What's so special about the third sector? and OUT with traditional value measures, IN with engagement Event

Event details

Two talks, part of the Southern OR Meeting-- Talk by Ruth Kaufman: The OR Society’s Third Sector initiative has two main components: a Special Interest Group, and a Pro Bono scheme, matching O.R. volunteers with third sector organisations needing their input. But is there really any difference between doing OR in the third sector and doing it with a government or private sector organisation? Is “it’s for charity” really a good enough reason to work for free? This talk explores these challenges, taking charities as an example of third sector organisations. It considers three areas of inherent difference between charity, private and public organisations – legal form, governance, and resourcing – and other factors such as organisational size, culture, and business environment. It goes on to consider the implications for practising OR in three broad areas: strategy, efficiency/effectiveness, and profitability. Finally, it explores the rationale for volunteering. Talk by Steve White: At Marie Curie, analysis has shown a downward trend over the last few years in the number of active supporters giving to cash appeals. Many factors have contributed to this gradual fall and it's arguably impossible to isolate the impact of each factor. Individual Giving (IG) at Marie Curie had reached a tipping point as the acquisition of high volume but lowly engaged supporters were no longer topping up the leaky bucket of lapsing donors. In January 2017, an IG Summit was held with the management team to explore ways of recruiting more highly engaged supporters, but also with a greater focus on retaining those valuable supporters we already had. 19 strategic projects were agreed under the umbrella goal of LOVE - Legacies, Offers, Value and Efficiency. Whether we call it LOVE or engagement, this talk gives several practical analysis examples of making the most of your in-house database; to understand your supporters from both a giving behaviour but also engagement point of view, recognising their overall value and loyalty over many years. To then use such insight to communicate with them appropriately. In summary, this talk explains how to broaden the definition of financial value to also include engagement and human elements.