making your annual appeal appealing
DESCRIPTION
For entry and mid-level annual giving professionals.TRANSCRIPT
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 [email protected](708)524-6298dom.edu
Q&A
Thank you!