high-value donors: rejuvenate your mid-level program

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Rejuvenate Your Mid- Level Program! DeAndra Hicks, Ocean Conservancy Lester Smiley, PETA Peter Schoewe, Mal Warwick Donordigital

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Page 1: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program!

DeAndra Hicks, Ocean Conservancy

Lester Smiley, PETA

Peter Schoewe, Mal Warwick

Donordigital

Page 2: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Special Premium Offer!

Live tweet your questions or comments—and win a prize at the end of the presentation!

#rejuvenate

Page 3: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Rejuvenate!

How did PETA & Ocean Conservancy achieve record growth from their established mid-level programs?

Target

Upgrade

Cultivate & Retain

Integrate

Innovate

Page 4: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

What is a mid-level program?

Many different definitions, starting from $100 to $1,000, cumulative or single gift.

For purpose of this presentation:

Highest previous contribution of $100 or higher

Not actively managed by a major gift officer

Page 5: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Case Study—Mid-Level Upgrades

77% 22% 1%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Direct Mail Online Telephone

For Ocean Conservancy, over 2/3 of mid-level upgrades still come through the mail.

Page 6: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

44% 29% 12% 12% 4%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Appeal Invite Acquisition Renewal Other

Case Study—Mid-Level Upgrades

Only 29 percent of new mid-level donors are acquired

through dedicated invitations.

Page 7: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Case Study—Mid-Level Upgrades

Most donors have given at least $100 before they upgrade to mid-level, but a

quarter of donors are directly acquired as mid-level donors.

2% 4% 9% 60% 25%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

<$25 $25-$49 $50-$99 $100-$249 First Gift

Page 8: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Case Study—Mid-Level Upgrades

Mid-level upgrade efforts should not be seasonal. Over half of new mid-level donors upgrade outside of year-end.

16% 17% 23% 44%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Jan-March April-June

July-September October-December

Page 9: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Targeting Takeaways

Mid-level upgrade strategy is not for invitations only

Work to upgrade all year long

Best prospects are new donors—or donors already close giving at the mid-level amounts

Page 10: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Strategies for Upgrade Success

Page 11: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Strategies for Upgrade Success

Page 12: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Strategies for Upgrade Success

The less aggressive upgrade test ask:

Upgraded 18 percent more donors

Increased overall revenue by 44 percent

Page 13: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Strategies for Upgrade Success

To invite or not invite, that is the questionGuardians of the Sea ($250-$999) launched

2006

Page 14: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Strategies for Upgrade Success

Dedicated upgrade effort for $50-$249 prospects in the summer and year-end

More aggressive ask strings starting at $250

Promoted the giving club and benefits

Page 15: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Strategies for Upgrade Success

Take advantage of what works

Page 16: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Strategies for Upgrade Success

Results:

Number of GOS upgrades increased by 57%

45% increase in revenue from GOS upgrades

Cut expenses

Page 17: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

$500+ Planned Giving $100-$499

Page 18: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Sarah’s Circle

Page 19: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Sarah’s Circle

Page 20: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Multichannel campaign using direct mail and phone

52% of kickoff responders joined Sarah’s Circle

Page 21: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Sarah’s Circle

Page 22: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

It’s Not All about Upgrades

Acquisition of New Mid-Level Donors

Don’t acquire transactional donors, and prioritize low-performing lists with high average gifts

Use best DM techniques for high dollar exchanges

Make sure online donation forms are optimized for mid-level giving

Page 23: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Cultivate

Champions for Sea Change ($1,000+)

– launched in 2008 and managed in development

– received quarterly mailings but very high touch

What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?

Page 24: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Communicate Effectively

July August September October November December January February March April May June

DM

Ap

peals

Fall

Challenge

Year-End

Campaign

Year-End

Follow-Up

First,

Second &

Third

Renewal

Spring

Challenge

& Follow-

up

Scientist

Appeal

DM

Cult

ivati

on

CalendarSplash &

Deep Dive

Holiday

Card &

Splash

Survey

Splash &

Annual

Report

Splash &

Deep Dive

On

line

Ap

peals

Fall

Challenge

Integrated

Year-End

Campaign

Integrated

Year-End

Campaign

Member-

ship

Spring

Challenge

Scientist

Appeal

On

line

Cult

ivati

on

Deep DiveYear-End

Greeting

Annual

ReportDeep Dive

FY2015 Mid-Level Communication Matrix

Page 25: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Communicate Effectively—Results Increased the number of new $1,000+ donors by 40 percent—to a record high

Revenue from this group grew 36 percent

Overall retention increased by 11 percentage points

Page 26: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Cultivate

Donor Visits and Events

Page 27: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Cultivate

Telephone Townhalls

Page 28: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program
Page 29: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Integrate

34%

20%23% 21%

2% <1% 0%

Newsletter

Updates through the mail

Email newsletters

Email advocacy alerts

Updates via Facebook/Twitter

Contact via phone

Text messages

In a donor survey, half of mid-level donors preferred

the mail, half preferred email.

Page 30: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0%

Multichannel Single Channel Multi Donor

Integrate

For PETA, multichannel donors are almost 5x more likely to upgrade to mid-level giving.

Page 31: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program
Page 32: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Innovate—Failure

Ocean Conservancy mid-level donors are

not interested in benefits. A mailing

focusing on benefits lost money and

upgraded a record low number of donors.

Page 33: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Innovate—

Success

By trying something different from the

typical high-production mid-

level mailing, Ocean Conservancy

increased revenue by 45 percent.

Page 34: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Innovate—Failure

For PETA, a rolling mid-level invitation

to new and renewed $100 members was

costly and ineffective. When replaced with bi-

annual efforts, Vanguard Society

joins jumped by 61 percent!

Page 35: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Innovate—Success

PETA asked donors to sponsor a

doghouse by mailing the

blueprints in a tube.

Revenue was 156 percent

above the prior year.

Page 36: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Rejuvenate—Results

Ocean Conservancy:

Record number of mid-level donors in past FY14 percent more revenue than Gulf Oil Spill year

PETA:

Revenue up 45 percent in the past five yearsAverage mid-level donor value increased by 63 percent

Page 37: High-Value Donors: Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program

Thank you!

Rejuvenate Your Mid-Level Program!

DeAndra HicksManaging Director Resource Development Operations—Ocean [email protected]

Lester SmileyDirect Response Assistant Manager—People for the Ethical Treatment of [email protected]

Peter SchoeweVice President—Mal Warwick [email protected]