American Humane Association

Situation:

For many years the American Humane Association used a costly premium package filled with greeting cards to acquire new donors. Donors were acquired at very low average gift levels, renewal rates were disappointing, and the overall fundraising costs for the program were higher than desired. In 2008, American Humane asked Meyer Partners to work them to increase net revenue and lower fundraising costs, while continuing to attract new donors.
 
Strategy: 

Testing revealed that an acquisition package highlighting the organization’s Second Chance Fund, combined with personalized name labels and notepad, was the key to turning the new donor acquisition program around. This provided a means to acquire new donors with first gifts averaging in the $25 range. At the same time, careful attention was given to a series of donor-focused thank-you letters, the conversion of first-time donors to multi-donor status, and providing meaningful opportunities for mid-level multi-donors to increase their commitment. The middle donor campaign featured here is one example of this approach.
 
Results:

While production and postage costs decreased by 10%, the total gross revenue grew by 25% and the average gift rose by 39%. Over the course of two years, the total impact to the direct mail fundraising program was a 77 percent increase in net revenue.