Influencing Giving/Getting Meetings through simple outreach

[Brandon Marth]

Brandon Marth has shared a OneDrive for Business file with you. To view it, click the link below. photoforDPP.jpg

Hi DPP,

It has been a while since I've been able to interact with the group, but I'm always learning from the materials and thoughts of others, so I felt it was time for me to contribute!

Recently I tried an "old school" tactic, by sending handwritten notes to Lybunts and Sybunts who have been unresponsive to emails and voicemails. 

So far in my first batch of outreach, I've heard back from several donors through new emails that weren't in our CRM, thanking me for the note and have booked a meeting, in addition I recently received in response to my note, a $500 gift from a donor who has not given in 3 fiscal years! I've been aiming to send about 10 a week, which has garnered a response of roughly 2-3 per batch.

Sometimes it's the personal touch that makes the difference, just wanted to share my progress with this strategy, in hopes that can help a fellow fundraiser further reach their donors. 

All my best,

Brandon

----
Brandon C. Marth
Philanthropy Officer 

Da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology
3145 Hamilton Blvd. Bypass
Allentown, PA, 18103
Brando...@davincisciencecenter.org
www.davincisciencecenter.org 

 Make a Gift Today!

[Joshua Thornton]

Hey Brandon,

Thanks for sharing! Would you be open to sharing some of the language you used for the handwritten notes? Did you use the same outreach for every note or have you been personalizing each one you send out? 

I've been considering doing this with folks who don't have contact information other than an address or individuals whose contact information is now outdated. It's encouraging to hear you've had such great success!

Best regards,

Josh

Josh Thornton, CFRE

Associate Director of Development

Arts and Sciences Foundation

UNC Chapel Hill

Josh's LinkedIn | (321) 652-7727

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[Mirvlyne Brice]

Brandon, thanks for sharing your tips and progress with us. 

I will add it to my strategy this fiscal year and report back to you and the group. 

 Thanks again!

On Mon, Jul 25, 2022 at 3:15 PM Brandon Marth <Brando...@davincisciencecenter.org> wrote:

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Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School

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[Brandon Marth]

Hi Nick and Josh,

I've used a mix of general language for donors we don't have much info on, and much more personalized information for lapsed donors who were regulator contributors/had specific interests on file.  For more involved donors, who had previously given to capital projects, I included a copy of our most recent FAQ on our expansion project, and for those with programmatic interests, I sent a fact sheet/current offerings menu for programs we currently have available. 

My general language example is below, and is the one that got the most responses. It was just a simple note, thanking them for their giving and inviting them to coffee/lunch.  I also was sure to provide 2 weeks of availability for them, and included my business card. Everything in highlighted brackets, is modular, like if they are current donors or lapsed, just so the languages subtly reminds them that it may have been some time since their last gift (ex: the $500 that came through this outreach).

Hope this helps!

-------

Dear <<Name>>, 

 First and foremost, I would like to personally thank you for your [continued/previous] support of Da Vinci Science Center. Through your generosity, you [are/have] truly [bringing/brought] science to life and lives to science! 

Might you have some time the week of[Month and Date] or [Month and Date] to get together for coffee or lunch? I would love the opportunity to thank you in-person and learn more about your experience with us, as well as answer any questions you might have about our current programming and forthcoming expansion.  

Please feel free to call me anytime at [my cell #], or I can be reached by email at brando...@davincisciencecenter.org.  

I’m looking forward to connecting, 

[Handwritten Signature]

Philanthropy Officer 

Da Vinci Science Center 

-------------------------------

---

From: Joshua Thornton <thornto...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2022 3:18 PM
To: Brandon Marth <Brando...@davincisciencecenter.org>
Cc: donorpart...@googlegroups.com <donorpart...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [Donor Participation] Influencing Giving/Getting Meetings through simple outreach

 

CAUTION:  External Email

[Brian J. Gawor]

This is great, and congrats!

 

We’ve experimented with AI-driven notes at scale as well. (Basically, you handwrite for a bit, and the AI learns your writing, and then it can be used to send out notes very fast. Still hand personalized, but very, very quick). The vendor we’ve engaged with is IgnitePost, and I know there are others.

 

That’s a solution for personalization large-scale. I agree that individual hand written notes are great. Don’t forget the value of both students and volunteers for doing these. I’ve heard charities receiving 5x or more response for hand-written notes and getting a group together with pizza for a night of notes is engaging, something real for them to do, and again, scaleable!

 

Throw a small QR code print out square in the envelope that drives to your giving site, and you get the best of both worlds – personal note, and friction-free giving.

 

And, anyone who does this: be sure to hand address the envelopes! A huge component is lost if the donor doesn’t see hand writing on the outside of the envelope!

 

 

	Brian Gawor Pronouns: he, him Vice President, Research RNL   Brian...@RuffaloNL.com [m] 309.299.4682 LinkedIn: Brian Gawor
	I’m a first-generation college graduate and donors made it possible. Thank you for giving.

 

 

From: donorpart...@googlegroups.com <donorpart...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Mirvlyne Brice
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2022 3:22 PM
To: Brandon Marth <Brando...@davincisciencecenter.org>
Cc: donorpart...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [Donor Participation] Influencing Giving/Getting Meetings through simple outreach

 

This email originated from outside of Ruffalo Noel Levitz. Proceed cautiously with any links/attachments.

Brandon, thanks for sharing your tips and progress with us. 

 

I will add it to my strategy this fiscal year and report back to you and the group. 

 

 Thanks again!

 

On Mon, Jul 25, 2022 at 3:15 PM Brandon Marth <Brando...@davincisciencecenter.org> wrote:

Brandon Marth has shared a OneDrive for Business file with you. To view it, click the link below. photoforDPP.jpg

Hi DPP,

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/donorparticipation/CAC0FvVAffwA_WozjagqsfZZ-RTrH1ZeRewCWQo%2B%3DigC5KS4t%2Bw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Allison Anderson]

If anyone else has worked with an AI platform like Brian mentioned, I would love to hear the experiences- pro and con.

Thanks!

Allison Anderson

Chesapeake Conservancy 

Pardon my typos and grammar, sent on the go!

On Jul 25, 2022, at 3:52 PM, Brian J. Gawor <Brian...@ruffalonl.com> wrote:



This is great, and congrats!

 

We’ve experimented with AI-driven notes at scale as well. (Basically, you handwrite for a bit, and the AI learns your writing, and then it can be used to send out notes very fast. Still hand personalized, but very, very quick). The vendor we’ve engaged with is IgnitePost, and I know there are others.

 

That’s a solution for personalization large-scale. I agree that individual hand written notes are great. Don’t forget the value of both students and volunteers for doing these. I’ve heard charities receiving 5x or more response for hand-written notes and getting a group together with pizza for a night of notes is engaging, something real for them to do, and again, scaleable!

 

Throw a small QR code print out square in the envelope that drives to your giving site, and you get the best of both worlds – personal note, and friction-free giving.

 

And, anyone who does this: be sure to hand address the envelopes! A huge component is lost if the donor doesn’t see hand writing on the outside of the envelope!

 

 

Brian Gawor Pronouns: he, him Vice President, Research RNL   Brian...@RuffaloNL.com [m] 309.299.4682 LinkedIn: Brian Gawor

I’m a first-generation college graduate and donors made it possible. Thank you for giving.

 

From: donorpart...@googlegroups.com <donorpart...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Mirvlyne Brice
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2022 3:22 PM
To: Brandon Marth <Brando...@davincisciencecenter.org>
Cc: donorpart...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [Donor Participation] Influencing Giving/Getting Meetings through simple outreach

 

This email originated from outside of Ruffalo Noel Levitz. Proceed cautiously with any links/attachments.

Brandon, thanks for sharing your tips and progress with us. 

 

I will add it to my strategy this fiscal year and report back to you and the group. 

 

 Thanks again!

 

On Mon, Jul 25, 2022 at 3:15 PM Brandon Marth <Brando...@davincisciencecenter.org> wrote:

Brandon Marth has shared a OneDrive for Business file with you. To view it, click the link below. photoforDPP.jpg

Hi DPP,

 

It has been a while since I've been able to interact with the group, but I'm always learning from the materials and thoughts of others, so I felt it was time for me to contribute!

 

Recently I tried an "old school" tactic, by sending handwritten notes to Lybunts and Sybunts who have been unresponsive to emails and voicemails. 

 

So far in my first batch of outreach, I've heard back from several donors through new emails that weren't in our CRM, thanking me for the note and have booked a meeting, in addition I recently received in response to my note, a $500 gift from a donor who has not given in 3 fiscal years! I've been aiming to send about 10 a week, which has garnered a response of roughly 2-3 per batch.

 

Sometimes it's the personal touch that makes the difference, just wanted to share my progress with this strategy, in hopes that can help a fellow fundraiser further reach their donors. 

 

All my best,

Brandon

----
Brandon C. Marth
Philanthropy Officer 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/donorparticipation/CH2PR18MB32714099ABA34FC2EE7CE37AE6959%40CH2PR18MB3271.namprd18.prod.outlook.com.

[Jason Peno]

I explored this method right before I left my last Executive Director position and I do think it's worth a look and possible investment. I've worked in fundraising since 2007 and I consistently hear from folks that they just throw mail away. I don't think that means we should abandon mailing initiatives and programs entirely, but I do think investing in more efficient methods that reduce personal time on these programs is a worthwhile investment. These types of AI resources do a stellar job of making things personal while also offloading a lot of work. 

For anyone looking to explore new tech, this is an excellent website to join: https://www.joinpond.com/

It's a great way to explore resources and nonprofits are rewarded for meeting with potential providers. 

I believe the Donor Participation Project is partnered with Pond, so you may already be aware of the website. I was part of the beta platform and have engaged with it from the beginning and I deeply appreciated how easy it made problem-solving around logistics and operations and the community component. 

With Respect, 

JASON PENO

He/They

Yale Divinity School, Yale University M.Div 2010

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/donorparticipation/7477CE6C-3D55-431A-901B-0E659AC4C56F%40gmail.com.