On March 13 – 15, 2024, CASE members gathered for the District 1 Annual Conference in Boston, and we were there. Here are three things we learned from a fascinating group of thought leaders in academic philanthropy:
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Let’s talk about your Spring Appeal. Direct mail is a valuable tool for any organization trying to communicate their case for support. The challenge is, how do you use this tool to engage your constituents and inspire them to take action?
Here are 3 tips to help your spring appeal make an impact:
Use current photos to show impact
Using powerful images is a widely understood concept for appeals.1 Showing the impact of how gifts have helped current students, allowed for extra safety measures, or provided support to those in need during the pandemic will resonate with current and prospective donors.
See how the California College of the Arts used this approach: CCA Appeal
Make sure it is clear what you would like donors to do
Like a successful email campaign, an effective appeal involves a clear CTA and message. If donors are unsure what your goal is, it will be less interesting for them to take action.
See how this appeal illustrates a clear CTA: Friends Central School Appeal
Don’t rely too heavily on copy
Crafting effective messaging is important and there can often be a lot that you want to say to your audience. However, that message could get lost in translation if there is too much copy drowning it out.2 Finding the balance between images, copy, and a format that appeases both is the goal.
See how we helped York College accomplish this balance: York College Appeal
What are you trying in your current programs? Connect with us today and let us know.
Sources:
1 = SG Engage
2 = Huffington Post
Tip #3: Better Together – Email and Direct Mail
This is the last post in our special blog series discussing effective ways you can optimize direct mail programs in a post-pandemic world and beyond.
Many organizations that rely on annual giving have embraced an omnichannel approach in their direct mail efforts. Although they are often pitted against each other, combining email with direct mail is a great example of two mediums that are stronger together.
Combining email and direct mail can help maximize your fundraising campaigns by boosting your engagement rates and increasing your ROI. While these two tactics certainly have merit individually, many organizations don’t realize how powerful they can be when paired together.
This partnership couldn’t have better timing from a content, messaging, and outreach perspective since “digital burnout” continues to plague potential donors.
Digital burnout has many variations, including “virtual fatigue” and “webinar fatigue.” It’s easy to overload your constituents with virtual information if you are relying heavily on email in the current climate.
Consider the following statistics:
- 56% of customers find print marketing to be the most trustworthy type of marketing1
- 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase last year based on a promotional email2
- Digital burn out has been on the rise since 2019 and has worsened since the pandemic3
Utilizing direct mail and email together is more impactful than using just one. Benefits of email include quick and direct contact, easy tracking, and the ability to change messaging quickly. Direct mail can be more logistically challenging, but the ethos it invokes is hard to ignore. Why not combine them and have the best of both worlds?
Here is an example from a client who was able to successfully pair these tactics to create a comprehensive spring appeal program:
Although there is still some uncertainty around the future of fundraising, there are many creative and practical ways that organizations like yours can reach potential donors and convey your organization’s message. Analyzing your outreach methods and seeing how they can complement each other is a great start.
What do you think about our third and final tip in this “Optimizing Direct Mail Programs: Post-Pandemic and Beyond” series? We’d love to hear your feedback. Click here to leave us a comment.
Sources:
1 & 2 = Mann & Co.
3 = Inc.
Tip #2: The Cost of Poor Graphic Design
In this special blog series, we will discuss effective ways you can optimize direct mail programs in a post-pandemic world and beyond.
Our previous post examined the critical step of perfecting data management to ensure a successful and compliant direct mail campaign. But what good is flawless data if you haven’t focused on your design elements?
In the best-case scenario, a fantastically designed direct mail piece will delight your audience, compliment your call to action and invoke donations. In the worst-case scenario, a poorly designed direct mail piece is deemed irrelevant, alienates your audience, or is tossed in the recycle bin. Although expert data management will ensure that you are targeting the correct people, impactful graphic design and messaging is what will ultimately compel them to embrace your cause.
A recent design firm analyzed how much money they lost in one day based on the time their employees spent attempting to decode a poorly organized chart. It totaled $273, which was more than the daily rate of one employee.1
It is possible to underwhelm with an underdeveloped design, but it can be just as offensive to potential donors if you overwhelm your direct mail with information and graphics. Subtlety is not always a bad thing if you are appropriately taking advantage of every available space on your direct mail piece.2 A good designer will be able to usher you through that process, and understanding the nuances will eventually become second nature.
How can you ensure that you are considering thoughtful graphic design practices in your own direct mail initiatives? Here are some general guidelines from our very own BCG Connect graphic design team:
- Focus on function as well as form
- Embrace concise and relevant copy
- Remember to follow your pre-existing brand guidelines for continuity
- Make sure the tone of your message is reflected in the images you use
Effective graphic design can make or break your direct mail campaign. The fundraising world especially relies on empathy and ethos in their outreach to potential donors.
Here are some examples from our clients who asked us to help them balance their data management needs with effectual graphic design.
Data segmentation will never lose its importance, but when you combine it with innovative and well-crafted graphic design, you are elevating your direct mail strategy to a whole new level.
What do you think about our second tip in this “Optimizing Direct Mail Programs: Post-Pandemic and Beyond” series? We’d love to hear your feedback. Click here to leave us a comment.
Sources:
1 = Evergreen Data
2 = Target Marketing
Tip #1: Debunking List Management
In this special blog series, we will discuss effective ways you can optimize direct mail programs in a post-pandemic world and beyond.
Direct mail is known to be an efficient and engaging channel that helps retain and acquire donors in the fundraising world. But has coronavirus changed its credibility?
The answer may pleasantly surprise you. According to the USPS Market Research and Insights Report, 65% of those surveyed stated that receiving mail lifts their spirits, with 54% of respondents stating that mail helped them feel more connected.1
You may be thinking, “Great! Sign me up.” But it’s a little more complicated than that.
In our internal May 2020 BCG Connect client survey, 100% of respondents described their organizations as understaffed. Additionally, 99% of respondents indicated that they do not have the time or resources to focus on fundraising campaigns to their desired extent.
At the best of times, fundraising campaigns require careful planning and copious amounts of attention and detail orientation to yield results. The most successful direct mail campaigns are the ones that are the most highly targeted. In order to develop a customized, engaging direct mail piece, you have to perfect one key element: proper list management. List management can single-handedly make or break your campaign.
The good news is that direct mail is resonating with donors and prospects. The bad news is that many organizations are overwhelmed and understaffed. So, what action should organizations take to run a highly targeted direct mail campaign without straining their already limited resources?
The answer: outsourcing. Utilizing a partner who understands the intricacies of list management can ease the stress of your campaign, increase your bandwidth, and help you meet your fundraising goals.
Direct mail is reaching audiences in meaningful ways during these unprecedented times. It’s more important now than ever to analyze your list in order to optimize it and run a profitable campaign.
What do you think about our first tip in this “Optimizing Direct Mail Programs: Post-Pandemic and Beyond” series? We’d love to hear your feedback. Click here to leave us a comment.
Sources:
1 = Target Marketing
School Challenges are one of the best ways to boost alumni participation quickly.
Regis College ran a successful school challenge after receiving a generous pledge to the annual fund of $25,000. A Regis couple asked their fellow alumni and friends to rise to the school challenge and make 600 gifts to Regis by the end of the calendar year. Long story short, they surpassed their goal with 799 donations.
The results showed that the challenge was a great way to:
- Secure participation rates early on in the fiscal year
- Get never-donors to make their first donation
- Increase gift amounts from current donors
- Show the Regis community that their peers (alumni, faculty, staff, and parents) are actively giving back.
Find out how Regis made it all happen here.
Regis College is a great example of executing a successful school challenge. To reach success, it’s important to remember that you must have ample preparation in your outreach and marketing materials in order to generate the best results.
If you’re interested in learning how BCG Connect can help you with your school challenge to boost alumni participation quickly, connect with us! We have partnered with a number of clients to improve their school challenge direct marketing materials to optimize donor engagement
Rally Day is Noble and Greenough School’s giving day. Like many schools looking to improve young alumni participation, Nobles designates one day a year to giving. Rally Day takes over the school’s Instagram, Twitter feed, Facebook page and campus grounds, as students display their school pride and thanks for giving with signs and t-shirts, while volunteers take to the phone lines to rally support from recent grads.
Last year was a success, as Nobles surpassed their goal of 500 gifts with an end result of more than 600 gifts and pledges, which set the bar even higher for this year’s Rally Day with a goal to bring in 605 gifts and pledges.
“We certainly would not have had these results without the direct mail marketing and click-to-pledge emails as well as the social media promotion we did prior to Rally Day.”
-Allie Trainor, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, Noble and Greenough School
Giving days and participation challenges are a great way to boost alumni participation, especially with young alumni, and raise money quickly. It provides a friendly competition – whether that’s between different grades/classes, organizations, parents/faculty/students, or being able to unlock a gift from a generous donor.
BCG Connect works with clients on their giving day campaigns to provide direct marketing materials to support the event. It is critical to have an integrated campaign for the giving day to ensure that all individuals are aware and prepared for the day. Learn more about how we helped Noble and Greenough School with their successful giving day in the case study download.
Noble and Greenough successful giving day download!
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