SPEAKERS

JOEL NICHOLSON SHOW NOTES

1. Joel introduced the history of DCC
2. Joel also introduced the format of DCC and this session was the 20th edition!
3. Joel introduced the eight stages of the donor relationship journey: today discussing the 6th stage
4. The Key outcomes of stage 5 keep me discussed, few of the main insights were:
5. Digital programs were fast-tracked because of covid:
6. Covid messaging were integrated
7. Long term (3-5 year) strategic plans were kept
8. Personalization with donors was improved
9. The majority of participants had implemented the journey mapping framework
10. Most people were in the mid-level of data tracking
11. Endear me stage was introduced, reminding, reflecting, and igniting:
12. Remind: Do we have the same goals? Why does the relationship exist?
13. Reflect: Still communicating the same experience?
14. Ignite: the passion to continue on your journey together!
15. LemonTree’s value prop was introduced:
16. Membership based model
17. LemonSeeds: Acquiring new donors, improve the donor relationship by 4.5%
18. LemonBox: Growing donors, retaining, and reactivating donors
19. LemonZest: Hygiene
20. Primed: Pull the above together in turnkey solutions
21. LemonTree’s value proposition was linked to the theme of remind, reflecting, and igniting stages of the Endear me theme
22. A quick poll to discuss how many times the charities ‘remind’ their donors about what involved them was discussed- many said multiple times a year
23. Reflect- Analyse the relationship with your donors, Primed was used as an example to help suggest this. Case studies, innovative models were discussed performed by LemonTree was discussed to show the reflection of results and outcome
24. A poll was used to discuss the same- multiple times a year-common answer
25. Ignite was discussed and the importance of collaborative conversations was discussed
26. Thought leadership was also discussed to improve ignite- the DCC example was used as a powerful platform to improve the same

CASSANDRA AND SELAR’S Q&A SHOW NOTES

1. Selar (S) – Future Value and Cassandra (C) – OzHarvest were introduced. Their backgrounds in previous charities and call centers were explained
2. Selar explained that the 3 stages of Endear me are very relevant in the commercial world as well. The positioning of Future Value has also taken this into consideration
3. The Bi-mimicry approach of future value was discussed and how it was applied to the Madagascar case study
4. S: How to endear me to an audience when one doesn’t exist?

C: Experience in for-profits membership space helped in developing an audience for fundraising. Getting the brand positioning right helps in capturing the right audience as well. Therefore, it should be prioritized. Pausing acquisition to focus on building an audience and retaining that audience. Creating a loyal connection with you’re your audience is so important. Giving people the opportunity to make them feel good about what they are doing, which aligns with the Endear Me theme. A favourite quote:

5. S: Where do you start when faced with a limited or zero basis to introduce a new channel or to even implement a fundraising program that until that time has not been done?

C: no matter what the brand size and commonality between the 3 experiences a very clear and manageable focus for fundraising activities is, based on the team capacity, experience, and existing assets. This doesn’t always go to plan; this can turn into being reactive. Having a goal in place is key. Taking small steps to reach the goal is important. The boring bits can often make the biggest difference when starting out. Undertaking a thorough analysis to understand what you have available to work with, priorities, and next steps, no matter the base size.

6. S: Key things you do in the capacity analysis when first arriving at this point?

C: Decide on what your focus revenue streams are going to be, these can vary. Currently, at OzHarvest, which is a big brand and large organisation, the individual giving space is in fact new to OzHarvest, relying to date on corporates and partnerships. When coming in new to an organisation identify what are the main revenue streams are and of most importance (be realistic!) When working in a small team, focus on 1, 2, or even 3 steams at most. Identify from here what channels would then best align and how you can implement these. 

7. S: Based on available capacity, what is the priority of in-house vs outsourcing and the ability to integrate these with relationship building necessary to support you and handle this well within the organisaiton boundaries?

C: The key here is to work out when you need to outsource and when you can manage internally. For example, when working in a small team it is much more cost-effective to outsource to an expert in such things as digital and SEO support, design, and content creation

8. S: Importance of strategy in the before mentioned 3 situations?

C: Agreed for the need of strategy should be in the experience, used it in all 3 situations.

9. S: What have you found doesn’t change regardless of the circumstances between 4 paws and sea shepherd from when you first took over to now?

C: 4 Paws Paws was focused on RG programs, starting with no regular givers; within 2 years we built up to 8,000 = $2.5M annual turnover in RG programs. Sea Shepherd was a smaller base. So, 2 different strategies. Need to know your priorities as an organisation. What worked for one brand may not work for the other. A lot of testing and seeing what works on a small/large scale. Seeing what the audience needs from you and optimizing from there.

10. S: Long term strategies more effective vs short ones?

C: One page works better as it is more effective in rapidly changing environment while having a long-term view, looing at the next 12 months, with a 6-month review. This allows you to be flexible and adaptable and achievable. And a 5-year strategy sitting behind this.

11. S: Systemisation importance of process > procedures > understanding your communication out-flow to donors > money coming in > correct storytelling

C: Before looking and financial goals, important to look at existing systems, data in the CRM needs to be on point. What existing systems do you currently have in place? Are you equipped to deal with growth?

12. S: How to uncover process gaps and areas of expertise lacking in the organisation?

C: Do an investigation of what is available and do a gap analysis of what was available in the past. This will help uncover answers to the issues. A strong community around you makes this process much easier such as the DCC and other NFP community groups. Ask questions to the people within these communities to help quickly find the answers, in the gap-filling process.

13. Selar and Cass discussed the importance of having new digital channels on all kinds of programs

14. Selar and Cass discussed the importance of 2-way conversations via SMS implementation and how it has grown as a trend in the industry.

15. Remind, reflect, and ignite and how this was used at Sea Shepherd to improve fundraising for the anti-whale hunting program

16. S: What would be the biggest learning you are applying now?

C: the boring things are important, capacity analysis would also be a big thing

17. S: Anything else you would like to share?

C: Gratitude for your supporters, is a must-have. Tiny delighters, handwritten cards, personal touches.

18. Takeaway: Talk with your donors, not for your donors

AUDIENCE QUESTIONS

Do you find gaining new regular givers or stewarding those you already have to give more to be the best outcome? Our biggest challenge is a lack of community recognition. – Liana Kent, JDRF Australia

C: Finding the right balance between both is crucial. I think it is worthwhile to take a moment and prioritize a need now, nice to have, and what’s needed for future growth. Is the focus for your org primarily acquisition and growth or retention and stability for now? Gaining new regular givers is costly, so it is worthwhile to ensure all your retention practices are solid before you look for rapid growth. Are your declines management process solid? Do you have a robust and engaging onboarding and nurture journey ready and active? It might be worthwhile to do data analysis and establish some benchmarks so you know where the gaps are before preparing for growth.

How did you get 8,000 RG’s in 2 years at Four Paws? What channels were the main ones? – Camilla Hikarda, Oxfam

C: We were active in all possible channels at the time (we had the budget to do so)
– DRTV
– F2F
– DM (which produced fertile ground for cash gift TM conversion)
– TM (cash conversion, reactivations, recycled leads, fresh acquisition, paid and organic leads)
– Digi 2-step (both organic internal and paid external propositions were on the market)

Our best results came from organic digi 2-step. We had an active petition being pushed on all digi channels which were managed and optimized internally giving us very cost-effective leads. This channel brought us in approx. 500 fresh leads every week (many more in its prime). This remained strong for over a year and a half without changing the proposition. This was by far the most cost-effective program as well as the most stickiest donors. The TM component of this was run through Cornucopia. We also ensured we had a warm-up EDM prior to calling and a follow-up journey for all uncontactable and N to conversion to ensure we made the most out of every single lead. 

POLL RESULTS

DCC Insight – interesting to see that most of our donor-centric fundraisers “remind” donors on a regular basis. LemonTree applies “remind” content to the deeply lapsed segments in the Primed programs as an important part of behavioural economic practice. Our audience also likely applies “remind” messages to ongoing retention programs multiple times a year.

DCC Insight – This high proportion of fundraisers with frequent use of “reflective” accomplishment communications or telling stories of the impact our donations are having is a well understood part of endearing our donors. No surprises here.

DCC Insight – The lower level of confidence in our audience was the standout insight here. It highlights that often, growing new ways of fundraising is hard. LemonTree agrees with Cassandra’s interview comments that starting with baby steps and investing in a deep understanding of your existing donor base is a pragmatic approach.

DCC Insight – 2-way donor conversations via channels such as digital chat or supporter surveys is a positive donor-centric application for endearing donors.  The high adoption of conversational channels in this poll result contrasts with the confidence levels of building new channels in the poll above. Definitely an area for further investigation for LemonTree’s DCC community.

$100 BEST QUESTION WINNER

Congratulations to DM Manager, Camilla Hikarda!

WEBINAR RECORDING

Thank you to our guest speakers Cassandra and Selar, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you in 2022!