Context and Challenge

For many years, the Fondation québécoise du cancer (FQC) had been attempting to recruit new donors the old-fashioned way: by sending traditional direct-mail solicitations and relying heavily on exchanged and rented donor lists. The process had exhausted its effectiveness and, in 2008, Tactic Direct proposed a whole new approach to endear new donors to their cause.

Strategy and Execution

In order to gauge whether a Family and Friends campaign would work for FQC, we first conducted a phone survey with 500 donors selected from every segment of FQC’s database—with positive results.
When we rolled out with the full telemarketing campaign, 24% of donors contacted agreed to solicit their family and friends. A kit was then mailed to each, containing the material needed to mail information about FQC to their social circle as well as an instruction manual detailing how to proceed.

A thank-you note and a brochure about FQC were also sent to new recruits in order to optimize the potential for renewing their support.

Results

The “Together on the Road for Life” campaign was a success. Not only were current donors enthusiastic about reaching out to family and friends, but FQC surpassed their financial objective by 65%.
What’s more, current donors’ overall participation rate was 25% higher than expected—with each recruiting an average of five new donors apiece. Plus, many inactive donors were so inspired by the campaign they were moved to reactivate their support for FQC.
The campaign generated a ROI of 1.90—an almost unheard-of number in a field where successful direct-mail recruitment yields an average ROI of 1.00.

Conclusion

In 2008 alone, FQC’s database increased by an impressive 7,000 new donors. This took some of the pressure off traditional rental lists and enabled the organization to recruit donors in new and innovative ways.

Encouraged by this initial success, Tactic Direct advised FQC to try another Family and Friends campaign in 2009, this time targeting their entire donor database. Once again, current donors took up the cause and recruited a significant number of new recruits. A similar campaign in 2010 generated equally impressive results, and a fourth Family and Friends campaign is planned for 2011.

Interestingly, new donors recruited through a Family and Friends campaign are eager to participate in future Family and Friends campaigns—and participants were more likely to renew their support at a much higher rate.

Every year, we test and adapt the “Together on the Road for Life” campaign to improve performance rates. These adjustments include timing the campaign to coincide with Cancer Month, collecting email addresses by asking donors to sign up for an e-newsletter, integrating a gift matrix, adapting the case for support and so on.

Each campaign has generated important findings that have helped Tactic Direct grow FQC’s donor base, increase donor loyalty and spread the word about their cause—all within a single, profitable campaign.