Tapping into corporate support to raise awareness of WAY

September 2025

From March-July 2025, the market research company Savanta supported the charity WAY Widowed and Young on a pro bono study to explore how to increase awareness and strengthen current services. Research Consultant Neve Savage explains…

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“Our research took place from March to July 2025 and involved qualitative in-depth conversations with WAY members and volunteers, as well as young widows who were not members. We then quantitatively surveyed around 500 young widows, to see whether initial findings from the interviews were validated at a wider level.

1.     WAY wanted to understand current awareness of the charity, and how this could be increased. 

• We found that around 1 in 10 young widowed people are currently aware of WAY, and the majority of these find out about the charity through word-of-mouth recommendations. To increase this awareness, we shared the importance of extending touch points to reach those in need of WAY’s support at the right places (funeral directors, registrars, other charities etc.) and right times (ideally as early as possible).

2.    WAY wanted to make sure that those who need the charity’s support can find their services, so they wanted to understand what drives membership.

• We found that more could be done to make WAY’s purpose and value clearer for those who do reach touch points, such as their website. Currently, some find it hard to understand exactly what WAY is offering them. But some small tweaks would enable those who find WAY to get a clearer view of what makes the charity so great. Some are also unaware that WAY offers support to cover their membership fee through the Memorial Fund, so more could be done to highlight this and widen access to support. 

3.     WAY also wanted to understand members’ views on their current services, and where these can be optimised.

• Positively, we found that WAY has an invaluable impact on members’ lives, creating a unique opportunity for connection and support, by putting young widowed people in touch with ‘people who just get it’. This understanding allows for deep connections to form, having a lasting impact for years after the bereavement. 46% of those we surveyed also felt that sharing experiences in a safe space is of utmost importance. This highlights how WAY’s services align with the unique needs of young widows. 

On a personal note, it was a genuine privilege to spend a few weeks having these conversations. Everyone I spoke to was so incredibly open in entrusting me with their experiences and emotions.

I’m really happy we had the chance to support WAY with this, and I’m proud of the work we put into it. I think the insights from this research have the ability to inform decisions that will help many people in years to come, and it’s been a pleasure being a small part of that!”