making your annual appeal appealing

A look at annual giving best practices

Making your annual appeal appealing

Amy Kaczmarek, Director of Annual Giving Programs

Dominican University

Fundraising notables:• Grassroots • Small shop • Mid-size, higher ed

Introductions

Your appeal is not about your organization.

• Purpose• Timing• Communication vehicles• Outcomes

What is an annual appeal?

Your appeal is not about your organization.

It’s about your donors.

1. Identify your audience (market)

2. Segment your lists

3. Test something – ANYTHING!

4. Strengthen Marketing Mix

5. Measure your results

5-Step Approach to Annual Appeals

Who is your audience?

Better yet, who are your audiences?

• Their relationship with you

• Demographics• Donor type

Identify your audience

• Segmenting by generations is the hot topic

• Excellent white paper: The Next Generation of American Giving

Generational Fundraising

Segment your lists

Rosary College

MaturesCls of 1930-

1967

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

BoomersCls of 1968-

1986

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Gen XCls of 1987-

2000

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Gen YCls of 2001-

2010Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Graduate Schools

Brennan School of Business

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Library & Info Science

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Education

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Social Work

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Test something – ANYTHING!

BrochureLetter

Main channels• Direct Mail• Phone / Telethon• Email• Web• Other publications

Up and coming channels• Social media• Mobile• Text to give

Strengthen Marketing Mix

Considerations / Recommendations• Timing• Length of letter (just a letter?)• Style of letter• Signatory• Packaging / envelope• Reply mechanism• Postage• Number of communications each

year• Free gift? • Above all else: Make an ask

AND make it easy to give

Marketing Mix – Direct Mail

Considerations / Recommendations

• Timing• Where are you calling from? • Script• Who’s calling• Pledge cards• Number of calls before you

leave a message• Above all else: Make an ask

AND make it easy to give

Marketing Mix – Phone

Considerations / Recommendations

• Timing• Who is it from? • Subject line• Length• Style• Reply mechanism• Number of communications

each year• Above all else: Make an ask

AND make it easy to give

Marketing Mix – E-mail

Considerations / Recommendations

• Content• Make a gift button• Online giving page• Above all else: Make

an ask AND make it easy to give

Marketing Mix – Web

Considerations / Recommendations

• Other publications• Social media• Mobile• Text to give

Marketing Mix – Other channels

• How each segment and donor type responded, and to what type of appeal

• Coded replies with appeals and packages

Measuring Results

Rosary College

MaturesCls of 1930-

1967

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

BoomersCls of 1968-

1986

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Gen XCls of 1987-

2000

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Gen YCls of 2001-

2010

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnrGraduate Schools

Brennan School of Business

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Library & Info Science

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Education

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Social Work

Lybunt Sybunt NonDnr

Appeal

Package

Appeal & Package Chart

Appeal ID Description Notes Identifiers #Solicited

Packages

1Brochure 1B Fall FY11 DM GEN Y 1=RCAS GEN Y1BL, 1BS, 1BN 2,359 L-S-N

2Brochure 2B Fall FY11 DM Gen X 2=RCAS Gen X2BL, 2BS, 2BN 868 L-S-N

3Brochure 3B Fall FY11 DM BOOM 3=RCAS Boomers3BL, 3BS, 3BN 769 L-S-N

4Brochure 4B Fall FY11 DM Mature 4=RCAS Matures4BL, 4BS, 4BN 650 L-S-N

1Letter 1L Fall FY11 DM GEN YFall Direct mail Letter 1LL, 1LS, 1LN 2,358 L-S-N

2Letter 2L Fall FY11 DM Gen X 2=RCAS Gen X 2LL, 2LS, 2LN 1,534 L-S-N3Letter 3L Fall FY11 DM BOOM 3=RCAS Boomers 3LL, 3LS, 3LN 774 L-S-N4Letter 4L Fall FY11 DM Mature 4=RCAS Matures 4LL, 4LS, 4LN 653 L-S-N55 BSB 55 BSB Fall DM FY11 direct mail 55BSB 4,043 L-S-N56 GSLIS 56 GSLIS Fall DM FY11 direct mail 56GSLIS 5,731 L-S-N57 SOE 57 SOE Fall DM FY11 direct mail 57SOE 1,878 L-S-N58 GSSW 58 GSSW Fall DM FY11 direct mail 58GSSW 320 L-S-N59 SLCS 59 SLCS Fall DM FY11 direct mail 59SLCS 297 L-S-N

Fall email FY11Fall year end email FY11 Email blast year end 9256 L-S-N

Results

• Letter performed better than the brochure• Boomers & matures vs. Gen X & Gen Y• Direct mail vs. phonathon

Undergraduate Letter Brochure Phonathon

Response Rate 2.09% 1.94% 44%

Average Gift $78.78 $64.58 $57.63

1. Audience – same2. Segmentation –

same3. Test – new online

system & designations

4. Marketing Mix – better timing, channels, web, & email communications

5. Results

Sample 2012 Overview

Sample 2012 Direct Mail Results

FY12

Appeal Solicited Amount Response % Donors Avrg/Donor

Undergrad Fall Direct Mail 10,834 $42,368.00 4.48% 485 $87.36

Graduate Fall Direct Mail 9,226 $9,586.00 1.44% 133 $72.08

Undergraduate Spring Direct Mail 7,520 $11,403.91 1.72% 129 $88.40

Graduate Spring Direct Mail 8,879 $2,945.00 0.50% 44 $66.93

FY11

Appeal Solicited Amount Response % Donors Avrg/Donor

Undergrad Fall Direct Mail 9965 $15,652.00 2% 218 $71.80

Graduate Fall Direct Mail 12269 $9,302.50 1% 136 $68.40

Undergraduate Spring Direct Mail 7,268 $6,405.00 1.07% 78 $82.12

Graduate Spring Direct Mail 9,096 $1,705.00 0.3% 27 $63.15

Sample 2012 E-Mail/Online Giving Results

Online Gifts received

FY12 FY11 FY10 FY09

309 232 211 155

Contact me:Amy KaczmarekDirector, Annual Giving ProgramsDominican Universityakaczmarek@dom.edu(708)524-6298dom.edu

Q&A

Thank you!