User research and design up-skilling with Vancouver Foundation

As one of BC’s cornerstone charitable institutions, Vancouver Foundation offers a wide range of giving options: donors can contribute an estate gift, a scholarship fund, choose a focus area, or even their own “advised funds.” But do donors know the difference? And what, exactly, are donors looking for? And given that, how should the Foundation undertake communication with their donors in a way that truly connects with their needs and distinct life stages?

A worthy set of questions like this warrants some intentional, empathetic exploration. Vancouver Foundation invited Co.school to be part of an embedded, collaborative process to map their donor reality, while also helping train and develop the in-house VF team in the work of persona development and user experience research. Working with the marketing communications team, with close collaboration with donor services, this unique Co.school partnership was intended to leave the Vancouver Foundation team with not just additional insight, but also additional capacity. 

Co.school partnered with Vancouver Foundation through a flexible partnership model, designed to respond to needs and insights as they emerged. At its core, we combined one-on-one coaching and mixed-methods UX research, with eyes open for opportunities to explore emerging tech solutions. 

People-first information gathering 

First, the Co.school team gathered and synthesized existing research that had already been undertaken by in-house teams at VF.  Supported by an in-depth interview guide Co.school created, we helped set up the Foundation team to run many of the interviews, gaining valuable practice in the work of UX research themselves. Together, the blended ran donor surveys and 1:1 qualitative interviews, gathering perspectives from donors themselves. Through this all,  the process helped unearth existing donor journeys, from how they first discovered VF, to what motivated them to give in the first place, to what knowledge gaps still remain, and what “donor types” emerge across the spectrum.

An early pilot project to explore AI opportunities 

What emerged was a large collection of data and perspectives that told a story of various types of donor. Typical persona development would involve choosing two or three key, stand-out “donor types” and begin to develop those in greater depth. This certainly took place, and, during the season of this project, the Foundation was curious how ethical, safeguarded AI tools could help garner even more insights, and give them experience with new tools.

Working closely with their in-house IT team, Vancouver Foundation first developed clear guidelines for ethical AI use, which ensured their donor data was secure, and their values as an organization were aligned with the tech being chosen. They explored where data was processed, data retention policies, and personally-identifying information clearance, before moving ahead with anything. Through careful, rigorous approval, this process became one of the organizations first forays into generative AI usage. 

Co.school partnered with the Vancouver Foundation team to help build capacity, train staff, and prototype AI-assisted communication tools. We partnered with our colleagues at Sense & Motion in this phase of work, bringing in domain-specific expertise to create greater understanding. The workflows that were tested helped explore what was possible (could AI personas help tailor quarterly newsletter drafts? Inform appreciation event invites?) and ultimately, helped Vancouver Foundation see a path forward that was less AI-dependent, and more donor-centric. 

Building capacity, strengthening relationships 

Through this work, Vancouver Foundation’s teams were able to grow their capabilities in user research, qualitative interviews, ethical AI use, and creative problem--solving. They also substantially improved their donor/audience understanding, mapping out key personas and journeys that would anchor their strategy and decision-making, rooted in real research artifacts. Co.school and Vancouver Foundation concluded the project with the following demonstrable takeaways and results: 

• Evidence-based behavioural personas: VF now had key donor archetypes, driven by data, providing visibility into the mindset, needs and preferences of the people making such a difference in the community, to help them better support donors.
• Increased in-house research and technology capabilities: This project concluded with VF staff having standardized interview guides, research processes, an ethical AI framework, improved comfort with AI workflows, and a better grasp of the journey mapping process in general.
• A shift to seeing the system: Through the work, the team was able to move from siloed departmental lines, to seeing the full framework and journey for how a donor moves through the process. This meant a shift to sharing language between teams, and better understanding how internal departments can work together to honour donors.