conclusion This survey was conducted on behalf of World Vision Australia (WVA) to determine Western Australia residents’ current level of contribution to charity organisations, analyse WA resident’s perception of World Vision, and to analyse the resident’s current level of contribution to World Vision. Findings from this survey indicate 18% of residents of WA currently contribute to charity with another 22% being former contributors. Among people who currently contribute to charity, 37 contribute to World Vision. Overall, only 10% of WA residents make charitable contributions to World Vision. Analyzing contributions with respect to gender, males are more likely to contribute as compared to women. Generally, residents are receptive towards helping others although they do not trust the contributions are used for good causes. Survey results point to the fact that beyond being a charity organization, respondents generally have low knowledge levels regarding specific areas of operations, and the various donation options that are available. Additionally, residents have distrust that charity donations are used for good causes and World Vision is no exception. A major reason why members do not donate to charity is that they do not want to commit to regular contributions. Additionally, respondents would like to decide how much they donate, and when. Regarding WA residents’ willingness to donate to World Vision, 69% of respondents that do not currently contribute to the organization would consider doing so in the future. The average amount they would be willing to contribute is $17. 6 Recommendations The following are recommendations for improving contributions among WA residents While charitable organizations have previously been accused of misusing contributions, World Vision can use its own brand to build public confidence into joining the current list of contributors. World Vision can initiate civic education programs to win public trust The fact that 66% of non-contributing residents are willing to contribute in the future is an indicator that with adequate publicity and strong accountability efforts, WVA can increase the amount it receives in WA. The organisation can initially focus on the 22% WA residents who previously contributed to charity then extend to persons that have never contributed Many non-contributing persons reported that their main reason of not contributing is that they do not want to commit to ongoing monthly donations. World Vision should give people an option of making contributions whenever they feel as opposed to regular monthly commitments The finding that males are more likely to donate to charity relative to females has an implication on World Vision’s future publicity activities. The organization can encourage more women to participate in charity. 7 References Bekkers, René and Pamala Wiepking. 2010. "A literature review of empirical studies of philanthropy: eight mechanisms that drive charitable giving." Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. Vol. 40, no. 5. Bekkers, René and Pamala Wiepking. 2011. "Who gives? A literature review of predictors of charitable giving." 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