10 take-aways to improve or kick start your symbolic giving program

TAKEAWAYS TO IMPROVE OR KICK START YOUR SYMBOLIC

GIVING PROGRAM

Christine Smithchristine.smith@hjcnewmedia.com Fundraising and Innovation Consultant, HJC

Dave Lavoiedavel@oxfam.caCore 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

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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