10 take-aways to improve or kick start your symbolic giving program
DESCRIPTION
It's the perfect time to introduce, or improve, your symbolic giving campaign for this holiday! This exciting session will explore how organizations of all sizes can take advantage of the growing demand of donors - young and old - to make symbolic gifts.Many people call symbolic giving the 'Oprah-facation' way of giving. This session will feature tons of real examples and results to help you better understand how symbolic giving can work for you - whether you are a large or small organisation.TRANSCRIPT
TAKEAWAYS TO IMPROVE OR KICK START YOUR SYMBOLIC
GIVING PROGRAM
Christine [email protected] Fundraising and Innovation Consultant, HJC
Dave [email protected] Donor Officer, Oxfam Canada
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A VIRTUAL TOUR1. What is symbolic giving – or alternative giving?2. What are the benefits of symbolic giving?3. How can I deal with restricted giving constraints?4. Who are symbolic giving donors?5. What will be more important for marketing?6. How can you integrate your marketing efforts?7. How can personal page fundraising be used for symbolic
giving?8. What are some success stories from organizations big and
small?9. How do you steward and convert symbolic gift donors to
sustained monthly donors?10.How can small and mid-sized organizations afford to
introduce symbolic giving this holiday?
Alternative Gift Catalogues: Are a way for donors to share their affinity with your cause in a fun and easy way
WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE GIVING?
FUNDRAISING STRATEGY• Alternative giving programs are a donor acquisition tool
THE 3 STEPS TO ALTERNATIVE GIVING
Step 1 – Donor selects a gift
Step 2 – Donor sends a card to a loved one, friend, colleague, teacher...anyone who they buy gifts for
Step 3 – Donor gets a tax receipt for the full amount of their gift
PRIMARILY ONLINE
BUT ALSO SUPPORTED OFFLINE
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?• The “everyone gets something” mentality
Donor – Gets that “feel good” feeling, a tax receipt, and a fun and interactive way of giving
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Gift Recipient – Gets a “feel good” feeling because their gift is helping someone and they have received an e-card or print card that explains how
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Organization- You get fundraising dollars, new donors, old donors giving more, brand awareness and media attention
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
RESTRICTED VS. UNRESTRICTED• I have to raise general program dollars, not restricted. Alternative gift catalogues won’t work for my program.
The industry’s best kept secret? Most alternative gift catalogues are UNRESTRICTED GIVING
RESTRICTED VS. UNRESTRICTED
RESTRICTED VS. UNRESTRICTED
WHO ARE SYMBOLIC DONORS?
Oprahs’s donors!
These donor want: • want easy, attractive, fun, ONLINE giving experience.
• want the feeling of designation on the smallest gifts
• want to feel like they really know and understand where their donation is going
• want to show how philanthropic they are – by sending cards, telling friends and posting things on Facebook.
WHO ARE SYMBOLIC DONORS?
Some stats… Age < 25 8.9%
25-34 20.3%
35-44 21.6%
45-54 21.8%
55-64 18.6%
65+ 8.8%
Gender Female 77.7%
Male 22.3%
Coincidentally – Oprah’s prime audience too!
WHO ARE SYMBOLIC DONORS?
ARE THESE NEW/EXISTING DONORS?
In the case of CHF and Oxfam approximately 85% of
the donors are new!
How to Market?
Celebrity Endorsements
Example: Minnie Driver speaking on the Ellen DeGeneres show (about Oxfam US but drove Canadian traffic)
HOW TO MARKET?
HOW TO MARKET?
City wide flyer postings...
Online Media
HOW TO MARKET?
Holiday features in Print Media
50% of survey respondents for Oxfam Unwrapped said this article is what drove them to give
HOW TO MARKET?
Radio ads
HOW TO MARKET?
Video
HOW TO MARKET?
EMAIL APPEALSHoliday Appeal
November 28
19 gifts in the first 5 days
Use images to convey urgency or convenience of donating online
Refer to prior appeals
Reminder #1
December 12
25 gifts in the next 5 days
EMAIL APPEALS
Reminder #2
December 19
15 gifts within 2 days
Emotional
Convenience
What gift can accomplish
EMAIL APPEALS
Reminder #3
December 21
32 gifts in the 4 days before Christmas
Last Minute Gift-Focus on service to donor – sense of urgency!
EMAIL APPEALS
Donations Per Date
4
7
32
3
1 1 1 12
16
32
4
12
87
20
6
4
1 12
43
2 21
0
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Donations
First Reminder
Initial Appeal
Second Reminder
Final Reminder
EMAIL APPEALS
HOW TO INTEGRATE MARKETING?
• Insert a print catalogue INTO your normal holiday DM
• Drive traffic with email
• Hijack your homepage with an ad for your symbolic gift catalogue
• Hand out leaflets in your door-to-door or mall campaign
APPLYING PERSONAL PAGES
APPLYING PERSONAL PAGES
Don’t BUY me anything this holiday – go to my personal page – and help me reach my goal as a holiday present!!!
APPLYING PERSONAL PAGES
Sick Kids holiday personal page fundraising:
• No promotion except button on homepage
• Three weeks on homepage during Christmas season
• $120,000 in three weeks
• People make their own page and proactively going out to friends, family and colleagues and asking for donations
• Will people begin to make their own pages for a designated purchase? e.g. $10,000 piece of equipment or $10,000 for one designated researcher/doctor?
APPLYING PERSONAL PAGES
Case Study 1 – CHF Gifts That Matter
Campaign Year 2 – 2006• Launched October 2006• 520 total donors• Average gift $96.32• $50,085 total gifts
Campaign Year 3 - 2007• Launched September 2007• 703 total donors• Average gift $97.76• $68,725 total gifts
Campaign Year 1 – 2005• Launched October 2005• 592 total donors • Average gift $68.15• $40,256 total gifts
CASE STUDY – CHF
Campaign Year 4 - 2008• Launched October 2008• 652 total donors • Average gift $107.68• $71,485 total gifts
CASE STUDY – CHF
CASE STUDY – Oxfam
Total Holiday Revenue
CASE STUDY – Oxfam
CASE STUDY – Oxfam
Environmental Scan:
• Oxfam had Unwrapped programs in 10 different markets - Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, America, New Zealand, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, France and Quebec.
• These programs are at different levels of maturity from five to two years.
• Programs at the five year level are seeing a levelling or reduction in revenues. Due to market competition and in some cases the fun of Unwrapped was replaced with overwhelming mission content.
CASE STUDY – Oxfam
CASE STUDY – Canuck Place
Campaign Year 1 – 2006• Launched December 2006• 42 total donors• Average gift $112.14• $4,710 total gifts
Campaign Year 2 - 2007• Year round alternative giving
option• 156 total donors - 69 in
December• Average gift $113.94• $13,840 total gifts
Campaign Year 3 - 2008• Further promotion as a year
round alternative giving option• 154 total donors - 63 in
December• Average gift $118.96• $34,260 total gifts
CASE STUDY – Canuck Place
CASE STUDY – Canuck Place
• By creating designated gifts – both small and large – Canuck Place has attracted larger gifts from Foundations and from companies.
• The ‘commodification’ of what a donor’s dollar can do is getting both larger and smaller gifts
CASE STUDY – Canuck Place
STEWARDSHIP & UPGRADING
Your symbolic gift donors have a connection to your mission, and
can be converted to monthly giving using the right tools and
effective stewardship
• Ensure that the donation experience is easy, seamless and efficient.
• Have a dedicated person to respond to all donor requests and problems.
• Email and thank these donors after the campaign, let then know how important their support is to your organization.
• Follow-up using real examples on how donor dollars are used.
STEWARDSHIP & UPGRADING
Using the Phone:
CHF did a test and called 5,000 of their DM, telephone and symbolic gift donors to upgrade to monthly.
The symbolic gift donors converted at a much higher rate than the other two groups!
STEWARDSHIP & UPGRADING
What We Learned:
Use the phone! Symbolic donors converted by phone have joined Oxfam and CHF’s regular monthly giving programs with an average conversion rate of 3-4%
These donors feel a personal connection to your organisation and mission – so the personal touch of a phone call is the best method for conversion to monthly giving!
STEWARDSHIP & UPGRADING
IN CONCLUSIONWhy Alternative Giving?
• allows donors to share their affinity with your cause
• cost-effective donor acquisition tool
• unrestricted funds
• increased brand awareness
• supports existing appeals/campaigns
• attracts both small and large gifts
• good upgrading potential
Thank you!
THE END