March 2006
The best of both worlds
"Too many legacy donors?" by Gwen Chapman
What's up online by Dan Weeks
The best of both worlds
If your organization's like most, you have one control package you mail to all your prospect lists. But are you finding it tricky to create a message that works for what may seem to be different audiences?
In that case, consider this successful package from Defenders of Wildlife (Washington DC) — an effort led by Vice President for Membership Steve Delvecchio in partnership with SQN Communications Design (Vienna VA). The resulting Wolf Sponsorship Kit proved so effective it was awarded the 2005 Package of the Year by the Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association.
Defenders had actually been mailing two controls to two distinct audiences: animal welfare lists and environmental/conservation lists. According to Brent Stinar of SQN, the former are "really issue-based donors who care very deeply about how wolves are like dogs." While the latter are "typically premium-driven, based on the model of 'here are the benefits you get for joining.'"
The Wolf Sponsorship Kit generated an impressive 2.5% response rate, an average gift of $21, and a cost to raise a dollar of 93 cents — with a cost per thousand of $500. The package beat both of the existing controls and is now Defenders' sole acquisition control.
An over-sized outer
The Kit was conceptualized to appeal to both sets of lists. And the format, content, and design of the various components reflect this dual purpose.
The vertically printed front of the 9 x 12" outer envelope almost screams goodies, with lists of front-end premiums included in the Kit and back-end sponsorship benefits — in addition to a photo of a howling wolf pup plush toy and the hand-written line "Yours is waiting for you!"
However the back of the outer, printed horizontally, suggests a very different message. It features an amazing full-color photo of two wolves, one with its muzzle resting on the back of the other. Handwritten copy says, "Will you help them to survive?"
The obvious intent here — and throughout the package — is, as Stinar comments, "to play up the fact that wolves are dog-like, social animals. That they're not scary, big-bad-wolf type creatures."
A keepsake poster
An even more stunning close-up of this photo is made into a horizontal 22 x 17" poster (folding to 8-1/2 x 11"), which Stinar believes "has value in and of itself" as a front-end premium.
The opposite side of the poster, on the other hand, is clearly aimed for those who are more issue-oriented. The piece details the life and history of wolves in the U.S. — as well as current threats — and what Defenders is doing to make a difference. To reinforce what Stinar describes as an "academic, encyclopedia-type look," this side is printed two-color in a more muted brown and green.
Other components
A four-page letter — printed tabloid style to make it more cost-effective — is also content rich. But a 7 x 10" four-color insert is targeted squarely at the benefits-driven audience: with photos and copy pitching Defenders magazine and the cute wolf pup plush toy, along with a list of tangible, back-end sponsorship benefits.
An 8-1/2 x 11" full-color reply form — including another picture of the plush toy with handwritten copy, a sheet of address labels with charming wolf pictures, and a decal — completes the goodie side of the ledger.
"Too many legacy donors?"
By Gwen Chapman
I bet you're amazed just how many donors have already included bequests for your organization in their wills. And you've hardly even begun to market your legacy program!
"Imagine how many more legacy donors we'll identify once you increase my legacy marketing budget!" you tell your boss. But instead, she tells you she's cutting back the budget. "No one on the team has the time to call or visit the 150 legacy society members we've already got," your boss says. "We don't want more members right now. First we need to do a good job building relationships with the people we already have. Your upcoming bequest mailing will identify more. I want you to cancel that mailing."
Your boss might think that canceling the annual bequest mailing will have no negative impact on your future planned giving revenue. But think again. Most donors support multiple organizations during their lifetimes. The reason why the vast majority of donors choose to include bequests in their wills for specific organizations is that the option is top-of-mind when they update their estate plans. Continuing mailings to existing legacy pledgers will help keep your organization — and their commitments to you — top-of-mind.
So what now?
Try to persuade your boss to leave the budget as is. (If this is the first time your legacy expense budget has been slashed, you need to know that it will likely happen again. So do what you can now to stop the first cut.)
Present a (better) plan to nurture your 150 existing legacy society donors.
Save some of the current budget to nurture legacy society donors.
Reduce the number of pieces you send out for the legacy mailing.
Here are a few ideas to cultivate and nurture your legacy society donors:
Hold an annual event to welcome new legacy society members and to thank and recognize all society members. (Be sure to include invitations for your top legacy prospects.) If your organization operates nationwide, alternate the geographic venue to give donors a chance to attend. And regardless of the venue, invite all society members. You'll be surprised at the distances people will travel to attend such an event.
Identify the top prospects among the heritage society donors. Then make a special effort to get to know them, the source of their interest, and what motivates them to leave a lasting legacy for future generations.
Establish a "thank-you" committee — three or four individuals who will make phone calls to thank newly identified legacy society donors. Then call all society members once a year to provide a personal update on current programs and the vision for future programs.
All too often, legacy society donors are excluded from newsletter mailing lists because they haven't made financial contributions in recent years or because someone on staff decided they should be protected from receiving mail. Ensure that legacy society donors are included in newsletter mailings, unless they have specifically requested not to receive newsletters.
Mail periodic non-solicitation appeals to as many donors on your database as you can afford — and always be sure to include your legacy society donors.
Remember: Because your donors support many nonprofits, it's quite possible that another organization will send them a bequest mailing during the year you don't. And for some donors, that could be immediately before they update their estate plans. Fight to save your budget.
This is Gwen Chapman's final column for the newsletter as she departs for Dubai to begin a new chapter in her life.
What's up online
By Dan Weeks
"Through the Eyes of Children: The Rwanda Project" began as a photographic workshop six years ago. Using disposable cameras, orphans from the Rwandan genocide took pictures for themselves and to share with others. In doing so, they managed to find beauty in their world.
Today, the children continue to photograph with donated cameras. The sale of these high-quality photographs gives the children the means to continue their photography and their education.
The Rwanda Project Web site received the 2003 Photo District News Photography Annual award in the web category. You can visit their Web site, and see some remarkable pictures, at www.rwandaproject.org.
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