Services & Pricing – Fundraising Programs

Services & Pricing

Fundraising & Marketing Services for Non-Profits

fundraising Fundraising is the lifeblood of every non-profit organization.

Through the generosity of donors and supporters, non-profits are able to fulfill their stated missions and serve their communities.

While fundraising may not be the only source of funding for a non-profit, it is an important one.

If you’re responsible for fundraising development at your organization, please take a few minutes to learn about our fundraising strategy, creative and production services.  Then let’s take a minute to talk.

 

Fundraising can take many forms

Every non-profit organization does it differently, but most build their fundraising around current donors through annual giving campaigns, focused capital campaigns, matching gift campaigns, mailing label campaigns, major gift efforts and fundraising events.

But every non-profit also needs a consistent source for new donors through so-called donor acquisition campaigns. These generate very little, if any, revenue for the organization but they are important to the long-term success of the non-profit.

New donors are necessary to grow the organization or, at minimum, to replace lapsed and lost donors.

We can help you with both donor renewal and donor acquisitions with these activities:

  • direct mail
  • email
  • online advertising
  • print advertising
  • website development
  • collateral development (printed materials)

 

A Focus on Donors

At the core of every fundraising program is the donor database.  By all measures, this is the single most important asset of a non-profit – and should be managed with care.  Every donor database should include:

Current Donors
Non-profits generate the greatest amount of revenue when targeting the current donor file.  This is a database of people who have already donated to the organization’s cause, and as such, are likely to donate again – and again.

Current donors are targeted for general revenue annual campaigns as well as capital campaigns designed to provide funding for specific projects.

The challenge is to tap the donor file for maximum revenue without antagonizing donors with excessive requests.

A donor file will include all donors to the organization based on their past donation history. With donor history, donors are associated with an average gift size – and direct mail messaging can be tailored to that gift size.

Large Donors
Many organizations will reach out to wealthy individuals, foundations and other organizations for large gifts.

Major gift campaigns are largely conducted on a one-to-one basis with an organization’s representative reaching out to potential donors by phone and in-person, but it can also include a highly personalized direct mail communication.

Lapsed Donors
A donor file will also include lapsed donors – past donors who have not donated in specific number of years.  Occasionally, a non-profit will target this subgroup with direct mail hoping to bring them back into the fold.

Lapsed donors will be further segmented by the length of time since their last donation.  A one-year lapsed donor is more likely to come back than a 5-year lapsed donor.  This segmentation is important to identify when to stop pursuing lapsed donors.

New Donors
Even with the best effort, many donors move on after a period of time – so every organization needs to have a program in place to replace those donors.

This is known as a new donor acquisition program.  New donor acquisition direct mail campaigns can be frustrating for a non-profit because they seldom generate any meaningful revenue.  In many cases, acquisition mailings are break-even at best.  But they are important because you need to replace lapsed donors with new donors on a regular basis.

Volunteers and Supporters
Of course, a non-profit’s database may include more than donors.  It could also include volunteers and other supporters.

While these people are not necessarily making financial donations, they are contributing greatly to the cause – and need to be kept informed of all activities and developments.

They are also likely to play significant roles in community fundraising activities such as auctions and walkathons.

 

Marketing Channels

Whether for fundraising or general communications, non-profits used a variety of marketing channels, including:

Direct Mail
Direct mail has been the primary vehicle for fundraising programs over the years.  Even today, with the emergence of email and online marketing, direct mail remains a cornerstone of fundraising activity.

Fundraisers use various techniques with direct mail, including varying the “ask” amounts donations forms and offering premiums as incentives.  Some incentives are sent with the mailer, others are sent after a donation is made.

The most common direct mail format used by fundraisers is the so-called letter package that includes:#10 envelope

#10 envelope
2-page letter
donation form
#9 reply envelope

Options may include different size envelopes, different levels of personalization and the use of brochures or other inserts.

Email
While email has yet to prove to be as persuasive as direct mail in producing donations, it does offer many advantages – specifically, speed and price.  Email can get delivered in just seconds and can be produced for just pennies.

Most non-profits use email for general communications with their communities – to send newsletters, announcements, event promotions, success stories and organizational updates.

But email can also be used to reach donors just prior to or just after a direct mail campaign.

Online Advertising
Online Advertising offers a low-cost way to reach future donors.  Using the Google Display Network, non-profits can connect with these prospective donors through a variety of innovative targeting methods.

Then as interested prospects click on an ad, they are taken to your website or landing page where they can sign up as a volunteer or supporter, or respond with a donation.

The targeting options for online advertising have improved greatly over the years.  Now you can putd your ads in front people who have previously visited websites for similar causes to yours.

Remarketing/Retargeting
When someone visits your website, that is a strong indication that visitor is interested in your cause.  But statistics show that close 95% of your visitors will leave your website without taking any action.

These are lost prospects – unless you use Remarketing (also known as Retargeting).  With Remarketing, you can continue to send advertising to those people after they leave your website.

Websites & Landing Pages
Websites are a key informational source for every non-profit.  Visitors come to the website to learn more about an organization’s cause.  The website should be focused on telling the organization’s story and persuading visitors to join the cause.

Aside from providing information, the website should also be focused on converting visitors into supporters, volunteers or donors. and provide a simple process for donating.

Generally speaking, it is better to send people to a dedicated landing page instead of your home page.  A landing page is more efficient for acquiring volunteers, supporters and donors.  You can host landing pages on your own website or through third-party services.

Print Advertising
Although print advertising is considered a bit “old-school” and somewhat limited, it can still play a role in a non-profit’s marketing effort.

It’s not a priority but don’t dismiss it out of hand.

Collateral Development
Printed materials are still necessary as handouts for events and meetings; also as presentation or leave-behind materials for one-on-one meetings.

Our Services

We work with non-profits through a variety of arrangements – with individual campaigns, individual services or an ongoing array of services.

Our full-service program is a month-to-month program that may include any combination of the following:

  • Strategic Planning
  • Project Management
  • Testing Strategy
  • Copywriting
  • Graphic Design
  • List/Media Research
  • Print/Mail Supervision
  • Results Analysis

 

Our Fees

We hesitate to get too precise about pricing without knowing more about your needs, but for the range of services described above, fees range from $1,500 – $5,000 per month (6- or 12-month contract).

Pricing will vary with scope of work, selected services and scheduling needs.  For example, at the low end, our services are mostly cover strategic planning and program management, while at the high end, our services would also include copy and design.

If you feel this full-service solution is more than you need or can afford, you may want to visit our individual pages for direct mail, online marketing, email or copywriting services.

 

Let’s Discuss

To learn more, or to tell us about your own needs, please contact Bob McCarthy at 508-473-8643 or bob@mccarthyandking.com