Marketing and Communications: Marketing and Communications: A Case Study for DonorsA Case Study for Donors

Presented byPresented by

Audrey P. Kintzi, ACFREAudrey P. Kintzi, ACFRE

About the instructorAbout the instructor Over 25 years experience in nonprofit Over 25 years experience in nonprofit

managementmanagement Vice President, Chief Development Officer forVice President, Chief Development Officer for

Courage Center Courage Center Obtained CFRE in 1991, ACFRE in 2004Obtained CFRE in 1991, ACFRE in 2004 Past President of Minnesota Chapter of the Past President of Minnesota Chapter of the

Association of Fundraising Professionals Association of Fundraising Professionals 2004 Outstanding Professional Fundraiser, 2004 Outstanding Professional Fundraiser,

Minnesota Chapter AFPMinnesota Chapter AFP

Fund Development and the Fund Development and the Marketing and PR functionsMarketing and PR functions

It is rare for a prospect to make a substantial It is rare for a prospect to make a substantial contribution without being familiar or contribution without being familiar or connected to the cause or needconnected to the cause or need

for a prospective donor to give a significant for a prospective donor to give a significant gift, he/she must be involved with the gift, he/she must be involved with the organization and understand the need organization and understand the need

cultivation is a key factor of success – cultivation is a key factor of success – communication is a key factor in effective communication is a key factor in effective donor cultivationdonor cultivation

Fund Development and the Fund Development and the Marketing and PR functionsMarketing and PR functions

According to Penelope Burk, researcher and According to Penelope Burk, researcher and author of the book Donor Centered author of the book Donor Centered Fundraising, 40% of our donors give to Fundraising, 40% of our donors give to between 6-20 nonprofitsbetween 6-20 nonprofits

The donors told her that they don’t have The donors told her that they don’t have time to read all of “our” 10 page newsletterstime to read all of “our” 10 page newsletters

They want to hear from us in a timely They want to hear from us in a timely fashion – a one-page newsletter will dofashion – a one-page newsletter will do

Donor Communication and theDonor Communication and the Girl Scout Council of St. Croix Valley Girl Scout Council of St. Croix Valley

Time and money were limited, we needed an Time and money were limited, we needed an effective and affordable way to reach effective and affordable way to reach donors/parentsdonors/parents

– We surveyed our audience – 78% of those surveyed still We surveyed our audience – 78% of those surveyed still wanted to receive a paper copy of the newsletterwanted to receive a paper copy of the newsletter

– We couldn’t afford to continue mailing 14,000 We couldn’t afford to continue mailing 14,000 householdshouseholds

– 22% of our audience was ready to receive electronic 22% of our audience was ready to receive electronic communication – we didn’t want to miss the opportunitycommunication – we didn’t want to miss the opportunity

The solutionThe solution

– We introduced a 1-page tri-fold newsletter – The Girl We introduced a 1-page tri-fold newsletter – The Girl Scout Family, a much less expensive piece to printScout Family, a much less expensive piece to print

– We also used e-technology to introduce our We also used e-technology to introduce our e-newslettere-newsletter

– To drive readers to the e-newsletter, we released the To drive readers to the e-newsletter, we released the e-newsletter when the paper copy went to the printere-newsletter when the paper copy went to the printer

Fund Development and the Fund Development and the Marketing and PR functions cont.Marketing and PR functions cont.

We tackled general donor communication as We tackled general donor communication as wellwell

Donor communication increased – we sent Donor communication increased – we sent newsletters more often – a 1-page newsletters more often – a 1-page newsletter – The Girl Scout Circle newsletter – The Girl Scout Circle

Case Study cont.Case Study cont.

The Girl Scout Circle was a hit – we sent it out The Girl Scout Circle was a hit – we sent it out about 6 times a year, donors told us they loved about 6 times a year, donors told us they loved being “in the know”being “in the know”

On-line readership of the Girl Scout Family On-line readership of the Girl Scout Family newsletter increased dramatically – moms wanted newsletter increased dramatically – moms wanted the information as soon as their neighbor got the the information as soon as their neighbor got the information – they didn’t want to wait for paper information – they didn’t want to wait for paper copy newsletters – which could arrive as much as copy newsletters – which could arrive as much as a week later than the on-line versiona week later than the on-line version

Additional ResourcesAdditional Resources Marketing Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations, Marketing Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations,

Volume I, Gary Stern, Wilder FoundationVolume I, Gary Stern, Wilder Foundation

Marketing Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations, Marketing Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations, Volume II, Gary Stern, Wilder FoundationVolume II, Gary Stern, Wilder Foundation

Donor Centered Fundraising, Penelope Burk, Donor Centered Fundraising, Penelope Burk, Cygnus Applied ResearchCygnus Applied Research