CASE STUDY 2 – SUSTAINER INVITE

by Gabe Raff

EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, knew that success in 2014, 2016 and beyond hinged on the continued support of low-dollar donors. Its challengein generating revenue wassimilar to other organizations: When every dollar matters, how do you re-solicit low-dollar donors while devoting maximum resources to organizing, recruiting, training and building the infrastructure that is the engine of the organization?

The solution: Grow the monthly giving program as aggressively and quickly as possible. Sustainer programs are key assets to cash-flow-driven organizations. They provide reliable support that can be counted on month after month.Thus, building the “Friends of EMILY” program became a key strategic priority in the early months of the cycle

To execute the kind of growth desired, Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey (CCAH) needed to overhaul the existing monthly giving program.

Knowing that telephone conversion is the most effective vehicle for sustainer conversion, CCAH launched a recruitment strategy where new and recent donors were invited into the monthly giving programs within 30 days of their first gift to the 2014 cycle. This tactic proved effective, rolling new, renewed and reinstated low-dollar donors onto a high-value track and saving the cost of additional re-solicitations.

CCAH did not develop the strategy of recruiting these sustainers in a bubble. We collaborated with all facets of the EMILY’s Listorganization to ensure that our timing aligned with key mailing, phone and online acquisition plans. By limiting sustainer invitationsto once a quarter, we avoided donor fatigue and increased conversion rates.

EMILY’s List knew that the benefits of Friends of EMILY equated to a marathon, not a sprint.Continued testing into new segments of the donor population expanded the audience for sustainer recruitment significantly, exponentially increasing bodies – and revenue – in the door.

To maximize the increased investment in this program, CCAH crafted strategic, timely messages each month, leveraging current events to capture the urgency of the pitch.However, the core of each message contained two simple truths: The backbone of EMILY’s List success is early money that can be invested in winning campaigns, and the best way to elect pro-choice Democratic women is with a small, set, monthly amount of support.

Program growth was extraordinary. In 11 months, the revamped strategy increased the number of monthly donors by 60% and increased program revenue by more than $20,000 a month. Relative to the35,000 donors reached via phone, conversion to sustainer giving occurred at a rate approaching 5%, with an average donation of $12.17 a month. The cost to recruit each sustainer was recouped in less than five months.

In 2014, these newly recruited sustainers will contribute close to $300,000 to EMILY’s List.By the end of the 2016 cycle, they will have given nearly $1 million in net revenue to the organization – an incredible total for donors whose previous individual gift was less than $100!

Author Bio

Gabe Raff isDirector of Telemarketing Strategies, Interactive Department, in Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey’s San Francisco office. There, he oversees more than 2 million contacts and $40 million in revenue raised annually over the phones.His innovative strategies and skilled implementation are widely recognized throughout the industry. To contact Gabe, please email him at .