7. Key Learnings from the past Cycles
Online Donors Converting to Donors
• Average Age: 55 • Email, Email and Email
• Average Donation $60 • Multiple channels
• Average # donations: 1.87 • No. days before donation:
• Average # donations x2: 3.3 109
• Average time between • Personality-driven emails
donations 100 days (endorsements)
• Campaign value of a donor: • Auto-responders
$108 • “Ready the buckets”
9. Initial Tactics for 2013
• Ad Management – Set a monthly budget to determine best audiences and raise
lists of supporters
• Prospecting / List Building – Petitions, news-driven momentum
• Email Management – Set a calendar of scheduled asks, newsletters, create auto-
responders
• Donor Cultivation – Set levels of immediate contact (e.g. alert campaign to call
donors who give over $500)
• Social Networks – Set budget for advertising and create innovative campaigns
• Outreach – Host numerous blogger, donor and supporter calls
• Website development & maintenance – Target website launch as a major milestone
• SWAT effort – Launch overnight campaigns on earned media moments
• Viral Videos - Schedule monthly video launches, event recordings
10. People Hate (and love) Email
• Bad decisions, multiple emails
• Difficult to setup, sometime unreliable
• Different email “people”
• People hate (and love) spam
• Email boxes are filling up
• But we’re addicted to email
11. Email Fundraising Stats
• 50+% of your online solicited donations will come from your
house list.
• Average donation will be between $45 - $55.
• Average age of the donor is between 55 and 65.
• Email fundraising is up 40% year after year.
• 79% of non-profit groups raise money online.
• Open rates down / Click-throughs up.
• The 24 – 8 – 3 house email rule.
• Average time between donations 100 days.
• Campaign value of a donor: $108.
12. The Natural Approach
• Contributors: “The Core” –
This group demands the most
attention and respect.
Donor
• Advocates: “Ground Troops” –
the people we call on to
sacrifice and take action.
Advocate
• Subscribers: “The Field” –
focus here on conversion to Subscriber
higher levels.
• Visitors: “Virtual Targets” –
Website visitors. Visitor
• Potential Targets: “The rest” –
Who would potentially
support your org?. Target
13. The Journey is Different for Everyone
Will you
Email #3 give $?
Email #2 Will you
help?
Email #1 Hi!
Campaign Timeline
14. Some best practices… Do’s and Don’ts
• Do’s • Don’t
– Go for capture first – … burn your email list into the
– Take your time ground
– Test first – … be afraid to ask for $
– Be timely, relevant – … squander your trust
– Target and measure, always – … set expectations too high
– Be bold, be succinct – … forget to thank then.
15. Target the Right Message
• What have they heard before?
• How did they find your message?
• Make the context obvious.
• Compel them to respond.
• Make the action clear and simple.
• Target the old brain.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
16. Target the Right Moment
• Be “journey-specific.”
• Why would they respond now?
• Match the message to the moment.
• Do you know when they open their emails?
• Fewer asks, more time spent in preparation.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
17. Set Goals
• Broadcast your goal internally.
• Broadcast your goal publically.
(Maybe).
• Be sure you can measure.
• Be sure you do measure.
• Think long term success, short term viability.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
18. Set a Time Limit
• Put a time limit on your call to action.
• An obvious deadline or manufactured?
• Help them visualize the deadline.
• Why would they care about your deadline?
• Be a good steward of their time.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
19. Give them something
• What’s in it for them?
• Sweeten the pot.
• Overcome hesitation.
• Offer premiums
• Make them feel special
• Make them feel part of a force
• Always strive to get above the noise.
20. Measure and Crow a bit!
• Check your score.
• Measure your success in real terms.
• Compare your results.
• Broadcast internally.
• Broadcast globally.
• Crow, and crow some more.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
21. Best Practices
• Short subject lines • HTML or Text?
• Numbers in the subject line • Renting?
• From whom? • Buying?
• Personalize the email • Exchanging?
• Short or long? • How to test
• Use links sparingly • What to measure
• Timing is everything • What to do next
