Successful pathways to turn tour participants into supporters?

[caitlin.kiley]

Happy Friday afternoon DPPers, 

We at Teton Science Schools (TSS) have a unique org structure. We have a k-12 independent school, we offer graduate level programs, field education programs for schools nationwide, we offer professional learning for educators, the list goes on and on. 

One of the most unique programs is our Wildlife Expeditions that runs wildlife tours in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. This is where I need your brains. Historically, TSS has not tried to solicit these tour participants (1500+ annually) because they have such a short interaction with us. They come to Jackson, do a tour and then go back home. But, in my opinion, we are missing out on prospects that are choosing our non-profit, believe in our mission, and obviously have the means to do these tours. We need to get them into our pipeline and educate them about all the cool things TSS does. 

One idea we have is to offer a simple "round-up" option on the tour registration check out page. We could add $10-20 to their bill as a donation to TSS and then that would automatically add them as donors and get them into our stewardship and retention flows. 

Other ideas? Any other orgs out there dealing with a similar situation? We have a Wildlife Expeditions newsletter that participants can subscribe to currently but we are not getting gifts from that. 

Thank you for reading this long email on a Friday and giving any ideas/feedback/proven strategies. 

Best,

Caitlin Kiley 

Development Operations Director

[Andrea Stevens]

Caitlin, 

I think all those sound like great ideas! Anything you do at the time of tour registration plants the awareness that your program is supported by donations. Once they're in the donor flow, maybe you can automate a welcome email (or series) for those particular donors, thanking them again, and giving them the opportunity to subscribe to your newsletter. That could be especially effective after their tour when they've developed an interest in wildlife.  We offer a number of free events, like academic lectures, and we began offering registrants the opportunity to make an optional gift, and it's been an effective way to reach new donors. At each stage, you're simply offering them an invitation to support your work, so even if it's a short interaction, you're not doing anything intrusive, and they may appreciate the opportunity to make a difference in your work.  I say don't miss out on those potential supporters!

Best,

Andrea Stevens

Director of Annual Giving and Alum Relations

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

[Louis Diez]

Adding to Andrea's thoughts below.

On Mon, Mar 28, 2022 at 2:55 PM Andrea Stevens <akrst...@gmail.com> wrote:

I think all those sound like great ideas! Anything you do at the time of tour registration plants the awareness that your program is supported by donations.

Make all communications around the event as well as the event itself as purposeful as possible. 

In pre-registration materials: "TSS exists to XYZ, we do this in partnership with thousands of donors who support our work. Thank you for joining us!"

During the tour: 

"Thank you to all the generous tour participants who make gifts to support our work in XYZ." (Recognize any donors that tour attendees will feel identified with: schools, groups, etc.)

Work donor recognition and references to generous supporters into the tour scripts. Prominently display honor rolls, etc.

After the tour (automated, email from staff member): "Thank you for joining us! 

We love spending time with friends who care so deeply about our wildlife. Would you like to learn more about TSS?"

CTAs

* Sign up for our newsletter

* Schedule a time to learn how you can support the environment through a gift to TSS (link to calendly)

* Make a gift

You could add a lot more nuance, but the essence (for me) is that the pre-tour and during the tour communications need to very clearly set the tone for your post-tour communication/asks.

Hope this helps,

Louis

 

On Friday, March 25, 2022 at 4:40:34 PM UTC-4 caitli...@tetonscience.org wrote:

Happy Friday afternoon DPPers, 

We at Teton Science Schools (TSS) have a unique org structure. We have a k-12 independent school, we offer graduate level programs, field education programs for schools nationwide, we offer professional learning for educators, the list goes on and on. 

One of the most unique programs is our Wildlife Expeditions that runs wildlife tours in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. This is where I need your brains. Historically, TSS has not tried to solicit these tour participants (1500+ annually) because they have such a short interaction with us. They come to Jackson, do a tour and then go back home. But, in my opinion, we are missing out on prospects that are choosing our non-profit, believe in our mission, and obviously have the means to do these tours. We need to get them into our pipeline and educate them about all the cool things TSS does. 

One idea we have is to offer a simple "round-up" option on the tour registration check out page. We could add $10-20 to their bill as a donation to TSS and then that would automatically add them as donors and get them into our stewardship and retention flows. 

Other ideas? Any other orgs out there dealing with a similar situation? We have a Wildlife Expeditions newsletter that participants can subscribe to currently but we are not getting gifts from that. 

Thank you for reading this long email on a Friday and giving any ideas/feedback/proven strategies. 

Best,

Caitlin Kiley 

Development Operations Director

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