The engagement gap is real. Here’s how to close it.

Four million fewer people donated to UK charities between 2019 and 2024. The gap between what supporters want and what organisations deliver is widening, and today’s conference was built around closing it.

We’ve spent months researching why this is happening and what organisations can do about it. In the coference, Lou Barton explored the four foundational supporter needs that earn genuine engagement, and we brought that research to life through our work with Animals Asia – showing what it looks like in practice to tackle the tech and data gap and build a more ambitious supporter engagement strategy.

The result is our “Mind the Engagement Gap” report, packed with insights and actionable strategies gathered from supporters and peers across the sector.

Get your free copy here. 

Want to model the financial case for Martech investment?

You may also have heard Lou introduce the Opportunity Calculator — a tool we built to shift the conversation from “budget cost” to “revenue gain.” It models the tangible financial impact of data and technology investment, giving you a data-backed picture of potential savings and revenue gains to take to your Board. If it sounds like something your organisation could use, get in touch and we’ll walk you through it: hello@manifesto.co.uk

Manifesto partners with charities and nonprofits to improve supporter engagement and deliver lasting impact. We bring together human-centred design, data, technology and new ways of working to help purpose-led organisations grow with confidence and adapt with resilience.