This document outlines best practices for optimizing communications with participants in TeamRaiser fundraising campaigns. It discusses using autoresponders, follow-up autoresponders, milestones, suggested messages, coaching emails, and the participant center news feed to engage participants at different stages of the fundraising process. The presentation provides examples of how to personalize messages using participant data and segment participants into relevant groups. It emphasizes making communications mobile-friendly and promoting behaviors that increase fundraising.

1. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 1
TeamRaiser Communications
Best Practices
PRESENTED BY:
JOSH FOLLIS, ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
DEREK MARTIN, BLACKBAUD
NANCY PALO, BLACKBAUD
DAVID SCHOOLEY, ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

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• Welcome
• Optimizing Communications with TeamRaiser
- Autoresponders, Milestones and Suggested Messages
- Coaching Emails & Email Express
- The Participant Center and Newsfeed
• Let’s Get Technical
• Beyond Email
• Questions and Answers
TODAY’S SESSION
#bbcon

3. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 3
OPTIMIZING COMMUNICATIONS WITH TEAMRAISER
PRESENTED BY:
JOSH FOLLIS, ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
DAVID SCHOOLEY, ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

4. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 4
• Welcome
• Gift received
• 50% of goal
Autoresponders
• Revenue
based
messages
Milestones
• Ask
• Recruit
• Thank
Suggested
Messages
LIFECYCLE OF PARTICIPANT MESSAGING

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Examples:
• Thank you for Registering
• A donor gave a gift on your behalf
• Someone joined your team
• You have reached 50% of your goal
AUTORESPONDERS
MESSAGES THAT ARE GENERATED BY TEAMRAISER BASED ON ACTIONS
TAKEN BY THE PARTICIPANT OR ON THE PARTICIPANT’S BEHALF.
• You have reached 100% of your goal
• Some one joined your team
• Event Manager Assignment
Best practices:
• Only use relevant messages that are actionable by your participants.
• Inform and congratulate recipients.
• Always drive toward the next action. (thanks for registration, now login to
your participant center and personalize your page.)

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Examples:
• 3 days after registration – Thank you for registering (next step)
• 15 days after registration – Share your page with your networks
• 30 days after registration – Send reminder emails to those who haven’t
donated.
• Update your page content to thank donors and tell your fundraising story.
FOLLOW-UP AUTORESPONDERS
MESSAGES THAT ARE GENERATED BY TEAMRAISER BASED ON DAYS
AFTER REGISTRATION. (UP TO 4)
Best practices:
• Chose intervals that will spur relevant actions or re-engage participants.
• Provide impact statements that address their progress and the impact to
your cause.
• Use conditionals so you don’t encourage tasks that have already been
completed.

7. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 7
MILESTONES
MESSAGES THAT ARE GENERATED BY TEAMRAISER BASED ON
REACHING REVENUE GOALS.
Best practices:
• Tie milestones to meaningful
goals; getting started,
incentives, honor levels, etc.
• Congratulate participants on
their success.
• Use milestones to
encourage users to advance
to the next goal.

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Examples:
• Solicit
• Reminder to Donate
• Recruit Team Members
SUGGESTED MESSAGES
MESSAGES THAT ARE PROVIDED TO PARTICIPANTS TO USE IN THE
PARTICIPANT CENTER.
• Thank donors
• Other
• Blank
Best practices:
• Be light and entertaining.
• Focus on the participant first (remember donors are sold on the user first
and your cause second)
• Demonstrate impact. Show how this action makes a difference.
• Encourage a next step. (recruit friends, share your support on social
networks, etc.)

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• Single event
• Extremely
personalized content
• Participant coaching
on next steps.
Coaching
Emails
• Empower event
managers.
• Template messages
• Local Promotions
• Event specific news
Email
Express
COACHING EMAILS AND EMAIL EXPRESS

10. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 10
COACHING E-MAILS
MESSAGES DRIVEN FROM ADMIN TO PARTICIPANTS IN A SINGLE EVENT
TO DRIVE PARTICIPATION, FUNDRAISING AND RETENTION.
Best practices:
• Be brief, personal and drive action.
• Don’t just ask; also inform.
(event info, call to action, cause
information)
• Use conditionals to drive users in
all stages of fundraising to take the
next step.
• Demonstrate impact. Show how
this action makes a difference.

11. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 11
COACHING E-MAILS
MESSAGES DRIVEN FROM ADMIN TO PARTICIPANTS IN A SINGLE EVENT
TO DRIVE PARTICIPATION, FUNDRAISING AND RETENTION.
Best practices:
• Be brief, personal and drive action.
• Don’t just ask; also inform.
(event info, call to action, cause
information)
• Use conditionals to drive users in
all stages of fundraising to take the
next step.
• Demonstrate impact. Show how
this action makes a difference.

12. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 12
EMAIL EXPRESS
MESSAGES SENT BY EVENT MANAGERS THROUGH THE EVENT
MANAGERS CENTER TO A SINGLE EVENT.
Best practices:
• Templates should be standardized
but allow for local custom content.
• Schedule messages to launch in
conjunction with major event dates.
• Use the segmentation tool to target
specific user groups. (team
captains, specific fundraising levels,
$0 fundraisers, registration dates,
etc.)
• Use content to tease in the
participant center and drive users to
login to learn more in the news
feed.

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ANATOMY OF PARTICIPANT CENTER
Track Progress
and Update Goal
Team Captain
Message
What to do
next?
Click to
take action

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PARTICIPATE CENTER NEWS FEEDS
PARTICIPANT CENTER TOOL THAT ALLOWS ORGANIZATIONS AND EVENT
MANAGERS TO POPULATE INFORMATION DIRECTLY INTO THE
PARTICIPANT CENTER.
Why use a news feed?
• News feeds can be a draw when teased in email messages (draw users
into the participant center as much as possible).
• Get in front of non-email readers
• Direct news feeds at the event level through EMC
• National program news feeds can be provided to all events for program
updates.
• Scheduled messages will display and hide based on pre-set dates

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NEWS FEEDS

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LET’S GET TECHNICAL
PRESENTED BY:
DEREK MARTIN, BLACKBAUD

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MAKE IT PERSONAL

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BEYOND THE WYSIWYG
[[S120:dc:participantName]]
[[S120:dc:isGiftAmountGreaterThan:$50]]

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PERSONALIZATION OPTIONS

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MAKE IT DYNAMIC

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• Registration Date
• Personal Goal
• Number of Donations
• Amount Raised
• Percent of Goal
• Emails Sent
• Self Donor Status
• Team Captain Status
• Team Member Status
• Personal Page Status
S-TAG OPTIONS

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MAKE IT RELEVANT
Team Captains Donors Prospects
SEGMENT YOUR AUDIENCE

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SEGMENT OPTIONS 1 OF 5

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SEGMENT OPTIONS 2 OF 5

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SEGMENT OPTIONS 3 OF 5

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SEGMENT OPTIONS 4 OF 5

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SEGMENT OPTIONS 5 OF 5

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PROMOTE COMPETITION IN
COMMUNICATIONS USING COMPONENTS

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A/B TESTING
Sample Audience Remainder of Audience

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ADDITIONAL BEST PRACTICES
PRESENTED BY:
NANCY PALO, BLACKBAUD

31. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 31
DON’T IGNORE YOUR THANK YOU PAGES

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REMEMBER DONORS ARE A PART OF
YOUR AUDIENCE

33. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 33
PROVIDE THE TOOLS YOUR FUNDRAISERS
NEED TO MULTI-CHANNEL
Email is down and fundraising is up = your fundraisers are
true multi-channel fundraisers.

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GET SOCIAL

35. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 35
PROMOTE USER BEHAVIORS THAT
INCREASE REVENUE IN TEAMRAISER
Behavior Fundraising Average*
Non-Self Donor $69
Self Donor $508
Page Not Updated $31
Page Updated $205
0 Emails Sent $52
1-9 Emails Sent $231
10+ Emails Sent $541
*Sample data from one P2P campaign

36. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 36
PERSONALIZE YOUR MISSION
Tell the story about your mission that your
constituent wants to hear

37. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 37
MAKE YOUR COMMUNICATIONS MOBILE
FRIENDLY
57% of all emails were read on a mobile device during the
4th quarter of 2012, up from 20% in 2011.
20% IN 2011
57% IN 2012

38. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 38
DON’T STOP WITH EMAIL. WEBSITE AND
DONATION FORMS NEED TO BE MOBILE TOO!
Your communications are driving constituents to your
website and donation forms. It is important that your efforts
continue through the entire user experience.

39. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 39
P2P BOOT CAMP IS BACK!
CLASSES START NOVEMBER 5TH

40. 10/7/2013 #bbcon 40
QUESTION AND ANSWERS