This document provides an overview and agenda for a session on using appeal codes in The Raiser's Edge. The session will cover the basics of appeals and packages, best practices for recording appeals and packages, and scenarios where the ideal process does not work. Recording appeals and packages correctly to the constituent and gift records is important for accurate analysis and reporting. Questions from attendees on specific appeal scenarios will also be discussed.

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Appealing Codes
(Using Appeal Codes in The Raiser’s Edge)
PRESENTED BY MELISSA S. GRAVES
@MELISSASGRAVES

2. 9/27/2013 #bbcon 2
TWEET ABOUT YOUR SESSION
#APPEALING
#FUNDRAISING
#BBCON
@MELISSASGRAVES

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• This is supposed to be an advanced session. I will to start with some basic
concepts to be sure we are all on the same page but if you are unfamiliar
with Appeals and Packages I may or may not be able to slow down to
cover basic concepts in more detail due to the limited amount of time.
• This session is not going to cover solicitation methods, segmentation,
appeal strategy, etc. We are simply covering how to record and report on
appeals in Raiser’s Edge. (i.e. How to analyze whatever strategy you are
using)
• This session is going to cover Appeals and Packages as they are designed
to work in the Raiser’s Edge. Many people use Appeals and Packages in
other ways which do not exactly “work” with the design in RE. I will cover
some of those “alternatives” and discuss pro’s and cons in a limited
amount of time but I will primarily focus on the way in which the design in
RE works best to allow for fully functional analysis and reporting.
• If I have not convinced you by the end of the session and you want to
“debate” any of my concepts, please hold your thoughts until the RE Geek
Forum at 3:00 on Monday in Potomac D!
FAIR WARNING:

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The Basics:
• What is an Appeal?
• What is a Package?
• Where are Appeals/Packages recorded?
What works best and why:
• The Ideal Scenario
• When does the “Ideal” not happen
• Appeal Reporting
• Other Appeal Issues
• Q & A
AGENDA

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THE BASICS:

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• According to the “RE Campaigns, Funds and Appeals Data Entry
Guide” (available on blackbaud.com) “An appeal is a solicitation that
brings in your gifts. Solicitations can include Auctions, direct mailings
and phonathons.”
• I would further say an appeal is an OUTGOING solicitation to a
constituent or group of constituents in which a response in the form of
a payment is expected or possible. It should be specific and dated
whenever possible.
• Examples of appeals Pathfinder is using this Fall:
- September 2013 Low End Donor Renewal
- September 2013 Middle Donor Renewal
- September 2013 Colorado Fundraiser
- October 2013 Michigan Cultivation Event
- October 2013 Major Donor Renewal
- October 2013 Pathways Newsletter
- December 2013 Annual Report
WHAT IS AN APPEAL?

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• There may be some appeals which I call “rolling appeals” that are
undated and can stay open year after year. Examples would be:
- Unsolicited
- Unknown
- Personal Ask
- Tribute Gift
- Staff Gift
- Website Home Page
WHAT IS AN APPEAL?

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• A package is a subset of your mailing. It is a group of constituents who
have some common thread and are receiving the same exact
solicitation (same letter language, design, ask, etc.)
• Packages are best used in three ways:
- To define groups of appeal recipients who are getting different approaches –
either as a test or as an approach that differs between groups. i.e. lapsed
donors getting one letter and current donors getting another.
- To define groups of appeal recipients who are getting the same approach but
for whom you want to track response rates. i.e. current donors and lapsed
donors getting the same letter but you want to see who responds better,
what each groups average gift size is, etc.
- To code different lists of people in “source” codes such as those purchased
or rented for acquisitions to track which lists perform better.
- One mailing may have a combination of these kinds of packages.
• Not all appeals need to have packages. If your appeal is the same for
all recipients and there is no need or no way to track subsets, then no
packages are necessary.
WHAT IS A PACKAGE?

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Appeals and packages can be found in many places around RE.
• First, they are found in records – appeals are records and each appeal
can have defined packages set up.
WHERE ARE APPEALS AND PACKAGES?

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• Second, the appeal/package records can be linked to a constituent.
This is done as a record of who received that appeal/package and
when.
WHERE ARE APPEALS AND PACKAGES?

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• Last, the appeal/package records can be linked to a gift. This is done
to indicate that the constituent is responding to the appeal/package
with said gift.
WHERE ARE APPEALS AND PACKAGES?

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WHAT WORKS BEST AND WHY

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Appeals and packages added to the constituent and
to the gift are related. Using them consistently and as
designed by Blackbaud should, in the end, give you
tons of data on the behavior and desires of your
constituents and eliminate any “questionable data”.
So what does the “ideal” look like?
IDEAL SCENARIO

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Ideal scenario:
- You create an appeal record in RE with multiple packages that represents a
specific mailing being sent.
- You mail the solicitation to a group of constituents. The mailing reply slips
are customized and coded with the specific appeal ID and package ID (or a
barcode representing these).
- As the mailing is sent, you record on each constituent record (appeals tab)
the appeal and package sent to each constituent.
- As gifts are entered the appeal ID and package ID on the reply slip returned
with the gift are added to the gift record (either manually or using the
barcode)
- As you add these gifts, the “total given” for that appeal/package combo on
the constituent’s Appeals tab is updated with that amount.
- Appeal reports (with our without package detail) as well as gift queries for
this appeal will now include this gift.
Sounds ideal, right?
IDEAL SCENARIO

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• Reply slips do not get printed with the specific appeal and package
groups that the donor was in (or barcode).
- This is necessary for you to be able to properly “credit” the gift to the proper
codes. Gift processor should not be “looking up” which appeal and package
a donor last received.
• Not adding the appeal and package to the constituent appeals tab.
- This is so easy to do using Mail – Quick letters and/or via Import.
• Appeal is created as “Annual Fund Appeal FY13 (AFA FY13)” and is
added to the constituent record multiple times with different dates
representing each mailing you send.
- The “amount given” represents that entire appeal – not each send. So if you
mail 4 times using the same appeal code and get one response out of the
four for $25 – ALL FOUR appeals will have a total given of $25 which to the
novice user (or even an advanced one) would look like the donor gave $100.
- To see how much was given to each specific send – each one needs to be a
separate appeal.
WHEN DOES THIS IDEAL NOT HAPPEN?

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ONE APPEAL – ADDED MULTIPLE TIMES

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• Adding a different Appeal and Package on the gift than what was put
on the Constituent Record
- Happens most often when you use Packages to describe an INCOMING
option and not what was OUTGOING (such as event ticket levels, auction
responses, raffle ticket purchases, etc.)
- Total Given field will not update on the appeals tab unless BOTH the appeal
and package match.
WHEN DOES THIS IDEAL NOT HAPPEN?

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PACKAGE ON ASSIGNED APPEAL –
NO PACKAGE ON GIFT

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• Details are not completely added to the appeal record
- Including number solicited on each and every package (and the main one
adding up to the number on each package) is critical to report on your
response rates, etc.
- Costs and Goals added will give you just awesome reporting.
WHEN DOES THIS IDEAL NOT HAPPEN?

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AWESOME REPORTING

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• If a constituent holds on to an appeal card and submits it nine months
later with a check in a new fiscal year, what appeal do you put on the
gift?
- I do not believe in the concept of inactivating appeals and using an “older
appeal” code or worse, add the more recent appeal that you sent them on the
gift.
- This is IMPORTANT data. Why would you mess with it? Why use something
general like old appeal and not specify which appeal when you actually KNOW
it?
- You know the donor opened that older appeal and was inspired enough by that
mailing to keep the reply device. You do not even know if they even opened the
more recent appeal. You do not know if it “appealed” to them or motivated
them.
- You are tracking appeals to know which of them work, which of them cause a
response. Don’t mess with this data.
I advocate for keeping the appeals open and active as long as you are likely to
receive responses. If a random response comes in after the fact, re-activate the
appeal again to use on the gift, then inactivate it again.
OTHER APPEAL STUFF

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• If a constituent responds to an appeal and wants to make their gift
recurring, what appeal goes on that “recurring gift”? What about
subsequent payments on the recurring gift?
- You can not inactivate an appeal that needs to be used on a recurring gift
every month/quarter/year. If a constituent gives for years and years from the
same recurring gift, do you keep open that same recurring gift or do you
eventually use an appeal of “recurring gift” instead?
- When the end of the fiscal year comes do you need to change the
campaign/appeal? If so, why?
- If you ask the donor to increase how much they give monthly what happens
then?
My stance has still not changed. This is IMPORTANT data. To know that an
appeal in 1995 was so good at attracting die hard recurring gift donors that are
STILL giving today – IMPORTANT to know.
Leave that appeal active until the last donor stops giving.
OTHER APPEAL STUFF

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• Anyone disagree with me?
• Specific analysis you are trying to do and need help?
QUESTIONS?

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TWEET ABOUT YOUR SESSION
#APPEALING
#FUNDRAISING
#BBCON
@MELISSASGRAVES