Despite the challenging financial circumstances facing the Not for Profit sector, there is still a need for market research initiatives to ensure that the sector remains connected with its stakeholders and audiences.
In fact, in our experience, the need and desire for market insight in this sector does not diminish.
However, research budgets are under pressure, which means that market research agencies need to think creatively to help.
Recently, Redshift had the opportunity to work with the Not for Profit organization, Compaid, who needed to conduct market research on a limited budget to support a range of business objectives, including testing new services, fine-tuning fundraising efforts, and ensuring their services meet end-user requirements.
Redshift proposed a mixed-mode methodology that included online research, secondary research, internal workshops, and one-to-one interviews to meet the desired objectives as cost-effectively as possible.
The key difference in the implementation of the research was that Redshift’s role was concentrated on research design and targeted support, leaving large elements of the delivery of the research program to employees at Compaid.
This approach not only saved significant research costs, but it also increased the knowledge shared and exploited within Compaid, which is difficult to put a value on.
By involving employees in the interviewing process with customers and stakeholders, the approach exposed employees to a new level of market knowledge.
This approach can benefit any organization by tapping into internal knowledge about the organization and markets.
Although the idea of shifting the delivery of research projects onto the client organization can be concerning for research agencies, it can be successful if the agency provides the benefit of their expertise in research design, relevant research questionnaires, and, most importantly, the fundamentals of objectivity.
This approach places new challenges in terms of agencies being able to provide all necessary support and transferring knowledge to the client organization.
However, when done correctly, the benefits are clear.