EMBARKEMBARKon your way to eff ect ive market ing and fundraising

October 2016October 2016

SESERVIVICE | | STRTRATEGIESEGIES | | SOSOLUTLUT IONIONS

The Labyrinth of The Labyrinth of Mid-level GivingMid-level GivingUnlocking the potential of one of your best donor segments.

++Check Out:Check Out: - - Donor SurveysDonor Surveys - 2017 Trends - 2017 Trends - Scavenger Hunt - Scavenger Hunt

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Why?Why?One word: Loyalty. Off ering a survey tells someone that you value his or her opinion and wish to improve in order to serve your community better. It provides your organization guidance for future fundraising campaigns and builds a stronger relationship with constituents. A survey can uncover areas that need fi ne tuning and can lift results. It is an excellent way to manage volunteers, monitor satisfaction levels, and increase appeal eff ectiveness. Loyalty and retention grow from a place of trust. Surveys are one of the best ways to foster better relationships and improve retention.

Who?Who?Rather than focusing on who should be receiving your survey, concentrate on customizing it based on the type of person who will be completing the survey and what their impact is. For example, a volunteer would receive a survey on volunteering, and a newly lapsed donor would be given a survey asking why they stopped giving. Just like segmenting by giving levels, surveys should consider the audience and type of feedback that is most benefi cial. Th e questions you ask can provide valuable information and will allow you to more accurately target your fundraising eff orts.

When? When? Timing is highly dependent on the channel through which the survey is delivered. RKD Alpha Dog sends a donor survey for many of our partners once a year; however, there are circumstances where feedback is required more frequently. One example is after your organization hosts an event. You may also take the opportunity to have a

Donor Sur eys & FeedbackDonor Sur eys & FeedbackDo you know if your donors are satisfi ed? Th e only way to fi nd out is by asking them. Ensuring satisfaction is one of the best ways to drive and maintain donor loyalty. Just like any fundraising campaign, there should be careful strategic planning for execution and measurement.

Sources: NonProfi t Quarterly | Raise-Funds.com | Survey Monkey

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Donor Sur eys & FeedbackDonor Sur eys & FeedbackSur ey IdeasSur ey Ideas

• Pre or post event• Online donation form • Website user-friendliness• Volunteer referrals and retention• Donor satisfaction• Gauge interest in activities• Major donor cultivation• Social media engagement• Communication preferences• Estate planning• Monthly giving program awareness

Making The Necessar ChangesMaking The Necessar ChangesYou sent the survey and have started collecting responses. How do you measure results and make necessary adjustments? Generally, people will only fi ll out a survey if they feel like their voice will be heard and will make a diff erence. A few tips: take each response with a grain of salt, don’t skip over the negative comments, don’t dwell on the negative comments, and be sure to discuss any signifi cant fi ndings with your team before taking action. A best practice is to assign someone in your organization to follow up with any major or large donors who have specifi c comments or questions. Because you are asking for input and not for direct support, you are cultivating relationships in a way that makes supporters feel important and needed.

donor fi ll out a short questionnaire after completing your online donation form. Another option is to send a donor survey with a thank you note that is customized with that particular donor’s information and giving history. No matter how many surveys you plan to send, be sure that you are prepared to measure and collect the responses adequately. Don't forget to record any feedback from the donor in their database entry for future reference.

Where? Where? An important part of success is where your donors take a survey. A survey does not need to be a multitude of questions that takes hours to complete – it can be as simple as one question on your remit slip or an insert in your next newsletter. Your goal is to collect practical information that can further your organization’s reach and impact on the community. Donor surveys are all about understanding your donors’ preferences, priorities, and values and how those relate to your mission. For this reason, it is crucial that if your supporters receive a survey, it is relevant to the type of support they off er to your organization. You might ask a volunteer to fi ll out questions on a postcard to turn in when they leave rather than an online survey which would be more relevant to someone who just opened your email.

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Th e fourth quarter and holiday season can get crazy enough for anyone to pull their hair out. Take a short break for a fun and productive scavenger hunt:

Tag RKD Alpha Dog in any pictures you post on social media and we will share them on our pages!

OctoberOctober Scavenger HuntScavenger Hunt

Pick a few volunteers! Take a picture and post your gratitude on social media.

Find and read the RKD Alpha Dog blog post about donor retention and choosing your own path between risk and reward.

Find a copy of your last direct mail piece to confi rm all information is up to date.

Talk to one of your mid to major donors on the phone. Be sure to thank them for their support!

Find 10 database entries that need fi xing. (address, phone, email, name, salutation, and everything in-between)

Create your own scavenger hunt and include supplies, referrals, volunteer hours, social media engagement, donations, etc.

Take a picture outside when the fall weather is beautiful to showcase your awesome facilities.

Find an Alpha Dog branded promotional item. (Don’t have one? Tell us and we’ll send you something special!)

Leave a note with sidewalk chalk promoting #GivingTuesday.

Send 5 handwritten thank you notes to supporters who have recently made an impact.

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Trends20172017

TREND 1: Highly Targeted and Detailed Personalization 2017's campaign personalization will be more than adding a donor’s name to the subject line of an email. In the next year, we will dig deeper into donor databases to connect on an individual level leading to increased giving and supporter advocacy. 2017 will require nonprofi ts to evaluate donor demographics, personas, giving history, and more. Take advantage of every opportunity to personalize each interaction while communicating your mission and story.

TREND 2: Augmented Data Analytics To be truly successful in 2017, your organization absolutely has to analyze your data and measure performance. Your database should be more than just a dumping ground for information. Whichever platform or program you use, take time each week or month to clean bad data. Don’t waste any more time or money in 2017 sending appeals to incorrect or bad records. To make future campaigns better, evaluate what worked and what did not work. Research, test, analyze, and adjust.

TREND 3: Multi-layered Integrated MarketingCampaign integration is not a new concept. However, RKD Alpha Dog sees a vast diff erence in the results of our multichannel partners vs. those who fundraise through only one channel. By sending your message across multiple platforms, you create an engaging campaign that leaves a lasting impression on your current and prospective donors. Th e more times someone sees your content and the longer it keeps their attention the better chance you have of that person taking action. How much better do you think your most recent fundraising campaign would have performed by adding just one more channel layer?

TREND 4: Enhanced Digital Fundraising TacticsWhile email is currently at the top of the digital food chain, be on the lookout for paid social media advertising to make a jump. Since organic reach (individuals who naturally see your digital activity without paid or targeted advertising) has been slowly decreasing, more and more organizations are resorting to social ads to penetrate donor markets. Paid social ad spending is expected to increase to almost $36 Billion – up from $24 Billion in 2015. Knowing how to reach each donor segment online will separate the weak from the strong in 2017.

We all know how important planning for the future We all know how important planning for the future can be for an organization. Look into our crystal can be for an organization. Look into our crystal

ball to see what could be trending in 2017…ball to see what could be trending in 2017…

Sources: Business2Community.com | Iron Paper | Medium.com | Target Marketing

Total giving is predicted to increase by

Giving by foundations is

predicted to increase by

4.3% 6.4%

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The Labyrinth The Labyrinth of Mid-level of Mid-level GivingGiving

Inspiring Donors to UpgradeLike most donor segments, it’s all about communication and how well you meet donors’ needs. But unlike other segments, your mid-level donors are most likely an underutilized group that wants to engage with your organization on a deeper level. Mid-level donors need to be inspired on a higher level in order to be pushed into the major or large donor segment. A good place to start is to add a special thank you message after they make a gift or put their name and address in handwriting on the front of an outer envelope. Small changes to your appeals will make a huge diff erence to this group. Another mid-level donor strategy revolves around consistent storytelling. Consistency will increase brand awareness and loyalty. Loyalty breeds retention which leads to better results.

Th e fi rst step in targeting any segment of donors is the act of identifying who that donor group is. Your mid-level donors are those individuals who consistently donate above the average gift line but are not giving enough to be considered a major donor. Th e actual dollar range will diff er for each nonprofi t, but there are general guidelines and strategic tactics that one can use to implement a successful mid-level giving program.

Sources: NonProfi t Pro | Network For Good | Th e Agitator

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Mid-level Mid-level Giving Facts:Giving Facts:

Mid-level Giving Shortlist1. Identify: Research everything you can about your mid-level donors to better communicate with them.2. Engagement: Engaged donors will bring in referrals, will stay around longer, and will give more over time.3. Consistency: Delivering the same message over and over will increase trust and brand recognition. 4. Integrate: Send your campaign through multiple channels to increase the chance that donors will take action. 5. Storytelling: Write stories that your donors want to hear about. 6. Upgrade Track: Create a track for mid-level donors to upgrade into new, higher donor segments. 7. Acknowledgment: Always be sure to send timely and genuine thank you notes. 8. Evaluate: Keep track of how donors are performing. Make adjustments as needed to keep improving!

3 Key Factors For SuccessTh ere are three main factors that set an appeal for a mid-level donor apart from the other appeals you are sending. Know your audience for each campaign and what they respond to best

before sending. Th is is where personalization and having clean data will be imperative. Th e ask in your letter or on the remit slip needs to match the donor’s giving history. You may suggest a higher than average gift amount from them, but be sure you are relating this extra gift amount to a program they care about. Th e success of the appeal also depends on who you have signing the letter or card. Consider using someone in your organization that many people trust and recognize.

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LET US KNOW!LET US KNOW!Do you want a certain topic covered in our blog posts,

newsletters, or social media posts? Tell us about it!

RKDAlphaDog.com | info@rkdalphadog.com | #RKDAlphaDog

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NEW IN NEW IN THE PACKTHE PACK

RKD Alpha Dog is pleased to welcome Doug Kubr, Data

Specialist, to the animal welfare team!

Members of our Lincoln team participated in Hunger Action Month to fi ght hunger, donate, volunteer our time, and spread the word about food insecurity in America.

The company matched all funds raised by our employees in order to maximize our impact in the community.

#AlphaDogCares#AlphaDogCares