Giving Back: Cause-related work in the Market Research Industry

The holiday season is the time of year when many people think about giving back. In fact, an estimated one-third of all charitable giving is done during the last three months of each year. In market research, we are in a unique position to champion humanity and different social, charitable, and philanthropic causes - with many companies and foundations making a big difference. In this season of giving, we want to highlight a few of those that are “doing good” in our space. 

Respondent rewards that benefit charities

When we start to talk about doing research for the greater good, we have to profile Research for Good. This online sample company actively pursues its passion for doing good and benefitting nonprofit organizations through a unique sample model. The company incentivizes respondents by allowing individuals to get their own reward and also donating to a charitable organization with every completed survey. Research for Good has a charity partner called Action Against Hunger, which is a global organization that acts against the “causes and effects of hunger.” 

Foundations for bettering the space

Several foundations within the industry focus on social and philanthropic work, but perhaps one of the best known is the ESOMAR Foundation. This organization strives toward a fair, just, and peaceful society by bringing together resources from within the market research community. Just one of the foundation’s programs is called “Better Results,” in which they help nonprofit organizations apply research to illustrate effectiveness and measure results of their various initiatives. 

Groups working for social causes

Women In Research (WIRe) is a fast-growing global organization that champions diversity within the market research space. By providing women with mentoring programs, networking opportunities, and professional tools for success, WIRe seeks to give women a greater voice within our industry. They sponsor an annual scholarship program for women in under-served areas around the globe to help fund market research education. In addition, the organization has done some interesting research surrounding diversity and gender advancement within the industry. 

Specific cause-related research projects

Several sessions at the most recent ESOMAR Congress focused on “Making a Difference” from a global standpoint. These sessions spurred us to write this post in the first place! Kantar presented about their project with the Indian Government to digitally engage citizens for sanitation improvement; BBC Media Action talked about the work they are doing to improve digital participation in Nigerian politics and elections; UNFPA took the stage to discuss some research around gender-based violence in Mongolia, and EPINION presented some work they’ve done in the education realm with dyslexic youth.

Academic, business and community partnerships

Training the next generation of researchers and providing opportunities to nurture a passion for the future of our space is near and dear to our hearts at Infotools. Earlier this year, we released a case study about our work with the University of Auckland, which guided students in a real-life research project. An annual program, each year, the students do research for a deserving nonprofit organization in the community. In 2019, the beneficiary was the New Zealand Housing Foundation, which used the student-generated insights to shape future programming and services and better connect with its key audiences.

There is a myriad of ways that companies (and individuals) can give back to social and charitable causes. The market research industry is approaching cause-based work with a wide range of worthy initiatives and specific projects. It’s a great time of year to shine a spotlight on just a few of these fantastic programs. Happy Holidays everyone!

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