Maintaining and further developing the sponsorship base of

Operation Stitches





By Jessica Eastick (212195211), Madeline Saporito (212195383), Christopher Young (211265325) & Julia Healey
(210653616)




















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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Methodology ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Audit Diary .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Results of the Audit Process: ........................................................................................................................ 8
Reviewing existing internal statistical material: ..................................................................................................................... 8
Online Media Analysis: ............................................................................................................................................................ 8
Survey results ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Volunteer interviews ............................................................................................................................................................. 11
Ex-volunteer interviews ........................................................................................................................................................ 12
Competitor analysis .............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Conclusion and Recommendations: ........................................................................................................... 13
Update existing Facebook and YouTube Pages. ................................................................................................................... 13
Creating Facebook Group Pages: .......................................................................................................................................... 13
Approaching local businesses in Richmond. ......................................................................................................................... 13
Appendix: .................................................................................................................................................. 14
Interview Notes with Royden Dsouza ................................................................................................................................... 14
Survey Monkey Survey .......................................................................................................................................................... 15
References: ............................................................................................................................................... 17
Compulsory Group Sheets ................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.





















3
Executive Summary

In this communications audit, we will look at the level of communication with the childrens charity organisation
Operation Stitches. By looking through results of a survey of 30 people, we can extract a common understanding of
peoples thoughts of donating time and money towards charity. Furthermore, interviews with officials from Operation
Stitches and a small focus group highlighted some key issues within the organisation. These issues, explored through
problem solving methodology, have resulted in findings that are supported and explored in the following
recommendations that we have identified to greater strengthen the organisations communications and potential plans
for future donations and/or sponsors.
























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Introduction
The following report documents a communications audit on the non-for-profit organisation, Operation Stitches.
Operation Stitches is a free service that aims to support children living in low socio-economic environments by teaching
them valuable life skills and helping them make positive life choices. The organisation has been bringing hope to kids in
the inner-city area of Melbourne since 1996 and is based in a warehouse in Richmond. Stitches (as it is more commonly
known) strives to prevent young people in following the influences of their surroundings by facilitating tutoring,
mentoring programs, workshops and community activities. Approximately 100 volunteers contribute regularly to
Stitches in the form of maintenance, preparation support, food distribution, tutors and mentoring, fundraising,
promotions etc. These are all volunteer positions. There are currently four methods in which the community can donate
financially to Stitches. These are random cash donations, corporate partners, in-kind donations and corporate grants.

Meeting ongoing running costs (such as the lease of the warehouse, program facilities, utilities etc.) is a continuous
concern for Stitches. Stitches needs donations in order to purchase new equipment and conduct maintenance of existing
facilities to ensure the utmost safety and relevance. To reach these demands (assisting approximately 180 children per
week), Stitches relies on constant monetary donations and grants.

Stitches mainly communicates to their sponsors via email but this communication is not regular. In addition, Stitches
currently engages with sponsors through a hardcopy update newsletter that is distributed quarterly for partners and
anyone who has donated financially to the organisation in the last twelve months. A donation slip is attached to this
newsletter however the response rate to this method of communication fluctuates and is not a reliable tactic for
monetary donations. In terms of social media, Operation Stitches currently has an active Facebook page and YouTube
account, but these platforms are not regularly monitored or updated by one particular person.

The purpose of this audit revolves around the urgency for continuous donations and sponsorship to Stitches. Although
the value of time and effort of volunteers is acknowledged and integral to the success of the organisation, this audit will
specifically investigate the communication effectiveness between financial donators and the organisation.
















5
Methodology

This research project involved the following data collection methods; a random online survey of donation motivation,
focus groups with current donators, interviews with past donators, interviews with funding marketers and
YouTube/Facebook/Online observations. Due to our use of functionalist and interpretivist paradigms, our data collection
methods gathered qualitative and quantitative data as both forms were seen to be imperative to the research question.
Theoretical models involved in this research were constructionism and objectivism.

Research Questions
A) Are the current sponsors and donators of Operation Stitches satisfied with the organisations communication
services?
B) What communication methods are attractive for maintaining and developing sponsors and donators?

Operationalisation
To obtain focus group participants, current Operation Stitches volunteers were contacted in order to create discussions
via open-ended questioning. Due to the recent high turnaround of volunteers, the group consisted of predominantly
new tutors. In relation to the online survey, we approached a random online audience with a particular youth focus due
to the organisations predominant young demographic. Also, this target audience was approached as the charity had
recently surveyed and interviewed corporate organisations in order to ascertain their sponsorship behaviours, enabling
use of this information in attempt to save time, cost and effort. Selected previous donators were also approached for
interview; these subjects were chosen due to their recent removal from Operation Stitches.

Methodological Triangulation
In order to achieve methodological triangulation, our research gathered qualitative and quantitative data from surveys,
focus groups, interviews and data observational collection. We collected the latter from online YouTube videos and
other social media platforms that Operation Stitches uses to communicated to target publics. We approached this in
relation to our covering law, Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Open ended questions would also be mixed within the close
ended questions of the questionnaire to achieve further methodological triangulation.

The study aimed for a sample size of 100 local participants. All units of analysis must:
Be above the age of 16. Focusing on those aged between 18-30 years.
Be an Australian citizen.

And in every data collection method other than the online survey:
Have previously or are currently assisting Operation Stitches.

The proposed study would use the group (specifics listed above) as the unit of analysis.

Ethics
The ethical issues for this research include:
Conflict of Interest: Jessica Eastick and Madeline Saporito have been offered communications roles at Operation
Stitches.
Confidentiality: The information that Operations Stitches and their volunteers have shared with us must be kept
confidential. This is due to a possible information leak leading to financial losses and furthermore reputation
damage.

Therefore precautions to protect research subjects included:
All individuals were debriefed post participation.
Subjects shall be protected via confidentiality as pseudonyms shall be used and their personal information kept
private.
Participants were able to leave the research program or refrain from commenting without penalty.
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It will be declared and presented that the information gathered from this research would not be used for
personal gain but for research and study purposes.


Limitations
Due to confidentiality agreements, the research project was unable to approach major sponsors who gave grants to
Operation Stitches. Due to these grant donations being a publically known act from well-known organisations, we were
however able to research these matters online and collect some forms of qualitative and quantitative data.

Furthermore, due to time constraints we were unable to approach a sizeable sample size for our survey data collection
method. Due to this, we conducted further interviews to collect more elaborate and manipulable data.

Covering Law
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Simons, J Irwin, D Drinnien, B 1987 p.1-2) was used as our researchs covering law as it
could be used when assessing both qualitative and quantitative data. For instance, it was used to determine how to
make it in the personal interest of individuals/organisations to donate, whilst ascertaining how important their donation
is to their needs, and how this effects their personal attitudes and beliefs. This was all considered in an attempt to
prompt PR solutions that could accommodate and promote the organisation accordingly. Obviously, the donators and
sponsors all come from different avenues and will therefore be on different levels of the hierarchy. This was considered
during the research process.

Comparative Industry Example
For an industry comparative, the Reach Organisation was chosen to demonstrate the current standard of not-for-profit
organisations and the competitive sponsorship market. Also chosen for their increasing popularity, comparisons made
between Reach and Operation Stitches were also made in order to demonstrate how urgently they might need to
change communications management. The following research considered and compared the way in which both
organisations publically communicate with sponsors and donators.














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Audit Diary

AUDIT DIARY
Date Progress
1/8 Group finalised in ALR279 tutorial (Including Facebook group and submission onto Cloud Deakin)
5/8 Attempted to contact student, Mutiasari Handaling who had added themselves to the group has since
switched to another group.
8/8 Group discussion in ALR279 tutorial
Chose organisation Operation Stitches (not-for-profit Melbourne based charity)
Brainstormed potential data collection methods for audit (one-on-one interviews for administrative
personal, focus group for volunteer tutors/mentors to be held at the organisation by Madeleine and
Jessica Eastick (current volunteers of organisation))
14/8 Operation Stitches was contacted via email with attached letter from Deakin University
Permission granted for audit by project manager of organisation, Chris Templeton
A meeting was organised between ALR279 students for 21/8 at 5pm at Operation Stitches offices in
Richmond.
15/8 Group meeting at 11am in Deakin University Library.
The audit was divided up evenly to each group member.
Decided on angle and therefore title of the audit - Maintaining and further developing the sponsorship
base of Operation Stitches
Potential methodologies were discussed Maslows hierarchy of needs
Assignment timeframe was devised and agreed on by group.
16/8 Chris Young created a live survey on Survey Monkey.
Survey distributed publically on the Facebook wall of each group member
Created to collect quantitative data of charity donation trends and patterns in the general public.
18/8 Jessica Eastick sent Isabella Bellomo (former sponsor of Operation Stitches) interview questions via
private messaging on Facebook to gain knowledge on potential reasons why sponsors stop donating
time and money to the organisation.
21/8 Madeleine, Jessica and Julia attended a meeting at Stitches Office in Richmond from 5pm-6pm.
Interview with Royden Dsouza (Finance and administration manager of Stitches)
Topics discussed included; Stitches current donation situation, methods of donations, past and current
sponsors, vision for the future regarding communication between monetary donators and the
organisation.
26/8 Group meeting at Deakin Library (11am).
Madeline and Jessica discussed results of interview with Royden Dsouza and small focus group of
volunteer tutors that was conducted 21/8.
As a group, recommendations and findings were drawn from the data.
30/8-31/8 All group members submitting assigned workload to collate information into one single document.
5/9 Group meeting at Deakin Library (1pm).
As a group, edited the entire audit and fine-tuned expression, arguments and consistency in referencing
and tense of the report.
Clarified areas of the report that wasnt agreed upon by the entire group
Added one final recommendation to enhance communications audit.
Identified particular images and documents to be submitted in the appendices of the communications
audit.
9/9 Madeleine Saporito and Jessica Eastick conduct one final proof-read of the audit, adjusting simple
spelling, syntax and grammar errors. Received consent by Julia and Chris to submit communications
audit to the Cloud Deakin database.
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Results of the Audit Process:

This audit has carried out a diverse range of research; primary and secondary quantitative/ qualitative research has been
conducted to help expose the key trends of Operation Stitches message quality, message delivery, relationship quality
and audience communication.
Reviewing existing internal statistical material:
Assessment of such material showed that grants were (significantly) the greatest source of monetary donation for the
charity (Client refused to disclose figures- as they are highly confidential).

Main Forms of Donation:
- Grants
- Cash
- Direct debit instalments
- Corporate partner
- In-kind donations
- Volunteers (chefs, tutors, administration staff)
Internal Channels of Communication:
- Emails
- Newsletters
- Face-to-face
External channels of communication:
- Newsletter- (Quarterly mail out)
- Website
- Thank you letters
- Seek volunteer
- Facebook
- Youtube
- Email

Online Media Analysis:
Google
Total hits: 21
Unique hits: 16
Top rating categories:
- Operation Stitches Official media channels (Website, Facebook, Youtube, Seek & White Pages)- x9 listings
- Local community directory- x4 listings
- Not for-profit organisation Directory - x3 listings


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YouTube
Views: 1000
Likes: 8
Comments: 2

Facebook
Joined Facebook: 2012
Talking about OS: 10
Likes: 302
Posting Frequency:

Website
- Outdated Web-
design
- Doesnt share
any business
material
- Social media
sits with
working with
children
certification




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4
3
5
Google Listings Break-down
Official listings
Local Directories
Charity Directories
other
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Survey results
In total 101 online surveys were taken over 14 day period.
Limitations: distributed via the group members personal Facebook accounts. Although we do not have overlapping
friendship groups, we are all students in our early 20s and it is likely many of our Facebook friends who conducted the
questionnaire come from a similar demographic.

Key Findings:

65% said word of mouth promotion would motivate
donation
32% said they would need to know the organisation
had a web presence before the would donate

65% said they donate regularly to charity
42% said that they would donate under $20
35% said they would donate under $50






0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Facebook Activity
Number of posts
11
80%
20%
Communication Satisfaction
Negative experience
No Negative expereince
Extended Comment Example
I prefer charities that are interactive (like kiva.org) where you can choose where your money goes and who it
helps, and that way I can donate and loan to issues important to me, like women's education.
- Survey respondent
I dont like people who try to stop me in the street to sign up to a charity.
- Survey respondent
People shouldn't feel forced to donate - they should want to
- Survey respondent

I need to have sufficient knowledge that the charity I am donating my time and/or money towards is
legitimate and will display transparency and accountability.
- Survey respondent
Donating to a charity I feel is important, however I am less likely to donate if I am hassled by representatives. I
am more likely to donate to a non corporate charity and if there is a charity day such as the Good Friday
appeal.
- Survey respondent

Volunteer interviews
Nonprobability sample Interviews were
conducted with 10 current volunteer
tutors. Participants were asked about
the communications between
themselves and Operation Stiches.
Eighty percent of those interviewed
indicated that that they have had at
least one negative/ dissatisfactory
experience with OS current
communication processes- most
commonly this occurred when needing
to communicate messages that require
immediate attention.

Sample Response Example:
Ive found that there is no easy way to communicate with the organisation which is extremely stressful if ever Im
running late or am unable to come in at short notice
- S. Smith
Its extremely hard to get someone to swap shifts with you or let Chris know when something has come up and I cant
come in. There is just no way of making sure your message is read which sometimes causes problems.
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- D. Smith
I think the communication most of the time is fine, its only when there are problems that things get difficult.
- A. Smith
Key Problems found:
- There isnt always staff there to read your emails
- Staff being present doesnt guarantee that emails are read at the relevant time
- Emails have limited reach because they are only open to allocated recipients
One hundred percent of interviewees agreed that there is room for improvement and that there would be mutual
benefit in Operation Stitches improving its current communications process by engaging in more interactive, open
communications channels such as; a employee only Operation Stitches Facebook group.
One hundred percent of the sample group has an existing Facebook page and would be open to joining and interacting
in an OS employees only Facebook group.

Ex-volunteer interviews
A sample of five ex-volunteer tutors was also questioned about the communication between themselves and Operation
Stitches during their time at the organisation. Ex-tutors were asked if the communication process ever directly or
indirectly affected them negatively. One hundred percent of the sample could describe at lest one instance of this, 3
recalled multiple instances.
Ex-volunteers were also asked if this contributed to their turnover- 100% of the sample answered no.
Competitor analysis
Competitor: Reach Foundation
Online Media:
Facebook:
Joined Facebook: 2009
Likes: 24,290
Talking about Reach: 289

Twitter
Followers: 1756
Tweets:1854

YouTube
13 video about Reach Foundation
5 videos made by Reach

Website
- Sleek modern design
- Share Annual Reports
- Well organised- all social media sits together down one line of the page
- Emphasis on GIVE NOW

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Reach foundations also uses Flickr, Instagram and Pinterest.
Conclusion and Recommendations:
Update existing Facebook and YouTube Pages.

The findings show that the online presence of Operation Stitches is inconsistent. It would be appropriate for the
organisation to update their Facebook and YouTube pages more regularly. It will not only ensure that more information
about the organisation is out there for external communication purposes but also it will match the standards of similar
organisations. Noor Al-Dean et. Al (2011) spoke of Emory University using a Facebook and Twitter profile to persuade
students to donate to the university. This eventually gained a rise in 157% rise in donations.

Currently Operation Stitches social media platforms (YouTube and Facebook) are updated irregularly, if they were to be
updated on a weekly basis, they would attract more attention due to a possible increase in interactivity. Given the
nature of the organisation, it is advisable that communication using social media is limited to weekly activity to prevent
disengagement of Stitches followers.

Stemming from the idea of increased posting, it will in turn also increase awareness for the organisation. This creates a
higher chance of posts/links being shared, therefore widening the awareness of the organisation and potentially gaining
more sponsorship/ donations.

Creating Facebook Group Pages:

From looking at the findings, we can see the lack of communication between the tutors and the organisation. For
example, the focus group presented the idea that there is not effective communication method in order to contact the
organisation or other tutors when simple issues arise. At this point the only contact is via email, yet the current email
account is not checked regularly by Operation Stitches. Furthermore, tutors are not privy to the contact information of
other volunteers. Due to this, the implementation of a Facebook page would mean that if a tutor were to be late it
would be more than likely that other tutors will see the post.

Watson (2012) states that due to the commonality of smartphones, the connectivity with social media and consumers is
constant therefore, it is likely (because of the demographic of volunteers) that tutors will be instantly notified whenever
something is posted in the group page.

Finally in regards to the Facebook page, it would be advisable for the organisation to have different Facebook groups for
the different programs that Operation Stitches provides. For instance, information for the Wednesday night session
might not apply for the Saturday session therefore to eliminate noise between the message and the consumer, only
relevant information will be distributed to particular target audiences.

Approaching local businesses in Richmond.

Due to the fact that grants shall fluctuate on a yearly basis, Operation Stitches should create a stronger public relations
campaign to reach out to small businesses and corporate organisations in the Richmond area for sponsorship. This
would create a more sustainable income for the organisation, rather than focusing on donations and grants. Local
sporting clubs would also be a good place to look for sponsorship as many students involved at Stitches are members of
local sporting clubs.

To achieve this, Operation Stitches and other businesses could work together to create a campaign to benefit both
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parties. For example, Feed Melbourne worked with Melbournes top chefs to create a successful pop-up soup kitchen
and all proceeds went to the charity. Not only did this raise donations for the charity but it also raises the image of the
chefs involved.
Appendix:
Interview Notes with Royden Dsouza
100+ volunteers contributing at Stitches on a regular basis
180 students are registered to attend Stitches on a weekly basis.
New website currently being developed to be released within the next couple of weeks
There are different forms of donations
o Cash donations (whether this be one off or on a monthly basis) donations fluctuate year to year
o Corporate partners
o In kind donations (whether it be food, toys, stationary, laptops, printers etc.
o Volunteers
o Monetary grants from corporates (must meet the criteria not personal connection)
Update newsletter distributed quarterly to all people who have donated financially
Fluctuation of donations
o In 2011 there were more donations than what there were in 2012
o In 2011, 26% of money donated was from grants, in 2012, this number spiked to 75%
Partners
o Salvation Army (donates 1,000 Christmas gifts to children and their families)
o St George Foundation, ANZ Foundation, Bankwest, Australian Unity, Scanlon Foundation, Tobin Brothers
Funerals, Street Smart (food donation), The Bank of Melbourne
New structure
o Move to more electronic based communication email, social networks and website
o Active in going toward a stronger donation pool from the corporates
o Updating website is first port of call
o Strategy that sets Operation Stitches apart is that they aim to get to the point quickly and effectively in
terms of getting people to donate.
Current communication between sponsors and Stitches
o Hardcopy update newsletter is distributed quarterly for partners and anyone who has donated
financially to the organisation with a donation slip attached response fluctuates
o A thankyou letter is distributed to all donators
o Email communication when necessary however not consistent
o The Operation Stitches Facebook page is more or less run by Chris and is aimed more towards the
public and what the organisation does rather than a donation channel
How to find volunteers
o Stitches currently have enough volunteer tutors to satisfy the current programs enforced.
o Advertise on the website and on SEEK.com
o Currently have a shortage of cooks for the Wednesday night dinner session of tutoring
Communication between volunteer tutors and the organisation
o Annual awards night to thank tutors for their contribution to the organisation
o Emails distributed by Chris as either an update or if a concern must be addressed
o Have so many tutors that there is no current strategy to keep tutors coming back to the organisation
Is privacy and confidentiality an issue when communicating with target market?
o Only issue is photographs of children published but all children and parents sign a permission slip before
commencing at Stitches which allows the organisation to use photos of students for marketing
purposes.

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Survey Monkey Survey

1. What is your age bracket?
What is your age bracket? 13 and under
14-19
20-30
31-40
50+

2. How involved are you with charitable organisations?
How involved are you with charitable organisations? Not very
Somewhat
Highly
Very Highly

3. How much exposure to a charity organisation do you need to want to donate, time/money?
How much exposure to a charity organisation do you need to want to donate, time/money? Word of Mouth
Local Paper
Internet
National Tv
World Tragedy

4. Would you donate regularly to a charity?
Would you donate regularly to a charity? Yes
No

5. Do you already donate to charity?
Do you already donate to charity? Yes
No

6. How much money would you donate to a charity?
How much money would you donate to a charity? Under 5 dollars
Under 20 dollars
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Under 50 dollars
Under 100 dollars
More.

7. How much time would you donate to a charity?
How much time would you donate to a charity? None
A Little every so often
Regularly
Weekly

8. Does a charity need to be popular for you to want to donate to them?
Does a charity need to be popular to want to donate to them? Yes
Somewhat
Not really

9. Please provide any other information on your personal views towards charity




























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References:


Dsouza, R 2013 recorded Interview (By Jessica Eastick on 21/8/13)

Noor Al-Deen, Hana S. Hendricks, John Allen, 2011, Social media: Usage and Impact, Lexington Books, Maryland, United
Kingdom pp.121

Operation Stitches 2013, Operation Stitches About, retrieved 15/8/13 at http://www.stitches.org.au/

Simons, J Irwin, D Drinnien, B 1987, Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, Psychology The Search for Understanding, West
Publishing Company, New York

Watson, T 2012, Share this, John Wiley and Sons, Sussex, United Kingdom, pp.7

Unknown, 2013, Soup to help food charities, Southbank Local News, retrieved 26/8/13 at
http://www.southbanklocalnews.com.au/editions/article/soup-to-help-food-charities_1815/