Telemarketing Case Studies #1
Last week I wrote about fundraising telemarketing, conceding that The Agitator had been neglecting the channel and promising to publish case studies our readers might proffer.
I am thrilled to report that readers have responded with some excellent examples of successful telefundraising.
Here is the first case study I’d like to share — from PETA — forwarded by Robert Tigner at the Association of Direct Response Fundraising Counsel.
PETA is successfully using telemarketing to recruit monthly givers, typically from new and newly renewed donors, as well as from their lapsed donor pool.
For example, PETA telemarkets to new and just renewed donors within three months (and to lapsed donors) to recruit monthly givers. They attain a 8.5% pledge rate, a 53% fulfillment rate on those, with an average monthly gift $14.91 and a cost per contact of $4.56. They also use telemarketing to upgrade monthly giving amounts.
It’s important to note that, as you’ll see in the case study, telemarketing is well-integrated with direct mail and email channels.
You can download the True Tales of Telemarketing (PETA only), as presented at the 2014 Washington Nonprofit Conference — get the overall context and design of the PETA campaigns, scripting, the compelling results data and related testing. Well worth a read.
I’ll have more telefundraising case studies next week.
Telemarketing lives!
Tom
P.S. Special Olympics also presented an excellent telefundraising case study at the conference. But you’ll need to ask Shira Mitchell, senior manager, direct response marketing for access to it … smitchell@specialolympics.org
2 responses to “Telemarketing Case Studies #1”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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I like the idea of using telemarketing to upgrade monthly givers. In my personal experience as a donor, once I make that monthly commitment, some organizations don’t ever ask me to upgrade. One recently asked me to upgrade by mail, and I did after a while…although, if they had called me I probably would have done it right away and felt more valued.
hi, it so totally works!!
For my clients, I’m seeing upgrade rates of 35 to 45% by phone compared to 5% in the mail!!! Upgrades typically range between 3 or 4 dollars a month but that’s still $36 to $48 more a year… and you can do it again next year!
cheers, Erica