Call for proposals
CARE International UK is part of a global movement working to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice, with a particular focus on defending women's and girls' rights and advancing gender equality. As we enter a new strategic period, we are developing our first integrated audience strategy to strengthen public engagement, increase voluntary income, build our brand and grow support for our advocacy work. To help us achieve this, we are seeking an experienced research and insight partner to undertake audience research and develop an audience segmentation framework that will guide organisational decision-making for years to come.
The opportunity
We are looking for a consultancy or agency with a strong track record in audience insight, segmentation, charity fundraising and behaviour change research. The successful partner will help us answer some fundamental questions:
- Who are the audiences most likely to support CARE now and in the future?
- What motivates them, concerns them and inspires them to act?
- How should CARE position itself in a changing social, political and fundraising environment?
- Which audiences should we prioritise to maximise impact and income growth?
- How can we create a practical framework that supports decision-making across fundraising, communications and influencing?
Scope of work
Our budget is £22k. Subject to budget, the scope of work could include:
- A recommended process for developing the strategy, reflective of the specific needs of CIUK
- Qualitative and quantitative research to gather insight into current and prospective audiences for driving donations and campaigning including, their motivations, behaviours, barriers, and expectations, and the size of audience available to CARE
- Development of a segmentation model appropriate to CARE’s needs and ambitions, and identification of priority audiences based on value, needs, and potential
- Sensemaking of the external context – enabling us to understand our operating environment better, what people think about the issues we work on and how we should position ourselves
- Actionable insights that shape planning, investment, messaging, channel strategy, and content
- A practical framework we can use internally to guide future decisions
What we’re looking for
We welcome proposals from agencies, consultancies and specialist researchers who can demonstrate:
- Significant experience delivering audience research and segmentation projects.
- Expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
- Experience working with charities, non-profits or purpose-led organisations.
- Strong understanding of supporter behaviour, fundraising and public engagement.
- Ability to translate complex insight into clear strategic recommendations.
- Experience creating practical, user-friendly segmentation models that organisations can implement successfully.
- A collaborative approach that enables stakeholder engagement and organisational buy-in.
Timeline
- Tendering - August 2026
- Kick off and SOW agreed - Sept 2026
- Research begins - Sept 2026
- Findings from research and recommendations provided - Oct 2026
- Refining and testing comms, messaging, products and positioning – Nov 2026
How to apply
Please submit a proposal outlining your approach, relevant experience and costs to Avril Wilson-George, wilsongeorge@careinternational.org by 1st September 2026. Please include:
- Relevant experience and case studies
- Proposed methodology and approach
- Budget and fee structure (this may include recommendations for work beyond current budget envelope)
- Examples of comparable work
Please note, submission of a proposal does not commit CARE International UK to procure any services.