A cuppa with: Sally Wintle, Research, Data and Insights Manager
- Kay Harrison
- Aug 21
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 28
I sat down with Sally, our new Research, Data and Insights Manager, for a cup of tea and some quick-fire questions about what makes the supporter experience so special to her – and what she’s hoping to discover by diving into our database of charity insights…
Could you tell us a little bit about what led you to the charity sector?
I always had a sense that I wanted to work in the charity sector - initially in a very non-specific way - but I knew I wanted to spend my time with people trying to make the world a better place. I never had much interest in the for-profit sector.
It took a little while to get into the sector, but after moving from London to Swindon, I got a job in a local hospice fundraising team - many years ago, before supporter experience was even a concept!
After some time at the hospice, I moved over to the National Trust. I’ve worked across volunteering, membership, youth, and community roles, but insight work was always my favourite. I loved using my curiosity and skills with data and people to support the organisation.
Now, I get to do that for a variety of organisations through my role at About Loyalty. I told Richard and Roger in my interview that I’d been described as “curious,” and they seemed to think it was a good thing - which was reassuring!
What does a truly excellent supporter experience feel like to you?
It’s that feeling of being on the same page, being here for the same things. It’s about knowing you’ve made the right decision to support a cause, have the same values in common, and want to achieve the same things.
There can be so many charities working towards the same cause, but not all of them are going to make you feel as passionate about it as others. How they communicate, their brand, the things they send you - it all matters. When it resonates, it feels like you’re speaking the same language. They’re the ones that I trust, and they make me feel good about being part of their mission.
Just like your interview - being on the same wavelength. If a charity were a person, you'd want to have that same rapport, wouldn't you?
Exactly. It’s a relationship. You feel understood. They know why you’re giving. It’s like, “We’ve found each other, and we can do good things together.” There’s an art to it - making people feel seen, even at scale for some of the big charities.
"It’s about knowing you’ve made the right decision to support a cause, have the same values in common, and want to achieve the same things."
I’d love to hear about the difference you’ve seen with working at a local hospice and at the National Trust. What did those experiences feel like?
At the hospice, our donors were often known individually. We knew people who were really passionate about what we did and had chosen to do their own fundraising for us – they would decorate their houses with masses of lights for Christmas and raise a load of money and send it in. If the supporter called up, you would know exactly what their relationship was with you, or why they chose to give. We could talk to people as individuals and understand why they were giving.
Working for somewhere like a hospice, there was so much emotion involved in people's reasons for giving - they weren't necessarily always easy conversations to have with people, but there was always a sense of emotional connection and support. It always amazed me, the passion that people had for what we were trying to do, which was such a valuable and precious thing.
At the National Trust, with millions of members, you were thinking of people within segments or groups, trying to understand them through data rather than a one-to-one relationship. With so many different relationships on offer, it could be quite difficult to understand the supporter’s relationship with you and the place that you hold in their heart, versus what each individual team might understand that relationship to be. Having said that, the real place for connection and understanding came at the properties – the regular visitors who were known to the people who worked or volunteered there. And that real-life experience is where real magic happened!
Do you have an example of an excellent supporter experience - either your own or someone else’s?
Yes! A friend recently joined the RSPB, and she feels like she’s had a brilliant welcome experience. It feels like they've really thought through how to talk to their new supporters. Although becoming a member means you do get some transactional benefits, they really put their cause and the difference you're making front and centre.
They also sent a new supporter survey to learn more about their members, and even invited them to a “new members” webinar to hear directly from the organisation.
It might not be for everyone, but if you are the kind of person that wants to find out more and hear directly from the organisation then that point of connection feels really nice.
On the flip side, do you have an example where the supporter experience didn’t meet expectations?
Unfortunately, yes. I donated a couple of bags of clothes to a charity shop a few months ago – it happened to be the nearest one! I signed their Gift Aid forms to increase the value of my donation, but I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t be able to articulate what the charity does.
I must have ticked the box to say it was OK to contact me, but I probably didn't read the long list of terms and conditions. The next I remember hearing from them was a letter on my doorstep as part of a big annual appeal. I received a long, wordy letter with a pin badge asking me to donate and wear it to show support.
It felt presumptuous. I didn’t even know what the charity did, and the badge felt like a request to adopt their identity without any real relationship. It just felt like they hadn’t taken the time to understand me. It put me off wanting to give again because it felt like such a mismatch.
If they’d taken the time to get to know me, maybe there would’ve been a better way to engage so I felt more supportive. I’ll probably still donate clothes, but I’m not ready to take further steps with them!
As Research, Data and Insights Manager, you’ll be getting stuck into the types of insights that will help charities to avoid these sorts of situations. What do you hope to find?
It’s early days, but I’ve already seen how different each organisation is. What I really like about The Chase Index is how clear it is for charities to see where their strengths and weaknesses are compared to other charities. It's amazing to be able to compare your charity against fifty other charities or so, backed up by years of research and hundreds of thousands of supporters.
I’m excited to dig into the free text data - I'm really interested in people's values and motivations, so I'd love to see if there are things within that data that can really illuminate and bring more value to our understanding of what loyalty and supporter experience means to people.
I love seeing how data interacts with the big societal themes from the world we live in, and I was promised a big dataset to play with in my interview, so I’m looking forward to doing a bit more digging and adding more value for our members!
"It's amazing to be able to compare your charity against fifty other charities or so, backed up by years of research and hundreds of thousands of supporters."
Before we wrap up, one last question - where do you feel happiest?
Can I have two answers? My weekly happy moment is singing in a community choir. Singing together gives me goosebumps – there’s just something about it. I go every week, and we sing all sorts of stuff, it’s given me a whole appreciation of different types of music. Even when I don’t feel like going, I know I’ll feel so much better afterwards.
My other happy place is on Dartmoor, which is where I grew up. I try and get back as much as I can. I love the landscapes, the sense of achievement from climbing up a tor - it feels so alive and immersed in nature. While I don’t get to do that as much as I’d like, it’s really special when I do.
And your happiest moment would be getting that choir together on Dartmoor, of course.
I can imagine that - singing in a forest with the whole crew. It would be magical.
Join Sally and the rest of the About Loyalty team at Loyalty Day 2025, a free online conference dedicated to all things supporter experience: Loyalty Day 2025 | About Loyalty
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