Sponsor Survey Reveals Key Insights
As part of our commitment to our sponsors and students, Shanghai Sunrise conducted its first Sponsor Survey in February 2017. The survey targeted both individual sponsors and those from corporate entities and civic groups. Designed to gather data from our existing and previous sponsors, the survey findings will support and inform specific improvements in the ways we communicate with our sponsors and facilitate sponsor-student engagement.
The results of the surveys will build on the strengths of Shanghai Sunrise's existing program and address areas of improvement. We are grateful for the thoughtful contributions of each survey participant and are pleased to share the following findings with you. We also extend our thanks to Armstrong Flooring for their support in the online component of this research.
Key Learnings (individual sponsor):
- The overwhelming majority of sponsors became familiar with Shanghai Sunrise through Word-of-Mouth (61%), followed by the Shanghai Sunrise website (10%).
- The top three motivators to student sponsorship were: "Wanting to connect with something meaningful" (22%), "Supporting the local community" (21%), and "Meeting new friends" (15%).
- 60% of sponsors would like to be involved in Shanghai Sunrise events and activities whilst 40% would rather opt-out of additional engagement beyond their donation. Of this 40%, many sponsors cite their location abroad as their reason for wishing to be removed from event communications.
- Of those sponsors eager to attend events, those which involve both students and sponsors are preferred (82%) over sponsor-only activities such as charity participation in markets and fairs (39%) and Shanghai Sunrise-hosted sponsor events (57%).
- 90% of sponsors surveyed identified "Student Letters" as their favored communication with Shanghai Sunrise, over news updates (54%) and invitations to events (58%).
Key Learnings (corporate/civic group sponsor):
- Sponsors in this category cite Longstanding Corporate Relationships (50%) and Word-of-Mouth (20%) as their introduction to Shanghai Sunrise.
- The top motivators to student sponsorship were: "Wanting to connect with something meaningful" (18%) and "Supporting the local community" (16%). Beyond that, sponsors cited "Company CSR Policy", "Enhanced Brand Reputation", "Networking" and "Volunteering Opportunities for Staff" as motivators (all at 14% each).
- When asked why Shanghai Sunrise was selected by the sponsors' companies or associations, 18% said the fact that students receive 100% of the donation was a unique and appealing proposition. The organization's focus on education and students (16%) also set Shanghai Sunrise apart from other local charities, as well as its longstanding reputation in the region which gave it a trustworthy edge (16%).
- This category of sponsors expects more regular communication with Shanghai Sunrise than those in the Individuals category and also have a greater interest in attending events.
- Sponsors would like to see more engagement with their students beyond Shanghai Sunrise-hosted events, wishing to invite their student to attend their company's special events (14%) and visit their offices (14%).
The clear take away from this survey is the enjoyment and satisfaction that our sponsors receive from engagement with their student, be it in person or through correspondence. We look forward to building on our sponsor-student events and activities in the future and to investigating further opportunities for sponsor-student engagement. We will also explore improvements in our corporate sponsor communications and work with these sponsors to facilitate on-site student activities where appropriate.
For more information, please contact Amber Aldred at marketing@shanghaisunrise.com.
