When Integration Works to Create the Highest Possible Response: The Greater Chicago Food Depository

September is Hunger Action Month – a chance to engage supporters in the mission of hunger. At the same time, Greater Chicago Food Depository had secured a matching gift for their September mailing that needed both online and offline components.

In some organizations, those two items would never have crossed paths. Or communications would have sent out Hunger Action Month emails while the fundraisers sent out matching gift emails. Fortunately, at the Food Depository, communications staff, fundraising staff, and the Amergent integrated fundraising team all sit down together to talk strategy and messaging.

Challenge:
We needed to create a series of emails that would balance the two messages of Hunger Action Month and the matching gift challenge – creating a seamless stream of communication without confusing readers.

Objectives:

• The goals of these campaigns were:
• To increase the response rates to the direct mail matching gift appeal both online and offline.
• To create a viral component in the emails that encourage forwarding to friend(s) and increase response.
• To integrate the messaging throughout the month in a way that one email built on another.

The Campaign - Click thumbnail to view email
Using an integrated approach, Amergent and GCFD staff worked together to send a series of emails over five weeks. The series kicked off with the matching gift appeal and announced Hunger Action Month. Hunger Action Month emails were sent with lists of activities and ways to get involved. One of those bulleted action items was giving to the matching gift. The campaign finished with a date-sensitive ‘last chance’ email.

The messaging was segmented, looking at audience variables: Did they get the mail appeal? Did they already give to the match? We tested ask amounts and used a campaign-specific landing page. Greater Chicago Food Depository raised a significant amount of money in a month that was typically not a high online revenue month. In 2008, there was little to no attributable giving for Hunger Action Month, but in 2009, due to a more integrated ask and better tracking, the Food Depository raised more than $40,000. The average gift for this campaign was $148 and conversion rates were high – up to 70% of those who clicked a link to give completed the donation form.

Conclusion:
Integrated messaging has the potential to exponentially lift response. If you start every quarter with a conversation that pinpoints all the activities and potential messages, you can accomplish two things.

1. You can identify opportunities like this one that can take your online program to the next level.
2. You can avoid situations when mixed messaging could be damaging to your donor relations.

Amergent is a fully integrated fundraising agency that can help you create a multi-channel master communications calendar and an approach that will help you raise more money.

Are you ready to raise more money online and in the mail through an integrated approach? Do you have questions about implementing a campaign like this? Our team is ready to help. Give us a call at: 978-278-1989. Or send an email to: information@amergent.com.