Another interesting piece of research has just been released by nfpSynergy.

This study looks at how a charity's size can influence the way in which it is perceived.

Perhaps the most important finding is that over half the people surveyed saw big charities as being "professional" but "wasteful".

It's not difficult to see why. Big charities mimic the most successful companies in how they promote themselves – strong corporate identities, powerful brands, dynamic websites and high production values all shout professional pretty loudly.

But what happens next? Unlike in the commercial world where there's a box to open or service to experience, the donor has no way to judge if the brand values they've bought into are authentic or not.

The question, "What did my money achieve?" normally goes unanswered.

And when this happens – as we've seen before – many people think the worst.

The result is just a perception. But it's a pretty big and damaging perception.

Big charities don't steward gifts very well.

Luckily solving this problem is easy. We need to change our focus and show people what their gift has actually done (and this isn't simply sending out general charity focused magazines).

At Bluefrog, we've proved that by successfully demonstrating impact we can make those big claims seem much less hollow in a donor's mind.