Incentives for survey participation are de rigueur. All of the major panels offer some form of incentive to their panelists. Typically these are in the form of points for completing a survey. These points can then be tallied and exchanged for fascinating items like magazine subscriptions, gift cards, etc. In B2B market research the incentives typically take the form of a complimentary copy of the results or entrance into a drawing for a gift card.
Is there a different way?
I would argue there is, and after speaking with Research For Good (RFG) co-founder Sean Case (pictured at left), I am convinced there is an alternative. RFG has created a panel where participants can select the charity they would like their incentive to be donated to. This panel can be accessed by marketing researchers, just like that of other panel providers. In its current stage it has a registry of all 501(c)3 organizations in the United States and a list of comparable organizations for Canada. Sean indicated that RFG will be expanding globally and incorporating charities from each country they enter into.
How does this benefit the market researcher? Well, first for context, the market research industry has never been a great fan of change, although it is going on all around us. This innovation allows researchers to tap into a collective of individuals that are inspired and motivated by something other than money. This has both a light side and a potential dark side.
On the lighter side, I would anticipate seeing a higher questionnaire completion rate, since the participant knows they will be doing some good by finishing the task. Second, if you are an organization that relies on fundraising, e.g. a non-profit that benefits inner-city youth sports programs, then this becomes a low-cost addition to your fundraising toolkit.
On the dark side, the question arises “Are these panelists fundamentally different than other panelists, and if so, how are they different?” I can easily see the potential for attitudinal differences, and possibly demographic and behavioral differences as well. This would impact our ability to generalize our survey analysis to a broader population. Research on research will need to be conducted to assess the size and impact, if any, of these differences.
If you are a cause, or a marketer that appeals to cause-interested consumers then Research For Good maybe a viable source of survey completions for you. Whenever you are considering a new panel source, remember to test it and compare the data to that from other sources.
For more information visit Research for Good's website