What’s really happening on the ground? What Mystery Shopping can uncover

For a decade at Fundraising Partners, we have been banging-on about how the quality of your donor recruitment is the key to the quality of your donor retention – and therefore your regular giving revenue.

But how often do we actually see what happens when a fundraiser approaches someone in the street, doors or in a shopping centre?

Mystery Shopping gives charities an independent view of these conversations. It helps answer some important questions.

Are fundraisers explaining your cause clearly? Are they setting the right expectations about regular giving? Are the right locations being used? And are the people signing up likely to become long term supporters?

Over the years, our Mystery Shopping campaigns have uncovered hundreds of important findings. Some were positive. Others raised questions about training, compliance and supplier management.

Here are some of the key findings and why they matter.

1. The donor experience can be excellent

One of the strongest findings was the quality of the conversations.

Since the post-COVID restart, we have found fundraisers have upped their friendliness, and professionalism. They commonly build strong relationships with people and treat them, and their property in the case of D2D, with respect. Even when someone chooses not to donate, the conversations usually end on a positive note.

This matters.

I always image getting an email from the partner of a board member who met one of your team. This can be a very scary moment. This professionalism goes a long way to build trust in the channel within your organisation and with the public.

This also makes another important point about Mystery Shopping. It's not just about finding problems. It's about understanding what great fundraising can look like.

2. Are fundraisers telling your story properly?

With the right training and engagement, fundraisers have the power to build the perfect picture of your charity’s work in the minds of your potential donors.

Whilst most fundraisers include general claims about the work, they also often slip into generic international development, cancer or healthcare pitches. They swap out what makes you special, for what they think works.

You can have a great fundraiser and a positive conversation, but if the supporter doesn't understand what your charity does or why their donation matters, something has been missed.

Mystery Shopping has shown where training and fundraiser engagement opportunities exist and need to be addressed.

3. Are supporters clear about what they're signing up for?

Regular giving is a long-term commitment, so donors need to understand what they're signing up to.

Mystery Shopping campaigns consistently find that some messaging could create confusion about the nature of a donation.  Donors need to know how much they are giving, how often they will give and that their donation is ongoing.

If these details aren't clear, charities risk early cancellations, complaints and damage to their reputation.

4. Are your fundraising working in the right locations?

A site might have plenty of people walking past. It might even deliver strong sign-up rate, but are those donors staying?

Using our location demographics data, we were able to look at the areas where teams were working and consider whether the people being recruited were likely to be able to maintain a regular donation.

This isn't about ruling out certain communities, it's about making sure charities understand the results they are getting from different locations, and that the fundraisers qualify their donors when working in lower socio-economic areas.

By looking at location data alongside donor retention, charities can make better decisions about where they recruit and how they use their fundraising budgets.

5. What happens when the fundraiser doesn't show up?

Sometimes, the biggest finding is that the fundraising activity isn't happening at all.

During multiple campaign, fundraiser engagements cannot be completed. This raises questions about how fundraising teams are being managed and whether the charities are given enough information about where they were operating.

If a supplier can't confirm where its teams are working, it's difficult for a charity to have confidence in other parts of the operation.

What do you do with the findings?

A Mystery Shopping report shouldn't sit in a drawer. The real value comes from what happens next.

It might mean recognising great fundraisers, improving training, reviewing locations or having a more informed conversation with your fundraising supplier.

At Fundraising Partners, we believe charities deserve an honest view of what's happening on the ground. When you understand what's happening, you can make better decisions about fundraising, protect your reputation and build stronger relationships with supporters.

Fundraising Partners provides independent Mystery Shopping, D2D Shadowing and Verification Call Audits to help charities understand the real supporter experience.