more members through measured marketing -by baird straughan & pat munoz - chesapeake watershed...
TRANSCRIPT
More Members through Measured Marketing
-By Baird Straughan & Pat Munoz- Chesapeake Watershed Forum,
2013
Truth in Advertising
• This workshop was misrepresented.• Baird and Pat have worked with river and
watershed groups since the last millenium.• Confessed data-philes.• Confessed social media phobes.• Baird developed the River Network status
reports and the WaterGrass database.• Pat is a fundraising “angel” to various groups.
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How many of you distinguish between members and donors?
Goals of this session
• Learn the marketing “funnel” concept, with its various stages
• Share information on the results achieved by other river and watershed groups
• Identify the stages you want to focus on• Choose steps to improve your own marketing
funnel. (One may be to simply start measuring.)
Marketing funnel model
Marketing funnel
forrivers
organizations
Member and Donor Attrition in a small watershed group using Excel to track donors, with over 10 years of data, two solicitations per year.
From Gift 1 to Gift 2: 45%
First time members/donors:
361 gifts
2nd time members/donors:
198 gifts
Attrition:
From Gift 2 to 3: 33%
From Gift 3 to 4: 27%
From Gift 4 to 5: 60%
From Gift 5 to 6: 14%
How to visualize this much attrition?
Marketing funnel
forrivers
organizations
Repeatcontributions
1st Gift 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
The actual attritionN
umbe
r of D
onor
s w
ho G
ive
But what might have
been ….
1st Gift 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400 With 35% first year and 24% attrition thereafter
ProjectedReality
Num
ber
of D
onor
s w
ho G
ive
32 additional second donations at $85.18 donation
= $3,122 in additional revenue.
1st Gift 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400 With a 35/24% attrition rate
ProjectedReality
Num
ber o
f Don
ors
who
Giv
e
Over a period of 7 solicitations, 250 additional donations for
$21,330 in additional revenue.
If 40% of your donors give once and never again …… then they are your best marketing prospects.
Lesson#1
Write down:• Your renewal rate, if you
know it.• How many renewal
reminders you send before giving up.
• How many newsletters per year?
• How many email communications per year?
• How many appeals per year?
Exercise #1:Shutting the Faucet
• In your groups, share your numbers.
• One person: post your numbers on the flipcharts on the side.
• Look around at the flipcharts. What do you notice?
• What changes do you want to make? Note those.
Exercise #1:Shutting the Faucet
Repeatcontributions
Conversion
Measured Marketing at the Rock Creek Conservancy
What Makes RCC Special
Affluent urban neighborhoods with many highly educated community-oriented citizens.
A capable database
Image from WaterGrass
A lot of work.
Board Board/Staff Recruits New Member Mailings End of Year Mail Appeals (2008-2009)
$-
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
RCC’s Initial Recruitment Strategies15 people first give as board members; since then, they’ve given
$29,630.
Board members then recruit 107 friends, who by now have given
$56,656.
535 people respond to direct mail membership solicitations. By now they’ve given
$78,962.
93% renewal 79% 61%
Take-away:
• Donors recruited because they were on the board
• + Donors recruited by the board• + Donors recruited by direct mail solicitations
for new members
gave 71% of the total non-grant income for Rock Creek Conservancy until now.
EVENTS:
Rock Creek Conservancy hasn’t used events for recruiting new members, but events have been instrumental in encouraging existing members and donors to give again and in greater amounts.
Subject: Roses are red ... Roses are redViolets are blueWe need your helpTo bid English ivy adieuRoses are redEnglish ivy is greenHelp us eradicate itAnd keep our park cleanHelp us control non-native invasive vines in Rock Creek Park with a donation. Be a sweetheart, and show Rock Creek you care!Happy Valentine's Day!Beth MullinExecutive DirectorRock Creek Conservancy
EMAIL SOLICITATIONSBeth’s email appeals get as much as 1% response, which is stupendous. Most are previous donors. The emails bring in 56 new donors, but only 34% give again.
DOOR HANGERS!
9 people signed up due to these door hangers, 66% renewed, and they’ve given generously since.
VOLUNTEERS
2013ExtremeCleanup
TILL NOW, ONLY 2% OF PEOPLE WHO BEGAN BY VOLUNTEERING DONATE.
People who donated first People who volunteered first0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900N
umbe
r of P
eopl
e
88% have never vol-unteered
94% have never do-nated
Another organization with more data on volunteer participation shows the same “silos.”
EVENTS
Events Grow
Large
Donations
Total Dollars from Major Donations ( Donations > $250)
From Events
More and Diversified Asks Encourage Multiple Gifts
2008 2009 2010 2011 20120
20
40
60
80
100
120
Number of Gifts over $250
Number which were multiple donations
Special Appeals
First Contribution Second0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
74 people made their first contribu-tion to an appeal letter.
But only 9 have made a second donation.
Write down:• How many new members
you got this year, if you know it?
• How many new member solicitations you send out?
• How many in-person solicitations?
• Other means you use to recruit members.
Exercise #2:Converting More People to Become Members
In your group:• Share your results and
capture them on your flipcharts.
• Identify one strategy for member recruitment that’s new to most of you.
Share in large group.
Note what you’d like to change.
Exercise #2:Converting More People to Become Members
Conversion
Contact
WEBSITE VISITORS
(to be completed)
Web (2008-2010) Web 2011 Web 2012 Web 2013 $-
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$6,000
$7,000
$8,000
$9,000
68%32%
25%
68%
6 gifts.50% gave again.Average lifetime donation till now: $406.
The kind of posts which got attention in Facebook were like this:
So far, most Facebook friends haven’t crossed over into other actions.
0
100
200
300
400
500
600 504
658 3
People in the database because they’ve given, or volunteered, or signed up for emails, etc.
Write down:• How many contacts do you
make through online methods? (If you don’ t know, how will you measure?)
• What online methods will you focus on now?
Exercise #3:Making Contact with Potential Members
Share in your groups:• What area of membership
marketing will you focus on first when you return home?
Exercise #3:Making Contact with Potential Members
Main Points:• Measure so you can learn
what works.• Asking personally or by
letters is still the most effective approach.
• Converting more volunteers to donors would improve fundraising a lot.
• Website donations are rising and important for the future.
