Context and Challenge

Every December since 1977, the Foundation of Stars hosted their annual telethon — a key revenue generator in their fundraising initiatives. But in 2010, the popular annual event could not be held, leaving a significant void when it came to meeting the Foundation’s revenue objectives — especially in trying to reach loyal telethon donors.

To compound the issue, many regular donors had not yet sent their annual gift to the Foundation, despite receiving numerous solicitations by mail.

Tactic Direct recommended an effective, cost-efficient multichannel marketing strategy to meet these two important challenges.

Strategy and Execution

To fill the void left by the telethon, the Foundation of Stars moved online—organizing a web-o-thon that was promoted through radio ads. Tactic Direct used the momentum created by the upcoming event to reach out to donors with a multichannel strategy, combining direct mail, email and telemarketing, each emphasizing the urgent need to raise funds in the absence of the telethon.

In order to provide a unique and moving experience for donors, Tactic Direct created a personalized microsite (PURL: http://www.espoirs.telethon.qc.ca). Here, donors could enter their name and watch a moving, 35-second video that incorporated their name at critical moments.

The multichannel strategy included two direct-mail solicitations, a wave of emails and a telemarketing initiative, all providing a strong case to solicit donations and directing donors to the Foundation’s personalized microsite.

Results

Thanks to this multichannel strategy, the Foundation of Stars’ financial objectives were met. An analysis of campaign results showed that the multichannel approach positively influenced donor behaviour, generating a higher-than-expected average gift. Use of certain channels provided a higher response rate, while others increased the gift amount.

Conclusion

We also learned that:

• Email appeals worked best to direct donors to the microsite, emphasizing the need for organizations like the Foundation of Stars to make collecting vital donor data—like email addresses and phone numbers—a priority in order to ensure a successful multichannel fundraising campaign.
• Within a multichannel strategy, it’s critical to coordinate every communication channel, in order to determine the optimal sequence and time to re-contact donors.
• The success of any multichannel approach relies on the input and coordination of different partners—a challenge that can make all the difference to a campaign’s success; the better the initial planning, the better the synergy between all partners involved.
• The campaign’s design and feel must be present in every communication piece, giving the whole an instantly recognizable look while providing complementary information to maintain the donor’s attention.

Thoroughly analyzing results is also critical in order to fine-tune any future multichannel campaigns and maximize the return on investment (ROI). The analysis must provide answers to key questions, such as: What piece prompted donors to give? Did they send a gift before being contacted by phone? Did they send a reply coupon after receiving an email? What happened once the donor visited the personalized microsite?

Performing such an analysis requires solid tracking of each channel’s results, and the capacity to understand donor behaviour across different files.