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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.

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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
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.

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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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BCG Staff Writer
Dan Noonan, VP of Business Development

BCG Names Dan Noonan Vice President of Business Development

BCG has named Dan Noonan as Vice President of Business Development. Noonan will be responsible for leading BCG’s sales team and working with the marketing team in order to align sales and marketing goals.

Dan Noonan started with BCG more than a decade ago. Since joining BCG in 2005, he’s served as a consultative partner to his clients to help improve their marketing programs. His goal is to develop custom solutions based on a thorough understanding of clients’ needs, goals, and objectives.

“Dan has shown an authentic commitment to his client’s success by enriching fundraising programs for nonprofits from coast to coast. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise and I know that he will have an even broader impact through this new role,” said Charlie Noonan, President. “After we acquired BCG more than 14 years ago, we committed to offering a spectrum of products and solutions to meet our clients’ needs. Dan has been at the forefront of that effort.”

Dan Noonan’s promotion to this leadership role is one part of BCG’s overall expansion plan. As of June 1st, the sales force has also grown—filling a newly created Account Executive position—with plans for continued company growth in the future in order to keep up with increased demand for services.  

“BCG’s investment in clients is unparalleled. I’m excited to help BCG continue to grow, to lead efforts to help more organizations thrive, and to continue to ensure our long-time clients’ success,” said Dan Noonan.

Dan Noonan holds a BA in psychology from Wheaton College. He lives in Charlestown and is a loyal Boston Celtics fan and avid golfer. He can be reached at dnoonan@bcgconnect.com.

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Fundraising Appeal Letter Hacks

Stand Out From The Crowd(ed Mailbox): 5 Fundraising Appeal Letter Hacks

Add some muscle to your next appeal letter to help it stand out in a crowded mailbox.

During the holiday season, everything that comes into your mailbox, from bills to credit card offers, are adorned in festive colors and glitter. So, it helps to add something special to an appeal letter to ensure that it will stand out from the colorful crowd.

Have your next appeal letter move into the spotlight, no matter the time of year, by including one or more of these strategies:

1. Include Images in the Letter:

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Adding photos to the body of the letter helps to give a face to the story, to the need, and to the reason a donor is giving. Photos also help engage a reader in the letter by helping them make a personal connection to it.

2. Add a Colorful Buck Slip Alongside the Letter:

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This mailing insert, approximately the size of a dollar bill (which is how it gets its name), provides room for additional graphics, images, and appeal information that can help enumerate the impact of a donation.

3. Use Color and Unique Typography in the Body of the Letter:

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By adding color and typographical emphasis, the reader can easily find the most important parts of your appeal letter. This also helps to break apart larger blocks of text to be easier to read and thus keeps their attention longer.

4. Add Artwork or a Tagline to the Outer Envelope:

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The envelope is an important part of the overall appeal package, but is so often overlooked (both during the design process and once it’s in the mailbox). The design of it helps to encourage the donor to open it.

5. Personalize the letter by including:

  • The recipient’s last gift amount: this helps to remind the donor of how much they previously gave and also gives them a point of reference for another gift.
  • A targeted ask amount: by personalizing the appeal letter with a specific ask for each letter, rather than a general ask, this helps to give the donor an understanding of how they can specifically help.
  • The recipient’s class year: by referencing a specific year, you help remind them of their experiences at the school and the reasons for giving back.
  • Add a P.S. line that repeats the call to action: use this important part of the letter to summarize the entire message – the ask, deadline, and call to action – so that when the reader’s eyes go to the bottom of the page, they have all the information.

What techniques have you used? These 5 ideas are just some of the wonderful strategies available. What have you found to be helpful?

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BCG Staff Writer
Milton-Nobles Challenge

Teaming Up With Your Rival School to Boost Young Alumni Participation

Noble and Greenough School and Milton Academy are rival schools that team up for an annual young alumni challenge to boost participation early in the fiscal year. The competition between the two schools athletic teams is an event that attracts many young alums back to campus. Nobles and Milton saw this as an opportunity to engage them in giving.

After the first couple years of running the challenge, both schools took a step back to the drawing table. They wanted to find new ways to make it easier for their young alumni to give and take their numbers even further.

The solution was:

  • More social media
  • More peer-to-peer asks
  • Mobile Giving option
  • “Click to Pledge” landing pages

With BCG Connect’s help, the schools rolled out a new direct mail and email plan that worked in conjunction with their social media, text-to-give, and on-campus student volunteer efforts.

First, a postcard with a QR code and personalized URL to click-to-pledge page was mailed.

Second, an e-mail, mirroring the postcard design, was sent with the link to their personalized click-to-pledge page, which included a targeted ask array.

Third, weekly follow-up e-mails, including the link to the click-to-pledge landing page and updated stats tracking each schools progress and lead in the competition, were sent out.

Nobles direct mail and email plan download!

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