Transcript An Engaging Experience

Email Marketing to Maximize
Online Giving Results
If you can’t say it in 140 characters,
is it really worth saying?
“[Social networking sites and blogs have]
overtaken personal Email to become the
world’s fourth most popular online sector
after search, portals and PC software
applications.”
Global Faces and Networked Places
Nielsen report, March 2009
You’ve got mail a friend request
“Email has had a good run as king of
communications. But its reign is over.”
“Why Email No Longer Rules...”
Jessica E. Vascellaro
Wall Street Journal - Oct. 12, 2009
A rising tide lifts all posts
The number of worldwide email users will increase
to almost 1.9 billion by 2013 compared with over 1.4
billion in 2009.
Email Statistics Report, 2009-2013
The Radicati Group
May 2009
Heavy social media users are also
using email more.
NielsenWire
“Is Social Media Impacting How Much We Email?”
Sept. 28, 2009
While email use has been declining among
college students for several years, this trend has
reversed in 2009. The reason? Smartphones.
Mike Hanley, Director, Institute for Mobile Media Research
So is email having its last gasp?
The reports of my death are greatly
exaggerated. - Sincerely, Email
Email's ROI in 2009 was $43.52 for every dollar spent on it.
Down from $45.06 in 2008 - DMA (2009, 2008)
Email drove an average of $0.14 in revenues per delivered
message. - Epsilon "Q3 2008 Email Trends and Benchmark"
(Jan 2009)
Email presently generates 21.6% of total revenue from
campaigns. - Direct Marketing Association "The Integrated
Marketing Media Mix" (2008)
The aggregate sum raised online by [113 universities responding,
$58.5M raised] is equal to 1.4 percent of their total philanthropic
support raised through all routes. - CASE survey (2009)
The Obama factor
Who here
hasn’t heard...
“What can we
learn from the
Obama
campaign?”
The Obama factor
Who here
hasn’t heard...
“What can we
learn from the
Obama
campaign?”
(Edelman Report: Social Pulpit)
What works or  at UC Berkeley:
e-newsletters
14 E-Newsletters with some overlap:
Campus, Athletics (300K), Alumni Association, Schools
Berkeley Online:
95K alumni (21.23% open), 17K non-alum (22.94% open)
• top stories: budget cuts, extraordinary students,
YouTube links, athletics
• experimenting with localization

not a replacement for print

buried soft ask
What  at UC Berkeley:
e-newsletters
Buried soft ask:
What  at UC Berkeley:
e-newsletters
Buried soft ask:
What works or  at UC Berkeley:
email solicitations
• newsy, deadline-driven appeals
• end of year emails; tax benefit by 12/31
• reminders for regular donors
• class campaigns video/email
• track solicitation codes in online giving form

DM pitch, student/donor testimonials

expensive flash solicitations; flash for parents

flash with soft ask: great traffic, no gifts
What works or  at UC Berkeley:
email solicitations
Campaign
# Mailed
Response
Gross
Avg.
Class Campaign
Kick Off ’08
(flash) April
21,167
.25%
$5,545
$107
Homecoming
Pre-event ’09
(email) Sept.
21,167
.24%
$8,874
$171
 Sophomore
Reflects ’08
(HTML) Sept.
110,599
.01%
$1,950
$150
 End of FY ’08
(HTML) June
77,098
.02%
$8,425
$496
(End of Tax Y ’08)
(67,956)
(.12%)
($40,585)
($450)
What works at UC Berkeley:
email solicitations
What  at UC Berkeley:
email solicitations
155,295 mailed, .01% response, $781 gross, $98 avg.
Elements of a successful email
marketing campaign
• a solicitation policy
• a plan (ideally, part of a larger marketing plan)
• email addresses
• segmentation and testing
• delivery mechanism
• a message that stands out and gets read
• a call to action that translates into gifts
• receipts, stewardship
• measurable results
Frustrating elements of an email
marketing campaign
Frustrating elements of an email
marketing campaign
Elements:
solicitation policy
• goals for sending email
• limit on # of emails sent to alumni each month
• how email will be used to solicit contributions
• frequency/timing of emails across campus
• tools available on campus
• strategy for fixing bad/undeliverable email
Elements:
solicitation policy, survey
Question 1: Does your campus have a formal
policy aimed at keeping departments from
deluging constituents with email?
- No, it’s a free for all (20)
- Yes, there’s a gatekeeper who reviews all (12)
- Yes, gatekeeper for certain mass emails, such as
appeals (14)
Who is the gatekeeper for your outgoing emails?
How can you convince orgs to do away with
shadow databases?
Elements:
solicitation policy, survey
Question 2: Does your campus have a formal
policy that all campus mass emails must be
sent through a single delivery mechanism (an
email marketing engine, your online
community, an outsourced vendor, etc.)
Analysis: Decentralization won 2 to 1
- Yes, we have a formal policy (15)
- No, each department uses its own tool (29)
- Advancement Services is not involved (6)
Elements:
solicitation policy, survey
Question 3: Does your campus have a formal
policy that, however mass emails are delivered,
campus departments must keep email addresses
(including opt-out requests) in sync with the
Advancement database?
Voluntary compliance won by nearly 2 to 1.
- Yes, we have a formal policy (14)
- No, it's up to each department (27)
- Advancement Services is not involved (7)
Who issues policy requiring compliance:
- VP of Advancement
- Advancement Services
- External Affairs
- Alumni Relations/Advancement
- Advancement Services
Elements:
an integrated marketing plan
Convio (CASE OS ’08)
• World Wildlife Fund achieved a 40% better response rate
via multi-channel campaign.
• University of Texas annual fund donors were sent an email
with Flash video before being solicited by phone; this
approach improved the receptiveness to the telemarketing
phone call and increased giving.
Rice
• 1,600 young alumni donors
• 45% new or lapsed
• 9x more online donors than
direct mail; 3x more than telefund
email | microsite
Elements:
email addresses
UC Berkeley has 430,714 Alumni; 150,809 email
addresses (35%)
Email Addresses by Class Year
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
Pre1940
194049
195059
196069
197079
198089
199099
200009
Elements:
email addresses
Strategies for securing emails
(Pursuant)
Elements:
segmentation, testing, delivery
Elements:
Message
• subject line
(use your org. name)
• who is it from
(prof or recognizable alum)
• timing
(T-Th; evening, FB-weekend)
• who writes/edits/approves?
• does the design work on multiple platforms?
(design for gmail, once you get it right, save
your template)
• does message enhance or support other efforts?
Elements:
Message
Fordham University esolicitation
Donor acquisition piece that strives to make gifts feel personal and
connected to individual campaigns. Sent before launch of a
comprehensive campaign. (MainSpring)
Results:
Open - 36%
View - 22%
Click - 1.3%
Elements:
Message
UC Berkeley/Haas esolicitation
Interactive messaging engages recipients (MainSpring)
13.1% estimated completion rate to giving buttons
22.9% estimated completion rate to all of the buttons
Elements:
call to action
• go straight to your giving form
• divert no attention from your giving form
• links vs. buttons (a small test)
Elements:
receipts
(Orbees)
Elements:
stewardship
Connect without asking for anything - say Thanks!
(Pursuant)
Elements:
measurable results
• open rate
• click through rate
• response rate
Tracking solicitation codes
UC Berkeley offers a solicitation code via a URL in
Give to Cal for an entire browser session
?sc=yoursolicationcode" at the end of any givetocal URL
https://givetocal.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=50&?sc=A125678
Discussion