You might not think a charitable organization would have to conduct customer satisfaction research, but charities face the same kind of problems that beset for-profit operations. Competition for the charitable dollar is intense, so, like a consumer product or service provider, a non-profit has to keep its contributors happy, lest they take their dollars elsewhere.That's especially true in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, an area known for its generous support of charitable organizations at both the corporate and private level. With so many worthwhile organizations chasing a (seemingly) finite number of dollars, it's more important than ever for charities to keep their donors satisfied.Though their home cities engage in a kind of civic sibling rivalry, the United Ways of Minneapolis and St. Paul long ago put any geographic prejudices aside and began working together. "We're facing the same issues," says Sue Johnson, vice president, marketing, United Way of St. Paul Area. "Our donors live in one community and work in the other. They often aren't all that conscious of there being two United Ways in the area. And many donor companies have offices in both cities."This spirit of cooperation has extended to marketing research projects. While the two United Ways had conducted a lot of research, until recently most of it had been on a short-term, need-to-know basis. "Our research had been reactive rather than proactive," says Pam Carlson, director of advertising and promotion, United Way of Minneapolis Area. "We felt we didn't have a good ongoing sense of what our customers locally are thinking about United Way.""We had done lots of surveys where we got perceptions about giving and about United Way but we had never asked what was most important to them and how United Way measured up in those areas," Johnson adds. "We needed a new methodology to be able to make the results more action-oriented."The Marketing Resear...
A look at the customer survey process at Caterpillar Inc.
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Customer Satisfaction, Statistical Analysis, Customer Satisfaction Studies, Quantitative Research Customer Satisfaction, Statistical Analysis, Customer Satisfaction Studies, Quantitative Research, Data Collection Field Services, Focus Groups, Housing/Construction, Interviewing, Mail Surveys, Moderators, One-on-One, Construction Industry, Mail Surveys, Qualitative Research, Focus Groups
Customer Satisfaction, Statistical Analysis, Customer Satisfaction Studies, Quantitative Research Customer Satisfaction, Statistical Analysis, Customer Satisfaction Studies, Quantitative Research, Data Collection Field Services, Focus Groups, Housing/Construction, Interviewing, Mail Surveys, Moderators, One-on-One, Construction Industry, Mail Surveys, Qualitative Research, Focus Groups