London's Air Ambulance Charity
A donor diversity research study to help London's Air Ambulance Charity reach new communities across the city.
When London Doesn't Know It Needs You.
London's Air Ambulance Charity needed to diversify its donor base and reach new communities across London. With a goal of raising £15 million to replenish its helicopter fleet, the charity needed to understand who was giving, who was not, and why, particularly among communities historically underrepresented in its donor base.
We were commissioned to conduct primary audience research across London's diverse communities: mapping giving behaviours, motivations, barriers, and perceptions of LAAC as a cause.
Two Rooms. Nineteen Voices.
We ran two 90-minute focus groups with 19 participants drawn from London's diverse ethnic and cultural communities: Caribbean, South Asian, African, Irish, Mixed heritage, and others. Participants were selected to reflect communities identified as high-potential but underrepresented in LAAC's existing donor base.
Research covered identity and community, giving behaviour, media consumption, charity awareness, perceptions of LAAC, and strategic recommendations.
Inside the Focus Groups.
Drawn from Caribbean, South Asian, African, Irish and Mixed heritage communities
Participants from diverse backgrounds across London
Exploring identity, giving behaviour, media consumption, and perceptions of LAAC
What people actually told us.
“Sometimes I could be watching a programme and at the end of the programme, a charity that supports the issues that were discussed features..it connects with me more because I was invested in the programme”
“An essential service should not be sustained by "voluntary" donations. They ought to be amalgamated into the NHS.”
“They need to educate people on the cases they treat, as people might think ‘oh they only sort major accidents and rock climbing, it wouldn’t affect me I wouldn’t use it’ ...but it was surprising to me they help cardiac cases, well that could be anyone!”
WHAT THE DATA TOLD US.
HOW DONORS FIRST DISCOVER CHARITIES
PRIORITY CAUSES OUR FOCUS GROUP WOULD SUPPORT
ANNUAL GIVING AMOUNTS
Source: Friday qualitative research with 19 London participants across two focus groups.
LAAC IMPACT.
Critically injured patients treated in London in 2020
Stabbings and shootings
Road traffic collisions
Falls from height
No single community is exempt. London's Air Ambulance serves everyone.
Four Findings That Shaped the Strategy.
LAAC Was a Secret.
Awareness that London's Air Ambulance was a charity was low across all groups. Most participants assumed it was government-funded or part of the NHS. The shock of discovering it wasn't was immediate and significant.
The Vital Service Objection.
Almost half the sample felt a service this essential should be state-funded, not dependent on voluntary donations. This wasn't a barrier to giving: it was a political position that communications needed to address directly.
Personal Connection Drives Giving.
Giving decisions were rooted in personal experience. Participants who had a connection to emergency services, or who could imagine needing one, responded immediately to the cause. Those who couldn't were harder to reach.
Faith and Community as a Channel.
Faith-based organisations and community hubs were identified as trusted, under-used routes to new donor communities. Participants noted that LAAC's universal service made it suitable for faith-based promotion across all traditions.
A Five-Pillar Audience Strategy.
Educate and Resonate
Long-form and documentary-style content to build understanding.
Hyper Local
Borough-level campaigns that connect LAAC to communities by area.
Visibility and Partnerships
Faith institutions, SMEs, and authentic community influencers.
Answer the Objection
Transparent communications addressing why LAAC is not state-funded.
Talk Targets
Regular updates on impact, missions completed, and fundraising progress.
We build the intelligence before we build the campaign.
The research gave London's Air Ambulance Charity a clear audience strategy: who to reach, through which channels, with what message, and how to address the objections standing between diverse London communities and the cause.
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