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HOW TO….DEVELOP AND REFRESH A REGULAR GIVING PROGRAMLizzie Borwick MFIA – Amnesty International Australia Dan Geaves MFIA – Marlin Communications

Fundraising How To…Track


Hello

Over the last eight years Lizzie has hired my company at three different organisations.

Last year Lizzie started with Amnesty International Australia, and we started discussing the Human Rights Defenders regular giving program.


LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHILE YOU’RE BUSY

MAKING OTHER PLANS


What do we mean by refresh?

Why do it? How do it?

How to refresh


How to refresh.. walk away with

Clear ways to communicate

intentions

Tips for identifying

when to do it

A methodology including a way to review your own communications

What do we mean by refresh?

Why do it? How do it?

PART 1a: SETTING THE SCENE WITH EXAMPLES

Fundraising How To…Track – How to refresh a regular giving program


Caritas HopeGivers

HopeGivers was name of RG program

Between 2006- 2011,the program had doubled in size with little to no investment and minimal strategy for acquisition and retention

The name had been around for a long time and its was starting to raise questions on how it aligned to the principles of the organisation


We wanted to invest in regular giving

After years of banging on about regular giving, we think it is fair to say that many charities now get it – regular giving is the thing to do

Pareto Fundraising, June 2010F&P Magazine $-

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

Cash RG F2F RG non F2F

Donation value after four years (from recruitment in 2005)


But program itself was a barrier

A business case went to the Board for investment into growing regular income for Caritas.

But to expand we wanted organisation to feel that program reflected rest of organisation’s beliefs and stance.


“It makes me feel as if I am being invited to share their lives not just give my money. It invites me to be an equal partner not just a benefactor. It makes me want to participate not just give because morally I should.”

What the refresh created


2018 – Approval to invest

• Face to face the main channel for acquisition.

• Retention rates needed to be improved.

• Processes and procedures, and welcome cycle needed work.


2019 – Processes in place

How can supporter experience be refreshed so that it:

• Is more exciting?• Draws on strengths of organisations as hands-on conservationists?• Reflects the donor’s interest in specific, endangered, mega fauna?

PART 1b: WHAT DO WE MEAN?



What is a ‘refresh’?

• A review of how the communications in an RG program are contributing to the donor’s experience of giving

• An update to communications used at specific touch points to contribute to improved retention and increased lifetime value

• A development project with a defined start and finish that creates organisation wide confidence in the expansion of a regular giving program


How do you influence the donor’s experience of giving?

• Payment processing proficiency

• Supporter service standards and delivery

• Communications This is the one that a refresh addresses


Embedded in the communications that deliver

a donor experience

Peak moments

Shared understanding of the purpose

of the relationship

Content that meet a donor’s needs

To create this…


What it isn’t

Setting an intention to name a RG product before the donor experience has been designed


Where does a refresh get insight from?

Data observations Psychology

• Engagement in communications• Feedback to communications• Reaction to relationship such as

timing of cancellations

• Heuristics• Cognitive dissonance• Collective unconscious processing


Heuristics that it pays to be aware of

Reciprocity• By explicitly offering and providing RG with benefits (alongside the benefits of

impactful giving), the audience will be more likely to want to give and continue giving.

Representativeness• By showing the audience people like them are also regular givers donors will

be more likely to wish to remain.The peak end rule• By providing donors with peak moments we can expect donors to judge an

entire relationship experience favorably.


Post-purchase cognitive dissonance

Theory created to describe feelings of dissatisfaction at or after time of purchase.

Wisdom of purchase Concern over deal

The recognition that the donor could have spent their money on something else rather than give it to you.

The feeling that they have done something against their own beliefs or wishes.


Collective unconscious processing

Humans make sense of the world by processing information from our senses.

Sight, sounds, smells, tastes and touch

Some of this happens consciously, and some happens unconsciously.

Archetypes are components of the collective unconscious and serve to organize, direct and inform human thought and behaviour.


The “Hero”

Fundraisers already collectively advocate for the donor to be made the hero of a relationship.

The ‘hero’ is actually one of the archetypes.

Popularised by Joseph Campbell –

influenced by Karl Jung

The Hero’s Journey

Call to Adventure

Supreme Ordeal

Transformation

The road back

PART 2: WHY DO IT?



• Securing board and organisation commitment to invest – by creating buy-in to a flagship product

• Using new channels where a supplier’s grasp of the pitch can actually influence if they’ll take you on or not

• Diversifying away from dependence on individual fundraisers and realise that don’t have strong grasp of what will translate into other channels

For acquisition


• Donors are significantly more likely to quitif recognition offered (as part of the donor experience) is insufficient.

For retention


• Donors often complain of a disconnect between messages used in acquisition communications and those of subsequent (retention) vehicles, and many never give again as a result.

For acquisition and retention


Why do disconnects occur?

Because at acquisition the audience:

• Are often woo-ed by a talented fundraiser in person or over phone

• Think in terms of concrete information about where their money will go

And yet in retention charities want:

• To employ less expensive channels that don’t involve an interaction with real people

• The donor’s funds to be untied and used for general purposes


LOVE OF AN INDIVIDUAL

When you look at the RG products that have succeeded in different markets around the world, you can start to see that there are a few obvious ways to that charities have created a shared purpose for RG relationships.

These are the three ‘Heroic Loves’

LOVE OF A VISION

LOVE OF TRANSFORMATION

But of course there is hope…


LOVE OF AN INDIVIDUAL

The supporter is encouraged to recognise that their giving has an impact on an individual beneficiary. So if they stop – the beneficiary will lose out.

Identifiable individual


LOVE OF A VISION

The supporter is encouraged to recognise that their giving reflects their shared commitment to the way the world should be.

End game


LOVE OF TRANSFORMATION

The supporter is encouraged to feel that their support enables the charity team of staff and volunteers to continue transforming lives by being the best they can be.

Flywheel


Love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or

just think it's going to get on by itself.


The things you need to get right…

• Payment processing proficiency

• Supporter service standards and delivery

• Communications

PART 2b: WHY ARE AMNESTY GOING TO REFRESH?


RG is important to our organisation

80% of income comes from RG

Roughly 46,000 RG’s

The acquisition landscape has been changing and our strategy is very different to what it was 5 years ago

The cost of acquisition particularly in F2F is so much higher that the focus on quality is more significant than ever.

The desire

Strong acquisition

Strong retention

A supporter experience in which donors experience human rights

wins

The situation

Recruiting 1,000s

But very leaky bucket

Donors don’t truly understand what Amnesty does

New database

Testing transitional acquisition online

Aim is to recruit 10,000/year

Step 1: Adjust responsibilities of supporter care team

Created an “RG Squad” to come together for meetings pre and post debit

• Accountability for other teams • Shared achievement

Step 2: Set standards for processing donations

• Declines

• Cancellations

• Bank rejects

• No. of repeats

• Update details

What’s next?

Want core supporters base to see their giving as expression of their values,

And for those values to be aligned to those of the charity.

“AWAKENING PEOPLE TO THE POWER AND VALUE OF THEIR OWN LIVES”

Why do we want a values-based approach?

• Want organisation to be bought into what Human Rights Defenders represents

• Avoid cultural rift

• Create opportunity for further scale

PART 3: HOW TO APPROACH IT?



Discover what you want to improve

Develop your intentions and insights

Design the experience

Overview – “think first, design later”

- Audit to evaluate what you are doing

- Research into data observations and feedback from supporter service teams

Stage 1: Discover

Program attribute looking for Present?Y/N

Comments

Acquisition message creates a binary dilemma state

Acquisition and retention messages integrated

Role of supporter acknowledged distinctively

Consequences of withdrawing made clear

Charity has separate welcome cycle

Program offers interaction

Charity shares values that expects supporter to share

Donor is drip-fed data on organisation performance

Charity uses what donor derives most satisfaction from

Audit

Please email me for a PDF of this helpful checklist

[email protected]

Increase the risk associated with

cancellation

Introduce interactions that will improve

perception of service quality

Improve manner in which supporters feel they are learning and

share the same beliefs as charity

Audit tip: Pay close attention to three pillars

Donors who believe nothing will suffer if they cancel their donation, are significantly more likely to lapse.

Why you should increase the risk of cancellation

When presented with arresting binary dilemma, supporters develop strong link between giving and self-identity

With child sponsorship, the individual regular giver feels that if they stop

their child will lose out and suffer.

Why you should improve perception of service quality

Good service directly impacts loyalty, and indirectly builds sense of commitment.

Donors who describe themselves as ‘very satisfied’ with quality of service received from fundraising department are twice as likely to remain loyal than those who are merely ‘satisfied.’

Surveys and research can identify the services you offer that your regular givers derive most satisfaction from

Adding interactions makes supporters feel more committed

Why you should focus on supporters learning and sharing beliefs

Donors needs shift donors’ needs change over time, shifting towards higher levels.

This means shifting towards how well they feel they understand your work, and how much giving reflects their self-identity.

The donor gives regularly – so they receive regular updates

Info-graphics

Supporter testimonialsIn-depth

briefing

Case study story

List of intentions for what you want to improve

- Address weaknesses

- Realise opportunities

End of Stage 1: Discover


Stage 2: Develop

Workshopping views and perspectives from those using the program communications

Map of supporter journey (channel and timing based)

Proposition for regular giving

Workshop

A search for the kind of ingredients that Heroic Loves are made of

- What is your organisation theory of change?- Who are the characters involved in your work?- What is your vision?- When would you stop?- What is your story of origin?- What are your for and against?- What values do Australians have that your work connects with?

Map of supporter journey

- When will you contact supporters

- Via which channels

- What are costs associated with servicing donor in this way?

- What are resources required to deliver that journey?

Proposition

What is the benefit that our charity provides or problem we address?

What is shared understanding of purpose of regular giving relationship?

What is most important thing to say

at recruitment?

What is most important thing to say

during retention?

Org level

Audience level

Task level

Example proposition

Every day we make an impact on our planet –you can choose to stand alongside Taronga to defend wildlife.

relationship with Wildlife Defenders

A good way in


Stage 3: Design

Generate new ideas Design in iterative cycles Develop prototypes


Prototypes

Really important stress test of your ideas.

Show how the ideas that had about supporter experience can become embedded into communications. Develop at least two concepts – so that they can be compared.

Relationship side often working first, and draft prototypes help to show if acquisition will need work.


What to prototype

Three supporter touch points based on the journey from Stage 2…

- How will we recruit new regular giver? A pitch card- How will we create a peak moment? A welcome mail pack- How will we retain them? A series of eDMs

… across print and digital


Cycles of iteration

Remember you are creating a supporter experience that relies on program of materials. There are multiple users of the program and it is worth involving them in the creation of materials, to make them stronger.

Cycles stop this becoming unmanageable AND ensure biggest adjustments made early in project.


What cycles?

Using the chosen concept, finish completing the three touch points shown as prototypes

Create a program book that captures all the decisions made through developing those touch points

Roll-out across all communications that can be pre-determined


Final tips from Lizzie

1. “Think First, Design Later” - What is it that needs to change?”

2. Assess your internal processes, what are your measurements - where are the pain points - this will help you with Tip no.1

3. Strive to make RG representation of organisation’s values - its easier to sell internally but also people will understand your organisation better

4. Don’t worry if you think your cause is too broad - there will be an angle


Final tips from Dan

1. Treat a RG refresh like a project.

2. Uncertainty makes people uncomfortable. Uncomfortable people try and jump ahead. Take steps to control that.

3. This is a crucial fundraising program. Use this as an opportunity to create values-based fundraising that is unique to your organisation.

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