how to…learn from...fundraising how to…track segmentation is key-md = have given a single gift...

How to…learn from recent direct mail success storiesClaire BaxterKidney Health Australia

Fundraising How To…Track


Where it began…

Why direct mail…

• Second most valuable stream for generating donor income

• Delivers the largest volume of new donors

• Delivers the largest pool of bequest prospects

• Delivers the most valuable monthly donors with the lowest attrition rates


Key Challenges

• Reporting and insights

• Data

• Organisational buy-in


What we did…

• Reviewed past appeal strategy, creative and data targeting

• Identified support and expertise required to successfully develop and implement a traditional direct mail appeals program.

• Developed an integrated appeals strategy keeping faith with fundraising fundamentals


Data

• Data is vital to the success of appeal

• Data targeting and segmentation is key focus

• Recency, Frequency, Value

• Ask strategy based on giving history


Strategy & Tactics

Focused Develop a proposition that is centred on the need for funding, rather than

highlighting success in isolation. Repeat the proposition throughout the

creative.

Targeted Develop RFV segmentation to target the donors most likely to respond.

Personalised Personalised variables for each segment to acknowledge donors’

commitment and current involvement.

Tangible Show the donor what their gift will achieve – most people like to get value

when they spend. The same goes for donating, they want to know what their

donation will do. Show them the impact.

Case Study Take the donors on a journey. Give them the opportunity to be a hero.

Thank you strategy Send a cost effective donor care piece thanking them for their donation.


Creative

Response Mechanism

4pp letter Lift pieces

Bounceback


HV treatment – personalised video

Social media post

Website banner and e-signature

eDM with personalisedask links

SMS


Wait nervously…


Post campaign reporting

• Analyse results and focus on:

• Response by donor type• ROI by Recency, Frequency, Value• Net income by Recency, Frequency, Value• Ask strategy

• Key insights develop future recommendations and test strategies


Results

2016 2017 2018 2019

Appeals Revenue 2016- 2019

Revenue Expenses Appeals P & L


Results

2017 2018 2019

Active donors

Active donors


Have faith in fundraising fundamentals…

Develop a strategy that focuses on the fundamentals:

• Data

• Tactics

• Creative

• Reporting


Introducing the Refugee Council of Australia (RCAO)

The peak bodyCoordinating the

refugee sector

Promoting refugee-led

advocacy

Research and policy expertise

Advocacy and campaigns

Public education


The challenges we face in fundraising

- Under-resourced

- Fundraising for advocacy (vs services)

- Ethical challenges of sharing stories from people with a vulnerable visa status


Know your audience


Know your audience

- Our audience are intelligent, educated professionals who are highly politically engaged.

- We provided them a vision for a humane refugee policy that was reasonable and achievable.

- Know your audience well, don’t be afraid do to things differently so to suit them!


Segmentation is key

- MD = Have given a single gift of $5,000 or more

- HVS = Have given a single gift of $1,000 to 4999

- MV = Have ever made a single gift of $500 to 999

- SV_L = Have made a single gift $2 to $199 since 01/01/2016

- SV_H = Have made a single gift $200 to $499 since 01/01/2016

- LVS = Everyone who has donated $2 to $499 before 01/01/2016 and nothing after.

- PS = Everyone else on our database who has never donated but is a potential

supporter


Be nimble, pivot fast


Develop prospects to supporters

Kids Off Nauru campaign


Develop prospects to supporters

I Choose Humane campaign Roof Over My Head campaign


Test and try news things

- Testing is important for all organisations, regardless or budget

- We successfully tried a wave 2 appeal

- Text to give was useful at converting new donors


What we achieved

- 1.050 donations, raising $381,877

- 64% increase on the previous year

- 541 people donate for the first time, giving a total $90.626


Conclusion

- Know your audience

- Segment

- Be nimble

- Expand your base

- Test and try new things


Bush’s DM challenge

• Internal discord around process and deadlines

• Messaging was too internally focussed

• We were losing sight of the donor

• Not achieving income targets


What did we do to fix it?

Over past two years, we’ve:

• Improved our internal comms

• Strengthened our messaging and made it more externally focussed

• Put the donor back in the picture

• Reinvigorated Bush’s brand (refreshed brand guidelines, content, tone of voice)


Internal Comms Checklist

• Are you engaging your whole org with your DM program?• Are you reporting back on their contributions?• Who are your key internal stakeholders? BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND EDUCATE• Are you giving clear briefs?• Is your messaging strong enough?• Are you working with your comms – publications/media/social/web – to make sure

your campaign has multiple donor touchpoints?• Do you need a new agency? Do they understand what you want to achieve?


Weak internal comms Vs. Strong internal comms


From this…

To this …


Winter Appeal Content

Click to add text


Connecting to the donor

Click to add text


The Outcome

$985,691 $1,087,888.00

$1,281,181

$0

$200,000

$400,000

$600,000

$800,000

$1,000,000

$1,200,000

$1,400,000

Year 2017 Year 2018 Year 2019

Total Donations


The Outcome

19%

18.90%

21.70%

18%

18%

19%

19%

20%

20%

21%

21%

22%

22%

Year 2017 Year 2018 Year 2019

Response Rate


Key Learnings

• Invest in building strong internal relationships and champions

• Be an advocate for your program

• Become a better storyteller/writer or hire people with good writing ability – DM is all about telling stories

• Hustle to increase your content budget, or work better with your in house comms team to make the most of all content gathering

how to…learn from...fundraising how to…track segmentation is key-md = have given a single gift...

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