May 2021

Final
Research
Report
Public Relations Research

Prepared By: Kylie Hushbeck, Chase

Chitwood, Callie Hall, Andrea Ko
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INDEX
Page 3- Executive Summary
Page 4- Situation and Organization Research
Page 5- Publics Research
Page 6- Situation Analysis
Page 7- In-depth Interview
Page 10- Survey
Page 12- Social Media Audit
Page 14- Findings
Page 15- Suggestions
Page 16- Infographic
Page 17- Appendix

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Executive Summary
This research report aims to analyze data collected through primary and secondary
research in order to identify areas of improvement for our client organization, the
United Way of Norman (UW Norman). UW Norman is a nonprofit organization that
works within the community to fund 42 programs at 29 organizations in the Norman,
Oklahoma region. Through extensive primary and secondary research, we have
identified several key areas for UW Norman to improve on as well as suggestions on
how best to implement solutions that will benefit the organization in the long run.

We first performed research on the organization in order to identify the background

as well as internal and external workings of UW Norman to understand how it was
being run. Then, four key publics of the organization were identified, and a
situational analysis was carried out, eventually narrowing down our focus to four
research questions:

What do potential donors look for when choosing what organization to donate
to?
What are potential donors’ current perceptions of the United Way of Norman?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted potential donors’ giving habits?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted potential donors’ ability to
communicate?

Our findings indicated that potential donors preferred transparency when it comes
to how their donations were used by nonprofit organizations. We found that while
UW Norman had an extensive reach in terms of name recognition, they could
improve on communication through social media platforms like Facebook and
Twitter. While the COVID-19 pandemic was undeniably tough on our potential
donors' financial situations, they are still willing to give (albeit smaller amounts) or
volunteer for the organization. Our findings also showed that diversified
communication, as well as donation methods, were preferred in order for UW
Norman to have the largest reach possible in order to optimize community
engagement through online/in-person interactions or donations.

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Situation and
Organization Research
Background
The United Way of Norman is a nonprofit organization that has worked to identify
needs, find solutions, and improve lives in the Norman community for sixty-seven years.
They do this by partnering with 29 agencies and funding 44 programs. They have a 32
person Board of Directors. Their budget is approximately $2 million, and they have a
donor base of over 5,000. The United Way of Norman also has a volunteer base of over
1,000 community members. They function in a impact-driven model and helped over
56,000 people in 2020 alone. Popular initiatives of the United Way of Norman are
Learning Pods, Stuff the Bus, FAN, Student United, Community Needs Network.

Internal
The United Way year is divided into two sections, impact season runs January-May
followed by fundraising season July-December. The fundraising season starts by
establishing a campaign cabinet. After the cabinet details are done, the PaceSetter
Kickoff happens in July, followed by the Community Kickoff in September. Also in
September is the Day of Caring. Celebrity Sing takes place in October and the season is
finished with Celebration in December. For Residential, Professional, OU Retirees, and
Corporate Divisions, the United Way of Norman uses solicitation mailers, calling sessions,
and a Thank-a-Thon. For the Public Service, Workplace Drives, and OU Campaign they
provide a toolkit to the Campaign Coordinator of the workplace, attend the kickoff, and
offer incentives and prize drawings for donors.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Way of Norman is currently in the red
financially. It can be difficult to keep volunteers upbeat at this time. The pandemic has
forced them out of their "normal" way of doing things. The organization is trying to
balance increased need with decreased ability to give.

External
In our survey, we found that the majority of donors are satisfied with and understand
how the United Way of Norman works. Our survey also found that the majority of non-
donors were not familiar at all with the United Way of Norman.

In the past year, 41.93% of non-donors and 60.53% of donors worked from home.
Connecting with the remote workforce and over Zoom have been challenging for the
United Way of Norman. The organization usually puts on a number of in-person events to
connect with both donors and volunteers, however they have had to weigh events vs
social responsibility over the past year.
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Publics Research
We determined that these are the publics of the United
Way of Norman

Established, middle-aged donors that are somewhat active in their

communities
Young professionals looking for ways to give back
Retirees (Especially those that previously donated to United Way)
United Way Volunteers
Students looking for volunteering opportunities
Currently Benefiting Organizations
Potential Benefiting Organizations

From these publics, we narrowed it to four key publics we believe

the United Way of Norman should predominately focus on.

Established, middle-aged donors that are somewhat active in their

communities
Young professionals looking for ways to give back
Retirees (Especially those that previously donated to United Way)
Currently Benefiting Organizations

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Situation Analysis
The United Way of Norman is trying to answer two questions now:

How do they connect with the Remote Workforce?

How do they appeal to “every donor”?

The strength of the United Way of Norman is that it has an established

and trusted brand. However, a weakness is that younger potential
donors are largely unaware of the United Way or how they function. The
United Way of Norman is very active on their Facebook and Instagram,
which is helpful for the algorithm. However, much of their content centers
around announcements, and showing more impact work is a great
opportunity for them. While the threat of COIVD-19 is creating a
challenge, the community already engaged in the United Way of Norman
offers a unique opportunity for connecting virtually, including meeting
new people.

In order for the United Way of Norman to maintain the current status, it
must appeal to a younger generation that values transparency and
tangible outcomes.

We decided that answering these four questions will help the United Way
of Norman adjust to the more digital "normal" and appeal to potential
donors:

What do potential donors look for when choosing what organization

to donate to?
What are potential donors’ current perceptions of the United Way of
Norman?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted potential donors’ giving
habits?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted potential donors’ ability
to communicate?

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In-Depth
Interview
Overview
The purpose of our in-depth interviews was to sit down with potential
donors, and ask questions that are more vulnerable and personal. When
you are one-on-one with someone it is easier to get them to open up about
deeper questions. Any questions involving money or how it’s spent is
always a touchy subject, and many people might not feel comfortable
giving that information on a survey or during a focus group. Likewise, the
privacy of the interview allows the participant to truly formulate and
answer with their own opinions. During our interviews we focused our
questions on three main topics: perception of the United Way of Norman,
issues they are passionate about in the community, and communication
during Covid-19 Pandemic.

Method
To conduct our interviews, our group emailed many people within the OU
community about the opportunity for an interview. Eventually we found
four participants from our community who varied in age, race, gender,
and income. All participants gave their informed consent prior to their
respective interviews. The interviews varied in length from 11 minutes to
over 30 minutes. The differences in time is due to how in-depth the
participant answered the questions, and whether or not they explained
their answer, or provided examples. The interviews consisted of 13
prepared questions and any follow-ups or additional questions.

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In-Depth
Interview
In-Depth Interview Guide
Icebreakers/rapport-building questions:
- Have you ever done an interview like this before? (if
yes) Did you enjoy it? How is this interview
similar/different?
- Are you originally from Norman? Build off with- How
long have you been here? What’s your favorite
restaurant around? Etc..
- What is your favorite way to give back? Do you enjoy
volunteering or are you more likely to donate in other
ways?
- What’s an issue within your community that you are
passionate about?
Potential donors
1. Awareness and perceptions of and relationship
with UW of Norman
a. What knowledge do you currently have
regarding United Way?
b. How did you hear about United Way?
c. Would you be interested in keeping up with
United Way Norman via social media?
i. If so, which social media platform would
you prefer?
2. What do you want to know about UW that would
make you give?
a. What causes are important to you?
b. What are you passionate about?
i. What change do you wish to see most in
the community?
c. How do you define giving back to the
community?
i. What form of help do you think would best
help the beneficiaries of UW of Norman?
ii. How do you prefer to give back? Monetary
donations or volunteering?
3. Past donation experiences and motivation for
giving
a. Do you currently donate to any nonprofits or
charities?
b. If yes...
i. What charities do you donate to?
ii. How do you decide where to donate to? (is it the
organization or how the org. uses the money?)
iii. Why do you donate?
c. If no…
i. Why don’t you donate? (reassure them that they
shouldn't feel bad?)
ii. Have you donated in the past?
iii. If you were to donate to a charity or non-profit,
what would it be?
How do you communicate (formal and informal)
now during COVID-19? (with co-workers, friends,
neighbors, non-profits, community organizations,
etc.)
How have your outlets for interaction with co-
workers, neighbors, small businesses, and/or
other community focused facilitators changed
since COVID19 started?
If you brought up social media, how many
hours a week do you think you spend on
social media?
What times of day are you most likely to
spend time on social media? What social
media apps do you spend the most time
on?
Do you still listen to the radio, read the
newspaper, or sign up for newsletters to get
your news/information?
If so, which ones?
Has the status of your employment changed
since the Pandemic?
Do you work remotely? Do you still message work
related information via Email? Do you and your co-
workers ever communicate by Social Media or text?
Do you and any of your co-workers “follow” or
“friend” each other via social media? If so, which
specific social media platforms?
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In-Depth
Interview
Findings
Through our interviews, we learned that potential donors want
transparency and tangible outcomes from the nonprofits they donate to.
They like nonprofits that contribute to equity on some level. Many of our
participants have heard of the United Way of Norman, but do not
understand how it works. Since potential donors value transparency, the
United Way of Norman may want to consider designating more
campaigning to increase peoples’ understanding of how the nonprofit
functions and uses funds.

While potential donors did not significantly change their giving habits, they
were extra cautious of overspending. However, they placed importance on
nonprofits that were impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic
and nonprofits that were working to address issues caused by the COVID-
19 pandemic. The United Way of Norman may want to consider advertising
how it has been impacted more and how it has helped during the
pandemic. Potential donors also wanted to see donation options that fit in
with their everyday lives. Venmo, Cashapp and other similar quick transfer
apps might be a worthwhile venture for the United Way of Norman.

Of course, communication of our potential donors was impacted by the

COVID-19 pandemic. Many saw smaller social circles and had not talked to
people they consider friends in months. Additionally, they missed in-person
socialization and face-to-face contact. As it becomes safer to do so, the
United Way of Norman should consider hosting multiple in-person events
that will attract people who have been stuck at home and miss being
around others.

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Survey
Overview
The purpose of this survey and the subsequent collection of data is to help
the United Way of Norman learn about their donors and potential donors.
More specifically, to learn how they prefer to donate, which demographics
are more likely to donate, and how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected
people’s giving. The United Way’s main goals are to learn how to reach
donors or non-donors who are part of the remote workforce, and to
connect with, “every donor,” whether young or old.

Design & Participants

To conduct our survey we used a non-probability, convenience sample
with a sample size of 430. Unfortunately, some of the participants did not
complete the survey. The number of completed surveys was 345. we used
email as our primary way to distribute the survey, and the snowball
method was used for further distribution. Data was collected from April 1,
2021 to April 17, 2021. The survey consisted of 41 questions(depending on
how you answer) and included topics like demographic/employment
questions, donation habits, awareness/perception of the United Way, and
life during Covid-19.

Our sample ranged largely in age, from 18 to 85, with increased amounts in
their 20s, 40s, and 50s. Our sample was 26.67% male and 69.86% female,
with the rest either marking Other or Prefer not to say. Our sample was
78.55% white, 4.64% Black or African American, 2.32% American Indian or
Alaska Native, 4.06% Asian, 0.29% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander,
5.51% Hispanic or Latino, 2.90% Other, and 1.74% Prefer not to say. Of our
sample, 42.03% had a household income above $75,000, 39.14% had a
household income below $75,000, and 18.84% preferred not to say. Of our
sample, 64.43% were university students.

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Survey
Findings
Of our non-donor respondents, 51.65% had heard of the United Way of
Norman and 48.35% had not.

When it came to familiarity with United Way of Norman, 51.92% of

respondents were not familiar at all, 18.41% were slightly familiar, 18.96%
were moderately familiar, 5.77% were very familiar, and 4.95% were
extremely familiar.

For the majority of people, 68.55%, financial factors make it most difficult
to donate. (M=1.65, SD=1.03).

Our survey found that the majority of people’s donation size will remain
somewhat the same (M=2.26, SD=0.95). Data also showed that the majority
of participants will donate ten dollars or less (M=2.00,SD=1.21).

45.89% of people somewhat agree that donating is more important during

Covid-19 (M=3.96,SD=0.89).

People over age 27 (M=3.91,SD=1.051) were significantly more likely than

people aged 27 and under (M=3.36,SD=1.087) to donate to a non-profit in
Norman over the next year, t(343) = -4.041, p < .001.

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Social Media Audit

Overview
The purpose of our social media audit is to analyze the social media and
web presence of the United Way of Norman to see their strengths and
weaknesses. Learning these aspects of the United Way will help raise their
engagement levels, increase their online visibility, and help their
connection to their online followers.

Channels
The United Way uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

Content & Strategy

Facebook: The UW mostly posts about their partnerships, campaigns, and
sponsors. They also post or repost news in the Norman community. They’re
very grateful with their sponsor and volunteer highlights. They also add
pictures and links to the website at the bottom of almost every post.

Instagram: Their Instagram page looks a lot like their facebook. They post
the same pictures and captions. The only difference is they can’t put links
in captions, but they do have a link tree link in the profile bio.

Twitter: This account has the same formula as the previous two, but it is
more outdated than the other two (last post Dec. 13, 2020). Also, they do
not put links on their tweets.

YouTube: This account has videos of UW, what they do, and how they
work. They have a couple different series’ that show the UW in action like
the #UWNStories and UW campaign videos. Their bio is pretty short, but
they do add a link to their website.

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Social Media Audit

Engagement
Although United Way Norman’s Facebook and Instagram accounts are
fairly active, posting once to three times a week, engagement levels are
not very high. Facebook probably has the most engagement, followed by
Instagram, but there could be drastic improvements made to each social
media channel to improve engagement. This also goes for the United Way
Norman’s Twitter and Youtube accounts.

Website
United Way Norman’s website is rather up to date and easy to use, but in
regards to social media, it’s not super easy to find links to each channel. To
improve overall social media channel engagement, social media links should
be more visible on the website.

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Findings
Key Finding 1: COVID-19 has negatively affected survey respondents

Through survey results, it is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic has

negatively affected a majority of survey respondents. Whether due to loss
of jobs or cut hours, or various other factors, it is undeniable that financial
implications mean that survey respondents generally have less money to
spare when it comes to monetary donations.

Key Finding 2: Differences in communication preferences between older

and younger donors

Even in today’s digital day and age, there still exists a digital gap between
the older and younger generations. Our survey has indicated that younger
potential/current donors aged 18-34 are more likely to prefer
communicating with nonprofit organizations via electronic methods such as
social media. In contrast, our older potential/current donors aged 34 and
above are more likely to want to stay in contact via more traditional
methods such as postal mail.

Key Finding 3: Relationship between volunteer experience and donations

Our survey results indicated that people who have volunteered with
nonprofit organizations in Norman are more willing to donate. We postulate
that this could be due to positive experiences with these organizations
encouraging former volunteers to donate as a sign of support.

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Suggestions
Our findings suggest that UW Norman could do a couple of things to
improve donation rates and overall community engagement.

The majority of young people (18-34) who participated in our survey noted
that they would be open to donating to UW Norman via social media or
payment apps like Venmo or Cashapp. In order to obtain the most financial
donations possible, UW Norman should diversify its donation methods to
include these forms of payments in addition to their more traditional
methods of donating such as cash, check or credit card. This would allow
people to donate using whichever method they feel most comfortable
doing so

Our findings have suggested that younger potential/current donors prefer

communicating with nonprofit organizations through platforms like social
media. If UW Norman were to increase their social media presence to
generate content geared more toward their younger audiences, UW
Norman would have more reach within this demographic. If social media
posts were more frequent and content was more focused, engagement
would go up. That engagement could look like reposts, comments, likes,
and possible donations. UW of Norman can continue its traditional method
of community engagement through postal mailers, email and text in order
to continue to stay in touch with older (34 and above) potential/current
donors.

In addition to financial donations UW of Norman could also retain and even

increase their pool of current volunteers by ensuring that volunteers have
a good experience with the organization. It could be prudent to remember
that word-of-mouth is a powerful tool, and people who formerly have had
positive encounters with the nonprofit they have previously volunteered
with may be more encouraged to share their experiences with family and
friends. These family and friends would in turn feel better about donating
to the organization, or even volunteering with them too, and so on.

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 UW OF NORMAN

at a glance:

52%
Agree that the COVID-19 UW Norman serves more
pandemic affected their ability to than 56,100 every year
donate to nonprofits in Norman through donations

Both survey and interview

participants indicated that
they value transparency &
honesty when it comes to how
their donations are used

Prefer to use social media to

communicate with nonprofits in
Norman
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Appendix
Non-Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Non-Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Non-Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Non-Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Non-Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Donor Survey Questionaire

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Appendix
Interveiw Guide

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