Trussell Trust awards data insight task to REaD Group

Food bank charity the Trussell Trust has handed a major brief to data and insight company REaD Group to support its donor and volunteer engagement – as well as fundraising activity – following a surge in requests for help triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Founded in 1997, the Trussell Trust works to end the need for food banks in the UK and supports a network of more than 1,300 food bank centres to provide emergency food and compassionate, practical support to people in crisis.

Its ultimate aim is to fight for long-term change to the structural issues that lock people into poverty.

In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children – and during the Covid-19 pandemic, food banks in the Trussell Trust network saw an unprecedented increase in need. Between April and September, food banks in its network provided nearly 1.3 million emergency food parcels to people in crisis; 470,854 to children.

Overall, this represented a 47% increase in need during the crisis compared to a 23% increase seen the year before.
As a result, the charity is keen to boost its fundraising activity, as well as build a comprehensive understanding of its supporter and volunteer data to unlock its full value.

REaD Group is providing a number of services to the Trussell Trust to help it achieve these objectives, including an ongoing data quality service designed to ensure all supporter and volunteer data is as accurate and up-to-date as possible.

Meanwhile, by applying REaD Group data insights, the charity hopes to be able to better understand its supporters, and the development of a “one supporter view” will enable it to understand and communicate more effectively and responsibly with supporters and volunteers.

A Trussell Trust spokesperson said: “Thanks to our work with REaD Group, we have been able to understand much better our supporters and remain agile to a fast-changing situation. It has also helped us to ensure that our marketing campaigns generate awareness of the work of food banks, highlight brand value and attract new supporters. This will be vital as we work in the long term to build a hunger free future.”

REaD Group chief executive Jon Cano-Lopez added: “We are proud to be a ‘helping hand’ and partner in helping to drive the future growth of the charity. Central to our ability to support the Trussell Trust’s requirements is our belief that everyone, regardless of whether they are a supporter or prospect, should be viewed and communicated with as an individual.

“Only through understanding these individuals is it possible to truly engage with them in a way that drives a desired outcome.”