Identifying Key Barriers to Giving
for Greater Twin Cities United Way

Greater Twin Cities United Way (GTCUW), one of approximately 1,400 locally-operated organizations throughout the United States, gathers the majority of its donations through payroll deductions and one-time workplace donations. GTCUW completed a re-segmentation of donors and wanted to better understand “leadership giving” donors who are committed to giving at a higher level based on income.

I conducted small group discussions with current and lapsed donors and follow-up interviews in the workplace with selected participants. I delivered a decision-making model that depicted the current giving process and motivations for giving. The model also identified glitches – the factors hindering them from increasing their yearly contributions. As a result, Greater Twin Cities United Way reworked key messages and campaign strategies to address the needs of this critical donor segment.

“Julia gets to the heart of the matter. Most research relies on what people say they will do. Julia’s ethnographic approach constructs situations so we can see what they really do. The actionable results of her work have truly helped improve our organization.”

Sandy Clifford
Director, Market Technology
Greater Twin Cities United Way