CUSTOMER & DONOR RETENTION: BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Celebrating its 60^th anniversary, a college wanted to use the milestone to increase alumni donations to a namesake fund. The dollars were earmarked for daily operations, scholarships, capital projects or areas designated by donors.

Previously, fundraising efforts had not met expectations. Of 12,000 graduates, only about 6% had previously donated.

Insty-Prints created a multi-channel marketing approach, integrating three key services: mail tracking, call tracking and online ad follow-up.

The campaign launched with a postcard mailing. Variable data printing allowed for personalization by name and images specific to the recipient’s graduating era. Mail tracking technology monitored delivery to more than 10,000 alumni. Phone calls generated by the mailing were also tracked.

The postcard directed alumni to personalized web pages that greeted each visitor by name. On the website, each alum was requested to update their personal information, and upload photos and stories to a “memory wall” where they could share and comment. A prominent “donate now” button followed visitors down the page.

Website visitors were also tagged for follow-up digital ads on the Google Display Network over the next 30 days.

• The school raised more than $13,000 in the first week alone.
• The fundraising goal was exceeded by 30%.
• Online ads garnered more than 150,000 impressions.
• The website created an engaged alumni community that could be further nurtured for ongoing support.

More than 84% of consumers say personalization made them more likely to open a direct mail piece, according to InfoTrends research.