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Bentley University's Philanthropy Week

Spotlight: Bentley University’s Philanthropy Week

#bentleygives
Bentley created a week of on-campus activities, all centered on philanthropy.

For 2015, this week of events was creatively branded with the slogan, “Bentley Runs on Philanthropy,” a spinoff of the Dunkin’ Donuts “America Runs on Dunkin'” slogan. This played well into the week’s events, which were full of coffee and running.

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Above: Branding the campaign: “Bentley Runs on Philanthropy”

Calling all coffee lovers and do-gooders…
To kick off the giving week, students were given free coffee and donuts. Then, it was their turn to “pay-it-forward” by buying a friend’s coffee. Next, they were asked to donate to Relay for Life with spare, coffee-cup change – every penny counts!

This all led up to the final event – the “Neon Run,” an organized race where students dressed to match the neon theme in glowing garb. It was a chance to show their school spirit, run with friends, and of course enjoy a cup of coffee (waiting for them at the finish line). This was a way to get students involved with supporting the Bentley Annual Fund – their registration fees were donated to the Annual Fund.

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It just goes to show – giving back can be fun too!

Success!
Bentley has had great success with this strategy over the past couple of years. In addition to getting students involved in their annual fund even before they become “young alumni”, Philanthropy Week continually:

  • Raises awareness of the Bentley Annual Fund – teaching students why it’s important to give back
  • Fosters a philanthropic culture among students
  • Provides a fun incentive for students to make a donation

View complete portfolio of event materials (crafted by Boston Color Graphics) here.

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BCG Staff Writer
Data Visualization

Data Visualization

Data is abuzz in the fundraising world right now. We oftentimes have the data at our fingertips, but how to use it properly is the trick. What’s the key to this trick? We were curious too, so our team watched The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s fundraising webinar on Data Visualization.

Here’s some quick tips we took away that help to make data most impactful:

  • Know your audience: Who are they? What do you want to tell them?
  • Tell a story: Make it funny and memorable with infographics, charts, and visual metaphors.
  • Keep it simple: Simple images with limited text make the biggest impact. Don’t overload your audience with too much information!
  • Make it interactive: Clickable or sharable infographics will draw your audience in.
  • Balance esthetics with substance: Choose data carefully. Make sure it’s visual and useful.
  • Don’t make the reader work hard: Use trend lines, colors, symbols, and visual aids strategically to aid scanning ability.

See how some of our clients are displaying their data in impact reports, appeals, and stewardship letters HERE.

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BCG Staff Writer
Email Marketing Psychology

Why We Click – The Psychology Behind Email Marketing

There’s a simple psychology behind a great call to action, especially when it comes to email marketing.

Increase your “clicks” with these simple email tips:

  • Color Matters: Use ORANGE to encourage immediate action, or BLUE to build trust and security.
  • Use 1st Person Perspective When Writing: One recent study found that there was a 90% conversion rate when the email in question was written in the 1st person.
  • Be Specific: For example, “Download the guide” is better than “Click Here”.
  • Keep It Short: The longer your text, the less of it your audience will retain. Besides, there isn’t a lot of space, so don’t try to cram a lot of text in.
  • Create Urgency: Simply adding the word “now” to your button can boost conversations.
  • Place CTA Above the Fold: Visitors spend more than 80% of their time there.

Read the Full Article from Emma for more tips.

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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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