Using data to transform support for mental health and wellbeing

Black Dog Institute has been a global leader in mental health research since 2002, expanding its remit from treating and researching mood disorders to encompass the entire scope of mental health from childhood to adulthood. As rates of mental ill-health have increased in the general population, there is a continued need to research better prevention and treatment options to support people and their families. This has emphasised the need for nurturing new and existing donors to ensure that funding is available.

For Katy Mackay, Head of Fundraising and Supporter Engagement at Black Dog Institute, the use of data has had a significant impact on their fundraising engagement strategy.

An example of the benefits of the use of SAS can be found in using data-driven insights to identify strongholds of donor support such as in regional centres in the states of New South Wales and Victoria. In Black Dog Institute’s ‘One Foot Forward’ fundraising campaign in 2023, these communities in New South Wales and Victoria contributed AUD $1m and AUD $500,000 respectively. In 2024, through enhanced engagement with donors, those figures rose to AUD $1.1m and AUD $680,000, representing growth of 10 per cent and 36 per cent respectively.

“We discovered that our campaign resonated in different demographic areas than where we had previously focused our advertising spend. Using these insights, we refined our strategy for the following year, optimising our efforts to reach more people passionate about supporting mental health research,” said Mackay.

The World Health Organization has predicted that by 2030, depression would be the single largest case of disease burden in the world. The demand and need for support for people grappling with these mental health challenges can be seen in Black Dog Institute’s growing reach, with an average of 1.8m+ visitors to their website each year, 70,000 pdf resources downloaded and over 50,000 visitors to the their Online Clinic. The sheer weight of numbers of people downloading resources on Black Dog Institute’s website shows that there is an engaged, inquisitive audience, as well as untapped opportunities to further enhance how they serve this community.

Working with SAS since 2012, Black Dog Institute have a long and successful partnership founded on the potential for data and technology to reach more people in the community in support of improving mental health outcomes.

As a result of their donor community being better informed about how and where their fundraising dollars are being spent and the impact that data has in unlocking better mental health community outcomes, Black Dog Institute sees significant potential to further explore new technologies and approaches.

The benefits of the partnership are not stopping there. With Black Dog Institute about to embark on a new five-year strategic plan, effectively leveraging data and technology to refine and optimise how marketing and advertising spend is used will play an important role in their success. These refinements all come back to the organisation’s overarching mission to create a mentally healthier world for everyone.