1) The document discusses how customer support is important for donor and participant engagement. It provides case studies on how those who contact support for fundraising events tend to raise more money and be more engaged than those who do not. 2) The profile of typical support users are the most committed fundraisers who raise more money and give larger donations. Support also helps address issues that could otherwise discourage participation. 3) Effective customer support requires balancing phone, email, chat, and self-service options to meet user needs cost-effectively. Data from support interactions can also identify areas to improve the participant experience and reduce future support needs.

1. 1
Donor &
Participant
Engagement
Through
Customer
Support

2. A Support Case Study
2

3. Welcome from Charity Dynamics!
3
Jett Winders
VP, Strategic
Services
Sue Dalos
Principal Consultant
Aleena Antonino
Support Manager

4. 4

5. Dorothy Donor
5
Makes a single donation of $1,000
in memory of her aunt
Two months later she realizes she
hasn’t received her tax receipt

6. 6

7. Francis Fundraiser
7
Signs up for a local walk event
Last year she raised $1000 offline
This year she decides to
try fundraising online but
she cant figure out how
to upload her contacts
into the email tool

8. 8
Value of
Support Users
“I have been trying to
register and make a
donation to a walk for the
last 2 hours… I am so
frustrated that I am going
to quit now.”

9. 9
Profile of a Support User
• Most committed fundraisers
– Raise More
– Use Available tools
• Send Emails
• Update Personal Page
• Make a Self Donation
• Larger individual donors
– Give larger gifts
• More concerned on security
• Want them properly credited

10. Case Study #1 – Regional Walk Event
• Single Annual Walk
• 5,000 Participants
• $2 Million Event
• Phone / Email Support
10

11. Analysis
11
Those Who Did
Contact Support
$984.51 Avg. fundraising amount
11.05 Avg. # of gifts received
38 % self pledge
84 % active fundraisers
40 % sent solicitations
77 % that updated Personal Page
Those Who Did NOT
Contact Support
$194.59 Avg. fundraising amount
2.51 Avg. # of gifts received
16 % self pledge
45 % active fundraisers
11 % sent solicitations
26 % that updated Personal Page

12. Results
2x more likely to make a self pledge
3x more likely to update personal page
4x more likely to send emails from the PC
More dollars raised
More gifts received
5x

13. Results
Gifts are 2x larger for donors that use support

14. 14
Case Study #2 – National P2P Event Program
• National Affiliated Program
• More than 800,000 participants
• ~ $45 Million Event
• Chat / Phone / Email Support

15. Fundraising Activity
more likely to update personal page
as many emails sent
more likely to personalize story
2x

16. Fundraising Results
16
50% more gifts
65% more fundraising

17. Profile of Cases
• Fundraising Driving Cases
– Donate
– Register
– Use fundraising tools
• Informational Cases
– Event Questions
– Prizes or Premiums
– Volunteer
17
66%
34%
Fundraising Informational

18. Profile of Cases
• Active Constituents
– Donors
– Registrants
– Activating
• Information Seekers
– Question about the event
– Looking for other information
18
70%
23%
7%
Participants Donors Information Seekers

19. 19
On-Demand
Support Channels
“We have a user name and
password from last year
that is not working. I will
give up soon and donate
elsewhere.”

20. 20
Phone Email Chat

21. Phone
• Single constituent interaction at a time case
• Most personal – opportunity to connect
• Greatest staff training needs
• No user data collected unless
using a support tracking service
to actively manage and report:
– Zen Desk
– Desk.com
– Freshdesk
21

22. Email
• Easier to staff and manage
‘queue’ and volume
• Longer response times
• Challenging for complex ‘cases’
• Pair well with outbound calling
for complex cases
22

23. Chat
• Efficient at high volumes
– Multiple chats at once
• Powered by live chat software
– SnapEngage
– LiveHelpNow
– LiveChat
• Can empower ‘agents’ with ‘macros’ and resources
• Pairs well with email – dynamically change chat button to email
button when all agents are busy
23

24. 24
Chat

25. Placement Matters
25
Greater Access / Volume
Less Access / Volume

26. Take Action with Data
26
• Added link from Participant Center to page detailing instructions
for cash / check gifts
• Reduced case volume (and cost)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
Help with
cash or check
donation(s)
Donation
needs to be
moved or
connected
Honor roll Help with
online
donation form
Receipt for
online or
offline
donation(s)
Find
particpant or
team to
donate to
Matching gifts
or requesting
tax id
Donation
refund
How
donations are
spent
Updating
donor record

27. 27
Self-Service
Support Channels
“I am so frustrated with
this, I am ready to forget
this entire fundraiser.”

28. If you build it…
43% of users feel they can solve their own service issues
if companies put better self-service tools in place.
It increases to 62% when looking at 18-24 year olds
91% of people said they would use an online knowledgebase
if it were available and tailored to their needs.

29. Searchable FAQ
Searchable FAQ page one way to empower your supporters
to quickly find answers to their questions:
• Increased Fundraising and Registrations – participants who can
quickly and easily find answers to their own questions
are more likely to register, donate or fundraise
• Reduce Cost – fewer constituent
questions means less staff time
spent responding to inquiries

30. 30

31. 31
Trends in
Customer
Support

32. Social
• 1 in 5 consumers report using social media for customer service in the past
year
• Your customers are using these channels for more than marketing whether
or not you are

33. Alzheimer’s Association @alzassociation
33

34. Save The Children @savethechildren
34

35. 35
Customer Satisfaction by Channel
© Lemonstand website

36. Trend in Websites Today: Chat
Pro-active chat
allows for a window
to display to a user
who sits on a
designated page for
longer than a set
period of time or
upon exit of page

37. Non-Profit Opportunities
• Donation Form Errors
– Pro-active chat to assist constituents
who receive errors when
they submit a donation form
• Registration Conversions
– When Idle on a registration page
– When leaving the registration flow
without completing
37

38. 38
Expenses

39. Where do I get the budget?
Evaluate what your current support expense:
you are already paying for support!
• Opportunity Cost of Staff time
• Lost fundraising
• Customer Expectations and competition
39

40. Strategies for Managing Cost
• Self service tools can have big bang for your buck
– Searchable FAQ - 5-10k
– Third party tools available to manage template
and infrastructure
• On Demand Support for high event season
• Targeted Channels
– Chat / email for high volume
– Phone / email for low volume
40

41. 41
Build the case
for support

42. 1. Best Customer
Service & Support
Builds Trust
• Your activities are the limbs of
your organization
• Your mission is the body
• Constituent support is the face
of your organization
42

43. Constituent Perception Matters!
43
The public’s trust in an
organization is rated as the
number one factor to influence
the decision to engage
(donate time and money)
It has never been harder to
acquire and retain donors and
supporters. With over 1.5
million charities in the USA
consumers have choices as to
where they invest.

44. 2. Good customer service
diffuses dissatisfaction
• Things happen….
You need to be
prepared
• Turning a
challenge into an
opportunity
44

45. 45
How are your supporters feeling?

46. Poll
What percent of dissatisfied constituents
actually reach out to complain?
A. 4%
B. 14%
C. 27%
D. 36%
E. Over 50%
46

47. 47
Only 4% of dissatisfied
customers bother
to raise the issue

48. 48
90% of dissatisfied
customers never return

49. 49
Dissatisfied customers tell
8-20 people
about their bad experience

50. • Word of mouth is the most powerful ally you have on your side
• When you provide the best
in customer service, guess
what happens?
– People will talk about you.
– They will remember your brand.
– Will say, “Oh, go to this place.
They are great!”
50
3. It builds and strengthens brands

51. 4. Identifies and reduces problems
• Customer service is the voice of your consumers.
– Not only can your customer service team immediately alert you to any issues
– Can also identify trends by looking at the big picture
• They are also the voice of your organization.
– If consumers know that they can voice complaints and those issues will be
handled properly, they will feel more comfortable doing business with you in the
future.
51

52. 5. Integral to the new donor experience
Then:
- Supporter makes a donation, gets their tax
receipt, is happy.
Now:
- Supporter makes a donation, wants
acknowledgement right away
- They want to be kept informed of all progress
their donation may have contributed to… even
if its only $20.
- They expect your staff to know them and their
giving history every time they interact with
you….
52

53. 6. Proven to Increase Retention
& Revenue Generation
53

54. Building the case for support
1. The best customer service builds trust
2. Good customer service overcomes dissatisfaction
3. It builds and strengthens brands
4. Reduces problems
5. Integral to the new “donor experience”
6. Proven to increase retention and revenue generation
54

55. © 2016 Charity Dynamics. www.charitydynamics.com | info@charitydynamics.com