AFP 2012 Giving Trends & End of Year Fundraising Strategies presentation. Anastasia Staten shared specific end of year fundraising strategies for direct response (mail,phone, email), annual giving, and mid-level donors. Best practices, success stories (with metrics) and tips for successful end of year fundraising planning was presented for attendees to use within their organizations.

1. 2012 Giving Trends &
End of Year Giving Strategies
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012
ANASTASIA A. STATEN
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP
FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS

3. Prepare Your Case for Giving
Don’t Just Solicit – Take Your It’s Not About You! It’s The Lives
Donors on a Journey Your Donors Can Change

4. Prepare Your Case for Giving
Place Your Donors in the
Use Emotion Authentically
Center of the Mission

5. Think Like an Investor: Investment Portfolio
Individual components:
 Mail
 Phone
 Online Three Principles To a
 In-person meeting (one-on-one, Successful Year-End
small gatherings, etc…)
1. Strategy
Types of Givers:
 Major Donors (Individual,
2. Commitment
Corporate and Foundation) 3. Consistency
 Direct Response
 Emerging Major Donors
 Planned Giving

6. Direct Response and
Emerging Major
Donors
Strategy – Consistency – Commitment

7. Strategy, Commitment, Consistency
Multi-part communication:
Mail, Phone, E-mail and other communications channels
Mail
• Direct Response
• Two part series in the prime time (November and December)
• First mailing to a wider audience, second to core segment
• Emerging Major Donors
• Three part series over 4-months starting in September
Phone: Overlaid a telemarketing campaign
Email
• Six part series excluding cultivation
• Targeted messaging
Keys to Success: Use Matching Gift, Create a Sense of Urgency, Use a
Deadline and Remember if You Are Not Asking Someone Else Is

9. Increase
Open Rate

11. Emerging Major Donors
First YearCase Study - Year-End 3 Partin Revenue
Generated 19% Increase Mail Series
Key Wins:
Net Per Donor Acquired (NPDA): $901
Return On Investment (ROI): 813%
Total Revenue: $157K

12. Suggest Giving Level

13. Handwritten Address Block
Enhanced
Personalization
Encourage Do
Address Block
Directed Givin

14. Emerging Major Donor Year-End Growth
$180,000
$157,190
$160,000
$140,000
$120,000
$100,000
Number of Responses
$80,000 Income Generated
$62,663
$60,000
$58,980 $50,445
$40,000
$37,880
$20,000
$0
FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

15. Soliciting Online
 Built email list and cultivated in months leading up
to year-end asks
 It’s ALL about the last 10-15 days of the year
 Give “donate” buttons more prominence on home
page during December – consider a shadow
box, flash sales and social media
 Create a multi-part messaging campaign that builds
toward the end of the year

16. In General: Use Mail
Success Techniques
Do the Math
Tell a Story
Maximize the P.S.
First of Six e-Solicitations

17. “Spirit of Giving”
Copy Gets Shorter and
More Direct
Third of Six e-Solicitations

18. Sense of
Urgency
Goal Driven Copy and
Imagery
Final of Six e-Solicitations

19. Tele-Fundraising
 Overlay a calling campaign
 Great place to encourage, reinforce
urgency, reactivate lapsed or about to lapse donors

20. Direct Response: The Fierce Five
1. Don’t Shy Away From Tried and True
2. Cultivate NOW
3. Challenge Yourself But Don’t Bite-Off More Than
You Chew
4. Maximize Production
5. Educate Larger Team

21. Wrapping Up Year-End Campaign
Reporting Back to Donors
Gift Acknowledgment
Impact Reports
High-Touch Reporting
Report Back to Yourself
Analyze Results
Set goals for next campaign
Thanking Your Donors Does NOT Stop in December

22. Integrated Marketing Plan
August September October November December January
Facilitate prospect Facilitate prospect
Secure matching gift, meetings, host social meetings, host social
identify major gift gatherings and program gatherings and program Mail appeal to personal Forward email appeals to
Board/CEO prospects visits visits lists personal lists Phone call thank-a-thon
Refine solicitation
Set goals with team, strategy; host top
including $ raised, # prospects at gatherings, Continue solicitations Continue solicitations
donors, # outreach visits; talk with and outreach to top and outreach to top Celebrate year-end
Director of actions; socialize with corporate, foundation prospects; facilitate prospects; facilitate success, thank donors,
Development Board & CEO donors Board leads Board outreach Call/visit with top donors analyze results
Create customized
cultivation plans with
prospects; know Ramp up targeted Intensive quality Intensive quality
prospects' decision- outreach, begin Intensive quality outreach; update outreach; update Thank donors; report on
Gift Officers making timelines solicitations outreach, solicitations committed donors committed donors results
Mail follow-up to CYE #1;
overlay telemarketing
Rest your file or regularly Rest your file or regularly Regularly scheduled Mail CYE #1 appeal; and E-mail campaigns;
schedule solicitation; scheduled solicitation; solicitation or package overlay telemarketing thanks donors; suppress Celebrate CYE campaign
Direct cultivate on all available cultivate on all available with "spirit of giving and E-mail campaigns; donors who have given to or year in review; thanks
Response channels channels theme thanks donors the CYE efforts donors

23. Q and A

24. Contact Information
Anastasia A. Staten, Senior Director of Membership
Foundation Fighting Blindness
410.423.0635 │astaten@fightblindness.org
anastasiastaten