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Case Study: Doubling Donations to a Year-End Appeal

March 2008
fundraising, marketing campaigns

That time of year again.
The year-end appeal may be as old as the nonprofit world itself. Finding a fresh approach that donors can relate to—pulling at their heartstrings so that they open their purse strings—remains an annual challenge.

An appeal appealing to web users.
In 2007, Big Duck’s goal was to build upon our previous successes with non-traditional direct mail appeals for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD). In years past, their annual appeal grossed approximately $150,000 from a renewal mailing list of approximately 10,000 donors, using one cost-effective (snail) mailing. This year, we introduced PPMD to campaign-oriented online fundraising using Convio's engagement tools. To complement the direct mail piece, we created a matching gift campaign with five-part email message series, a unique donation landing page on the PPMD website, and on-site banners promoting the appeal. So what was the impact? Read on, nonprofit fans.

The online campaign kicks off.
Just before Thanksgiving (and prior to mailing out the appeal), we created and sent out the first email in a series. In this email, PPMD's executive director simply thanked everyone for their support and invited people to share what they're thankful for on the message board. PPMD has a very active community of parents, families, and supporters we hoped to engage before they received the appeal in the mail. There was no “ask” in this first email. A banner ad on the PPMD site also promoted giving thanks on the message board. The response was tremendous, with more than 2,000 reviews and dozens of postings on their message board.

A creative concept, a direct mailing, and email #2.
Most people create a list of gifts to get around the holiday season, so Big Duck used the holiday list as its theme for PPMD’s annual appeal campaign. Because Duchenne robs boys of their muscle function and independence, we created a “holiday list” for a boy with Duchenne. The inside said simply, “Some holiday lists are more essential than others.” The card arrived in about 12,000 homes (i.e. families and friends that donated previously) during the first week of December.

We simultaneously sent out an email from PPMD’s executive director that used the visual from the direct mail piece. It also announced an additional feature of the campaign: a matching gift totaling $25,000 from PPMD’s incoming board chair. Donors could now double their donations by giving before the end of the year. The matching gift aspect of the campaign was also promoted on the PPMD site with banner ads.

Email #3 adds a personal touch. During the second week of December, we sent out the third email, this one from PPMD’s incoming board chair. In the email, he explains why he’s matching gifts through the end of the year. As the parent of a boy with Duchenne, he was able to make a heartfelt plea to other parents. This email had the highest open rate, response rate, and dollars raised.

Email #4: A last-ditch effort.
With the end-of-the-year deadline approaching for the matching gift, we sent out a New Year’s Eve reminder (from staff) that there was still time to make a difference. Using the campaign theme again, we included a list of New Year’s resolutions, which included “Donate to PPMD.” Getting in that final 2007 tax deduction motivated last-minute donors, who generated 27% of all dollars raised in the online campaign.

Email #5 leaves them feeling good.
The final email came from the executive director, who thanked them for reaching—and exceeding—the limit of the matching donation, and she reported back how much money was raised throughout the online campaign. Together with their supporters, PPMD accomplished the goal of the appeal with flying colors.

In short…
In total, the campaign raised $295,928 in the mail and $68,078 online, including additional gifts via the main donation page. With the board chair’s matching donation of $25,000, the campaign grossed $389,006, a 97.3% increase over last year’s results.

Hoping for results like these in your next appeal? Here are a few lessons you can apply:

• Attract new donors through direct mail, email, and website promotion.
• Unify campaign elements with a creative concept that triggers emotion.
• Update your audience about progress (which simultaneously offers a gentle reminder to those who haven’t donated yet).