Donors

4 Tips to Optimize Your Giving Day

Giving days and donor challenges have become increasingly popular for organizations to implement into their fundraising strategy. It’s vital to the success of your giving day or challenge that all of your communications stand out – whether that be through direct mail, email, social media, or any other channel. Giving days are a great way to engage donors, raise money, and create awareness about your organization and the impact of philanthropy. A giving day takes a lot of time, strategy, and preparation to execute it effectively. Optimize your giving day with 4 tips to take your giving day to the next level.

Let’s review 4 tips to optimize your giving day strategy:

PLANNING: A static element for each organization that has reached success is planning. Planning in advance will help your organization reach its goals. In your planning, some of the components you might want to consider are:

  • Benchmarking and how the goals of the giving day align with the organization’s goals
  • Internal support from your senior leadership
  • Leadership donors who might be interested in helping or participating
  • A network of supporters and advocates to help with outreach before and during the giving day on their social channels through word-of-mouth
  • External solution providers to help with various components
  • A timeline of initiatives
  • Promotional messages and through which channels you plan on executing

There are a lot of moving parts to a giving day and having strong advocates, leadership, and organizers convening to plan the before, during, and after initiatives is critical to the success of the giving day and beyond.

BRANDING: Branding your giving day makes it easier to spread the word about the day and distinguish it from other organizational giving initiatives. To successfully brand your giving day, you need to create a name and brand for your giving day that aligns with your organization’s mission. For example, you might want to focus on…

  • A special holiday – Pi Day: 3.14 (March 14th)
  • An athletics challenge – March Madness: Organization Name Madness
  • A new name for giving day – Rally Day, Founder’s Day, Drive for 125
  • Your organization’s founding year – 1810: 1,810 donors in 1,810 minutes

Depending on what your organization’s mission is and why you’re holding the giving day, you can create a name and then a brand. Many organizations create a brand for their giving day while staying within their organization’s overall branding. However, a logo is developed along with messaging, graphics and other branding elements to make a lasting impression when spreading the word.

DIRECT MAIL: When you have an event, you likely send a save-the-date or invitation, inviting someone to attend that event. This is no different than what should happen with your giving day. It’s important to get the word out through different channels so your donors know everything they need to know about the day. Answers to these commonly asked questions should likely be answered through the channels your organization plans on using:

  • What is a giving day?
  • When is the giving day?
  • What should I expect?
  • Who is involved?
  • How do I get involved?
  • Why is this being held?

Similar to pre-giving day communications, don’t forget about post-giving day communications. You want to be sure that you follow up with your donors and let them know about the results of the giving day, in addition to thanking them for their participation.

Remember, know your audience and how they like to receive information. Some of your potential donors might want something tangible to remember what they need to do for the giving day or what their impact was following the day, whereas others might prefer electronic communications leading up to and following the event.

EXTERNAL PARTNERS: It’s okay if you feel overwhelmed planning a giving day – maybe you’re doing it all by yourself, or maybe you manage a team and delegate tasks. Whatever the case may be, it’s okay to look for external partners to help you execute your giving day. There are resources that can help with your communications and execution.

BCG Connect knows how busy you are and all of the tasks you have to prioritize to optimize your giving day. That’s why we make your job easier by being a reliable partner so you can focus on those priority tasks, while we focus on our expertise providing you with creative direct marketing solutions. Connect with us to learn how we can help you identify, acquire, and retain your donors!

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Ashley Worrell
Calendar Year-End

Calendar Year-End Prep: The 4 C’s of Direct Mail Appeals

You may be familiar with the 4 P’s of Marketing (or in some cases, the 7 P’s of Marketing), but have you heard of the 4 C’s of Direct Mail Appeals? In this day in age, acronyms and slogans get created and tossed around everywhere, so let’s break down what BCG Connect’s 4 C’s of direct mail appeals are. The 4 C’s are used to describe what your calendar year-end direct mail appeal (and every other appeal for that matter) should aim to be, which is: Creative, Clear, Compelling, and Concise.

Calendar year-end fundraising mail will be flocking mailboxes all over the world. From year-end appeals, to renewal appeals, to acquisition mailings, it’s critical to have your appeal stand out in that crowded mailbox.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the 4 C’s of direct mail appeals to improve the effectiveness of your calendar year-end appeal:

CREATIVE: What makes your organization unique? Why should someone donate to your organization over a different organization? Having creative elements makes your message appealing and draws the recipient in. Whether it is a standard letter or a self-mailer, it’s key to have creative elements to it. What defines the creative elements that are in the appeal? Well, you should first identify and focus on your target audience(s) and know as much as possible about those people – this helps with the creative process of developing a piece that connects, communicates, and engages each segment.

CLEAR: It’s important to be clear. That’s a very general statement, so being “clear” has been broken down into three categories:

  • Clear with whom you are talking to: is your direct mail appeal segmented? Do you have variable data? Have you personalized your messaging based on who you are talking to? Being clear with whom you are talking to is so important in your direct mail appeal because you need to connect with each recipient to inspire action.
  • Clear with what you are saying: make sure every sentence that is on your direct mail appeal brings value to the piece. If you took a sentence out, would the piece still make sense? Be clear with what you are saying so the recipient understands what you are telling him/her.
  • Clear with what you want the recipient to do: a call-to-action needs to be prominent, bold, and easy to understand. Having multiple call-to-actions dilutes the main, most important goal of the piece, which should be what the call-to-action is: what do you want the recipient to do when they are done reading the piece? Are you wondering if your call-to-action is distinguishable? Take a quick glance at your appeal – if the call-to-action jumps out at you, great! If it’s difficult to figure out what you’re supposed to do, you might want to go back and review it to make sure the recipient knows what action he/she should take after reading it. 

COMPELLING: What is your story? How do you tell your story about the impact that gifts make? How do you deliver that story? Storytelling is vital to developing a compelling appeal. To tell your story, it helps to know what your donors want and why they want it. It also helps to take a step back and think from your donors’ point-of-view. Perhaps, you could think, “If I were Donor A, what would I want to read on a direct mail piece? If I were Donor B, would I want to read the same thing as Donor A?” You must make your recipient believe your story and feel as though they are an influential character in that story so they are motivated to do whatever your call-to-action is.

CONCISE: Sometimes, to get a point across, people feel as though they need to explain every minute detail. However, less can be more for a direct mail piece. A great way of determining if you are being concise is to review your copy and figure out if every sentence is important to support the point you are trying to get across, or if it’s fluff that you can remove. Get straight to the point when it is appropriate and include support when it is necessary.

Calendar year-end is an ample opportunity to reach out to your donor base with a creative, clear, compelling, and concise appeal that stands out in a crowded mailbox. How do you get an appeal to stand out? BCG Connect’s creative group can handle all of that for you!

BCG Connect has been successful in partnering with our clients to create a personalized, custom approach to their direct marketing programs, targeting the right people, with an effective message, to reach their prospective and current donors. Connect with us to learn how we can help you identify, acquire, and retain your donors!

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BCG Staff Writer
Strategic Plan

Your Strategic Annual Giving Plan: 3 Tips to Success

There are many intricacies and complexities when it comes to annual giving. Due to the strategic elements that go into annual giving, success often begins with having an organized annual giving plan. An annual giving plan helps compile short- and long-term goals, schedule yearly initiatives, allocate time effectively and efficiently, adhere to a budget, and ultimately alleviate some of the complexities that can arise.

You might be thinking, “I have all of those elements – how can I optimize my annual giving plan?”

Here are 3 tips and tricks to enhance your strategic annual giving plan:

  1. MAKE SURE YOU DRAFT A SCHEDULE: This is one of the most important aspects of an annual giving plan. It helps you lay out what the initiative is, who will be targeted, what the goal is, and the timeframe of when the initiative will be executed. This not only helps with staying on track throughout the year, but it also helps with the analysis following the campaign. Sometimes, in the grand scheme of things, it’s easy to get off track from an original plan. Having a draft schedule in place is a central resource for your team to refer back to so you can make sure that all initiatives are executed to reach your goals.
  2. ANALYZE THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR’S SUCCESS AND AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: When you look back on your campaigns and initiatives, you can analyze what worked best and what might need improvement. It’s OK if a campaign didn’t work exactly as planned, as long as you understand why it didn’t work and adjust accordingly. Some questions to help guide you with your analysis are
    • Did we have consistent branding across the organization? Was it consistent across different platforms? Was the messaging clear?
    • Did we use variable data to personalize the ask? How did we segment this? Did we segment the data properly to target the right people with the proper message?
    • What channels did we use to have an integrated campaign – direct mail, email, social media, and a telephone push? Did we leverage video through these channels? What else did we do?
    • Did we incorporate a challenge, giving day, or event? How did we promote it prior to the day and what was the follow up after?
    • Do we have the most updated data for our community, supporters, patients, alumni, family, and/or friends that we target?
    • How did we thank our donors? Did we do a second ask at the same time? Do the donors feel appreciated?
  3. ALLOCATE YOUR TIME WISELY: As the saying goes, “[There is] so much to do and so little time.” If you have ever thought or said this, you are not alone. The good news is that there are external resources that can help you and your team manage all of the moving parts, so you can focus on other initiatives at the same time. BCG Connect partners with clients to act as an extension of their team with a focus on helping clients identify, acquire, and retain their donors. Connect with us to learn more about how we can be a strategic resource for your team.

An annual giving plan can bring so much value to your organization. If you’re thinking, “Well, my year has already started so I guess we’ll have to wait until next year to develop a plan,” that’s not the case! You can develop an annual giving plan at any time because a late plan is better than no plan.

If you need a creative direct marketing partner who knows best practices in the education, healthcare, and nonprofit markets, BCG Connect is your strategic resource. For more than a decade, BCG Connect has been successful in partnering with our clients to create a personalized, custom approach to their marketing and fundraising initiatives, targeting the right people, with an effective message to reach their prospective and current donors. Connect with us to learn more!

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BCG Connect Creative Group

Meet BCG Connect’s Creative Group

BCG Connect has brought a new Creative Director, Tammy Morse, onboard to further drive the company’s mission to help education institutions, healthcare organizations, and nonprofits with their direct marketing needs. With the addition of a creative muse like Tammy Morse, BCG Connect further solidifies its model of providing enhanced creative marketing solutions, client care, and dedication to each client’s needs. The creative group consists of talented, experienced individuals who have a defined focus on fulfilling client needs creatively.

Tammy is leading and managing BCG Connect’s creative group by using over 20 years of experience to bring a refined sensitivity to the strategic impact of words and pictures, attention to detail, and sound judgment to the process of identifying needs, building objectives, and putting plans in motion.

Interested in getting to know some of the members of the creative group? Now’s your chance!

The Team Behind Your Creative Needs…

 

Tammy Morse, Creative Director:

Tammy MorseWHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO FUNDRAISERS TRYING TO TELL THEIR STORY CREATIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY?

In order to communicate effectively, first determine how your brand interacts with the target audience. For example, if your service helps to improve the world and solve major problems, then your brand archetype is that of a HERO. If you help people find fulfillment through discovery and new experiences, then develop the voice, tone, and visuals of an EXPLORER. Finding this relationship with your audience helps develop trust and loyalty.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING ON BCG CONNECT’S CREATIVE TEAM?

My favorite part is the array of talent and skills each member brings to the table. With so many interesting voices and a diverse set of ideas, we can all contribute to the best possible solutions.

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?

I love trail riding–mountain bikes or horses!

Ashley Worrell, Marketing Manager:

Ashley WorrellWHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE FUNDRAISERS TRYING TO TELL THEIR STORY CREATIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY?

Know as much as possible about your audience. Understand your audience. Connect with your audience. Thank your audience.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING ON BCG CONNECT’S CREATIVE TEAM?

My favorite part is the opportunity I have to work with such talented individuals who have such a drive to exceed clients’ expectations and goals. Their creativity, charisma, and energy is so contagious and I can’t help but always strive to think outside the box.

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?

Every Black Friday, I go shopping with my family to buy toys for children who have to be in the hospital during the holidays.

Jes Mascaro, Designer:

Jes MascaroWHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO FUNDRAISERS TRYING TO TELL THEIR STORY CREATIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY?

Use visual elements like photos or infographics to draw your audience in; that block of text might tell a great, heartfelt story, but first you have to convince them to read it.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING ON BCG CONNECT’S CREATIVE TEAM?

The environment. The office is a melting pot of so many different personalities and experiences. It’s an utterly unique and inspiring setting.

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?

I’m a classically-trained choral vocalist, as well as a hockey goalie.

Mike Lepore, Designer:

Mike LeporeWHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO FUNDRAISERS TRYING TO TELL THEIR STORY CREATIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY?

Never be afraid to try something new, fun, and creative. When everyone else does the same thing, it is important to stand out; you never know what the next successful fundraising piece could be.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING ON BCG CONNECT’S CREATIVE TEAM?

The BCG Connect team is a fun and interesting mix of personalities. It’s never a dull moment, always a good time, and we really bring out the best in each other.

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?

I really like to cook, pasta in particular.

John Wesolowski, Imaging Director:

John WesolowskiWHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO FUNDRAISERS TRYING TO TELL THEIR STORY CREATIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY?

Take a donor-centric approach, which means build a relationship between the donor and the organization instead of between the donor and the fundraiser.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING ON BCG CONNECT’S CREATIVE TEAM? 

I will be able to offer more of my creative skillsets to the team.

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?

I bake Sourdough bread.

Dave Charbonneau, Account Manager:

Dave CharbonneauWHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO FUNDRAISERS TRYING TO TELL THEIR STORY CREATIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY?

Be honest, make your story believable.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING ON BCG CONNECT’S CREATIVE TEAM?

I enjoy the work and my coworkers.

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?

I have been working here longer than many of the other employees have been alive.

 

BCG Connect’s creative group is your resource to implement and execute successful campaigns. To learn more about BCG Connect’s enhanced creative solutions, connect with us!

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BCG Staff Writer
Retain Donors Through Effective Stewardship

Retain Donors Through Effective Stewardship

Retaining donors is one of the most difficult initiatives for a fundraiser to do. With more organizations asking people to support their cause or mission, there has never been a more important time to optimize donor retention strategies. One strategy that helps with donor retention is stewardship.

Instilled in people from such a young age is the concept of saying, “Thank you.” How many times have you, or someone you know, given a child something and the adult with them says, “What do you say?” and they look at you and say, “Thank you!” Probably countless times! Being a fundraising professional should encourage you to use this phrase now more than ever. Simply thanking donors and showing the impact of their donation can go an extremely long way.

Stewardship is a vital part of an annual giving plan as it helps you retain donors – if it’s not a significant piece of your plan now, this is something that you should take into deep consideration for the future.

Here are 5 stewardship tips to help retain donors:

  1. SIMPLY SAY, “THANK YOU.” A thank you can go a long way. It makes people feel that they are appreciated and when they feel appreciated, they will start to build a loyalty and sense of pride to your organization. Saying, “Thank you,” through all different platforms is a great way to show your donors how much you appreciate them.
  2. SHOW THE DONOR HIS/HER IMPACT. Infographics are a great visual tool to show donors how they made an impact. By associating the contribution – whether it be a dollar amount, time, or other resource – to the exact area(s) it impacted, people are able to say, “I helped make that happen!” Without your donors, it is impossible to reach your goals. So, when they donate, show them what they did and how they helped make the organization better.
  3. PERSONALIZE THE THANK YOU. Personalization helps build a bond between you and the donor. It makes them feel that they are special and unique. Yes, most occasions and initiatives call for individuals to receive the same designed piece. However, that doesn’t mean you aren’t able to personalize or segment it. Data segmentation and personalization enable you to target your donor or donor segments. For instance, you can have different variations of the stewardship piece, with personalization, if you segment donors by areas they contributed to.
  4. DON’T JUST WAIT UNTIL YOUR FYE. Have you ever thought about incorporating a stewardship campaign into your annual direct marketing plan? You might want to consider how many times per year you are currently thanking donors and how many times you could be thanking donors. Is it once a year? Twice a year? After each time they donate? You can never thank donors too much. Wondering some ways that you can thank your donors? Some clients thank their donors through designed postcards, letters, self-mailers, or other creative direct mail pieces. Connect with us to view samples.
  5. IF YOU ASK THROUGH A CHANNEL, THANK THROUGH THAT CHANNEL. There are many different channels nowadays where donors can be reached. If you ask through a particular channel, you should thank through that channel. For example, if you are sending your donors asks through direct mail, and they expect to hear from you through direct mail, then you should send a thank you through direct mail.

Interested in seeing samples of stewardship pieces?

Request Samples

To sum it all up, stewardship is critical to success. You did so much work identifying and acquiring your donors, you can’t forget one of the most important parts – retaining your donors. By thanking your donors, you’re one step closer to retaining them. They’ll feel like they made an actual impact as they start to build or continue to build an affinity to your organization.

BCG Connect helps clients to identify, acquire, AND retain donors through effective annual direct marketing plans. If you need help implementing stewardship pieces into your plan, or would like to talk about different direct marketing ideas for your organziation to effectively identify, acquire, and retain your donors, connect with us to learn more!

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BCG Staff Writer
Ugly Betty Giving Day History Table

Ugly Betty is Definitely Not Ugly

To most of the world, “Ugly Betty” was the name of an ABC original TV series starring America Ferrera. However, in the world of fundraising professionals, an ugly betty is an effective way to renew gifts from prior donors using a very direct, invoice-style approach. Fundraising appeals can vary in style – from creative self-mailers and postcards, to standard letters and invoice-style appeals – and they are used for various reasons.

A common misconception of an ugly betty is that it is indeed ugly. This is not the case! An ugly betty is simply an invoice-style appeal so, although it may not include many photos, there are plenty of creative elements that can be incorporated.

What’s so effective about an ugly betty? If you look at all of the mail that you get throughout the year and you see the piece of mail that looks like it may be an invoice or some sort of bill, it is often that it will be one of the first pieces that you open or set aside to open. It is an instinct to pull out the “more important” looking pieces to make sure that you don’t miss any official documents.

You might ask, “Why wouldn’t every appeal be an invoice style then?” If every appeal were an invoice style, you would reduce the effectiveness of why the concept of an ugly betty was created. Many organizations send ugly betties towards the end of their fiscal year to try to capture those prior donors that haven’t given yet.

Here are 3 components of an ugly betty to take into consideration:

CREATIVE: An ugly betty at one point in time might have lived up to the name, but these invoice-style appeals most definitely do not need to be ugly. Yes, there may not be many photos on the appeal, but there are certainly different creative elements that help with the effectiveness of the piece. The simplicity of an invoice-style appeal emphasizes prior giving, lack of giving this fiscal year, and has a strong call-to-action of donating.

ENVELOPE: How do you know when you get a bill in the mail? There is usually a special type of envelope. Whether it is a window envelope, or it has messaging on the envelope, it’s important to entice your donors to open your direct mail piece.

DATA SEGMENTATION: Organizations often have an immense amount of data. It’s important that you use it! When data and direct mail align, there are endless possibilities. Data is a critical component to an effective ugly betty. It helps with showcasing the donor’s history and know the appropriate level ask to do. For example, including a chart that shows that Donor A has given $25 in 2015, 2016, 2017, and has yet to give in 2018, it would be appropriate to include an ask that has $25 as an option as opposed to $1,000.

Interested in seeing samples of creative invoice-style appeals?

Request Samples

BCG Connect works with fundraising professionals to implement creative direct marketing solutions into their annual giving campaigns. By sharing new marketing and fundraising information, BCG Connect helps clients identify, acquire and retain their donors.

Have you incorporated and personalized ugly betties to optimize your annual giving direct marketing plan? Connect with us to learn more and request samples of these invoice-style appeals!

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BCG Staff Writer
MCPHS Leadership Giving Piece

Case Study Download: MCPHS University’s Leadership Giving Program

Within an annual giving plan, there are different initiatives targeted at different segments to personalize asks and connect with donors more effectively. One segment that organizations typically target is leadership donors. Leadership giving communication is an opportunity for organizations to speak to donors that have invested at a higher level in a different way than non-donors or other donors.

“BCG provides knowledgeable, fundraising-savvy, and most importantly highly responsive team of professionals with which to work throughout the course of planning, developing, and executing a project. From initial ideation of project concept to the development of print materials and their distribution to constituents, BCG has earned our trust as a worthy collaborator.”

– Lawrence Townley, MS, Executive Director of Development Operations, University Advancement

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, MCPHS University, had a leadership giving initiative to connect with leadership donors and communicate the importance of donor contributions.

BCG Connect collaborated with MCPHS University on this initiative that produced successful results for this campaign. What did that collaboration entail? Learn more about the creative ideas, campaign steps and results in the following case study.

View Case Study

Personalization in your direct mail pieces can take your campaign to the next level. What is important to Donor A? What is important to Prospect B? What about Donor C, D, E? Segmenting your donor base and personalizing asks and messaging based on certain factors can increase your chances of their donation. You always want to target the right people with the right message at the right time.

Targeting leadership donors and implementing a leadership giving campaign can be a strategic element of your annual giving campaign. For more information on leadership giving or to request leadership giving samples, let’s connect!

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BCG Staff Writer
SBHF Leverages Donor Impact Report for Hurricane Relief Efforts

Case Study Download: SBHF Leverages Donor Impact Report for Hurricane Relief Efforts

St. Boniface Haiti Foundation (SBHF) is dedicated to providing essential health services to the people of Southern Haiti. Creating urgency to help those in need is a critical element of a successful direct marketing program and SBHF did just that when the 2016 Hurricane Matthew caused the largest humanitarian crisis in Haiti since 2010.

With 2.1 million people affected, 1.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in the weeks after the storm, and 800,000 people at risk of hunger and starvation due to destroyed crops and food supplies, it was critical that the Donor Impact Report fused influential photos with stories that would catch the attention of donors immediately and result in action.

“Working with BCG CONNECT is always a pleasure – the team understood what we were going for with our Hurricane Relief Newsletter and executed it beautifully.”

– Liz Schwartz, Marketing & Communications Manager

In the following case study, learn more about how SBHF collaborated with BCG CONNECT to produce strong results that allowed them to provide additional health services to the people of Southern Haiti following a dreadful natural disaster.

View Case Study

Does your organization want to…

…incorporate infographics that show powerful statistics?

…include influential photos and stories that catch the attention of donors in a segmented donor piece?

…thank donors and show their impact creatively?

…segment data so direct mail is personalized depending on constituency?

…work with a partner who has many years of annual giving direct marketing experience?

If you answered, “Yes,” to any of the above questions, let’s connect. BCG CONNECT can help with your annual giving campaign. Connect with us to learn more!

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BB&N Annual Fund Direct Marketing Plan

Case Study Download: BB&N Optimizes Their Annual Fund Direct Marketing Plan

How important is an annual fund direct marketing plan? Extremely! Annual fund marketing plans help with budgeting, forecasting, consistent outreach, benchmarking for the next year, and overall strategic preparation for fundraising efforts. By having a fully integrated marketing plan that has a consistent look, theme, and message to it, constituents can expect an update or outreach from your organization throughout the year. This can lead to more engagement, more loyalty, and more donors.

Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N) partnered with BCG CONNECT for their FY17 annual fund direct marketing campaign. Through collaboration, BCG CONNECT and BB&N discussed a theme, goals, and timeline for the year for their annual direct marketing initiatives.

 “Reflecting back on FY17, BCG CONNECT helped us create a fully integrated marketing look throughout our appeals and stewardship pieces. It has been a wonderful partnership.”

-Audrey Wallace, Associate Director of The BB&N Fund

BB&N knew the importance of consistently reaching out to and engaging with donors. Download this case study to view a sample of what was sent out each month and some results of their campaign.

View Case Study

Consistency is key to branding. Here are three benefits to having fully integrated, consistent branding for your appeals:

  1. It gives your organization a personality and identity that constituents can relate to.
  2. It effectively delivers and reinforces key messaging.
  3. It drives donor loyalty and brand recognition.

BCG CONNECT works with clients on their annual direct marketing plans to ensure constituents are consistently being reached throughout the year. For more information on how BCG CONNECT can help your annual fund direct marketing campaign, connect with us!

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Giving_Tuesday_Blog_Photo

Will Your Organization Be Participating in #GivingTuesday?

As we’re in the midst of fall and most appeals are underway, #GivingTuesday will be here before you know it. On November 28th, people from all over the world will participate in the #GivingTuesday movement. The global fundraising phenomenon of Giving Tuesday is known to kick off the charitable season when many organizations transition their focus to holiday and end-of-calendar-year giving.

Giving Tuesday is not only about monetary donations – it’s about getting people to join in acts of giving and committing to the charitable movement. That could mean volunteering, lending a helping hand, spreading awareness, or any sort of giving back to a person, community, or organization.

Although #GivingTuesday is popularly known on social media, it’s important to make your audience aware of your organization’s participation through different channels. Having a consistent and planned strategy ahead of time is key to optimize your success. Here are some questions to think about when evaluating this year’s campaign:

  • Did we mail a save the date in September for November 28th?
  • Do our constituents know that our organization will be participating in Giving Tuesday?
  • Have we been ramping up our social media so our followers feel committed to give on Giving Tuesday?
  • Do we have web graphics ready for social media platforms on the days leading up to, the day of, and the days following Giving Tuesday?
  • Do we have a stewardship campaign prepped to thank donors?

You might be wondering, “How successful was last year’s #GivingTuesday?” According to GivingTuesday.org, here are the 2016 results:

  • $177 million total dollars raised online
  • 1.64 million contributions
  • 98 participating countries

The inspiring day full of donations, participation, and engagement can leave you ecstatic and motivated to get even closer to your goal, which is great! Remember, all of those people who donated need to be thanked. People can feel like all organizations do is ask, ask, ask but the new model should really be: ask, thank, ask, thank, ask, thank. Thanking is just another touchpoint to your donors to make them feel appreciated.

If your organization will be participating in this year’s #GivingTuesday or your organization plans on participating next year, remember these 3 things moving forward:

  1. Plan ahead of time and mail a Save the Date to constituents making them aware your organization will be participating.
  2. Have a consistent brand across mailings and web graphics throughout the Giving Tuesday campaign.
  3. Always thank all of your donors in an organized stewardship campaign.

Harness the power of BCG CONNECT, direct mail, social media, the charitable season, and #GivingTuesday to take your fundraising campaign to the next level. BCG CONNECT proudly partners with clients on their direct marketing and fundraising campaigns – connect with us to leverage our expertise and experience to elevate your campaign.

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BCG Staff Writer