Developing the perfect

proposition... ... An unfinished

journey

Chris Keating Senior Direct Marketing Manager, King’s College London & King’s Health

Partners IOF Direct Marketing and Fundraising Conference 25 March 2013

World Questions|King’s answers

What was working for us...?

What was working for us...

So what did we need from a proposition...

We needed to boil down all the experience and knowledge in the organisation to get;

• A clear statement of the benefits of giving a gift

• Which fulfills the emotional needs of the audience

• Which we can build on for a lasting relationship with our donors

Meet Tolstoy the leopard...

Back to King’s...

1) Review what we knew about our alumni

2) Brainstorm propositions

3) Test propositions on focus groups

4) Develop creative packs and see what works!

How do our alumni feel about King’s?

Pride

Is King’s a world-class institution? 95% of potential donors agree

“Yes I am very proud of having studied here. It really made a huge difference to my life, and certainly gave me the foundations of my career, which at the time was difficult for a woman going to the Bar.” (Pre-1990 Alumna)

“When I go for interviews they expect more from you because they have a big smile and ‘oh so you went to King’s” (Post-1990 science alumnus)

How do our alumni feel about King’s?

Gratitude

“What do you imagine you would get out of supporting your university financially?” 63%: It enables me to give something back.

Propositions in general...

Threat Vision

Futu

re

Need Solution

No

w

Negative Positive

Join

Threat We can’t maintain our global standing without your help

Vision Help us find a cure for cancer

Futu

re

Need Solve student hardship

Solution Buy a book for the library

No

w

Negative Positive

Join Be proud of being part of King’s

... And applied to King’s

It doesn’t count unless there’s flipchart

• Involved everyone in

alumni fundraising;

Callers, high-value fundraisers, events, communications team – not just DM

Alternative formulations...

A) When I was at King’s, life was easier. If things were as they are now when I studied then I wouldn’t have had the opportunities that I did. I feel a duty to help support students today.

B) King’s changed my life. I developed academically, got qualifications that set me up for life, and formed friendships that are still important to me. I want to give something back to King’s. a

x

(some) Propositions developed

(Followup: If they don’t respond well to Alzheimers, we’re also doing a lot of research into cancer – would that work?)

a) Attract the best and help them achieve the best Some of the brightest young people come backgrounds with no family history of coming to university. £50 could pay for us to send a King’s student to reach out to a young man or woman who isn’t sure about going to university but could be a Nobel prize winner of the future.

b) Help a student in need today

• Give a donation today to help a King’s student through a financial crisis. Without help they may have to drop out of university. Your donation will help pay for a hardship bursary to help them complete their degree.

(some more) Propositions developed

Giving Class of XXXX

Join your alumni from your year of graduation in giving to King’s and making a difference. Help your year raise more than any other. This is a great way for you to stay in contact with other people that you were at University with. Show your membership of this giving year group with the unique badge we’ll send you and have your name listed in the special year group pages on the website.

Help us find treatments that work for dementia

King’s world-class researchers are making breakthroughs every day to treat Alzheimers’ every day. Your gift will help fund more researchers, more equipment, more trials – meaning we can find better treatments. That will make a huge difference to people suffering from dementia. Please give today and we’ll keep you up to date on the progress you’re making possible.

Questions to answer...

• Which of these work? – Developing & rolling out different packs

– Test propositions via email

– Anecdotal feedback from phone

• Do different people or segments respond better to different propositions?

• Which of these works best as a recurring gift proposition?

Into action...

Help a student in need today

Give a donation today to help a King’s student through a financial crisis. Without help they may have to drop out of university. Your donation will help pay for a hardship bursary to help them complete their degree.

Help a student in need today

Every student at King’s has the potential to be a leader of the future. But because education keeps costing more and more some of our students struggle. Your donation will help pay for a hardship bursary to help them complete their degree.

Thank you! Chris.keating@kcl.ac.uk

@ChrisKeating