Fiscal Year-End Strategies April 14, 2015
Martha Krohn
• Assistant Vice President, Advancement and Annual Giving Programs, University of Rochester Martha Krohn The Annual Giving Network
• 16 years in Higher Education Annual Giving
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Agenda • Strategies and Approaches for Our Top Goals: – Dollars – Donors – Participation Rate • Identify Other Important Metrics – Manage Expectations • Close Management of Your Best Potential • Q&A Page 2
Poll: Choose Your Program’s Top Priority
POLL: Choose Your Program’s Top Priority
• Dollars • Donors • Participation Rate • Other (write-in)
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The Year-End Mantra
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Dollar Growth
University of Rochester Annual Fund Actuals & Projections FYs 05-16 Page 5
Dollar Growth Pledge Fulfillment: 90%+ should be paid • Phone calls: use student callers, volunteers and all Annual Fund staff as well as Alumni Relations - Provide scripts, brief training and recognition and incentives for staff (lunch with VP or AF chair) – Mail past-due reminders Page 6
Dollar Growth Pledge Fulfillment: 90%+ should be paid • Email pledge reminders - Merge pledge date if possible and amount with specific “pay by” date - Provide impact bullets or link to impact on web site - rochester.edu/ advancement/ annual-giving/your-impact/ Page 7
Impact Matters
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Dollar Growth Matching Gifts: 3-part process, great potential • More than 20,000 companies still match gifts • Past donors with matching gift potential • Donors with matching potential • Companies need to be reminded too • Make it easy - choose vendors who work directly with HEP
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2nd Ask Program • Dollars: 2nd Ask Program, 30% pledge rate! – Make a special ask for targeted need • Donors: Focus on best potential for acquisition – Young alumni – Reunion – Wealthy zip codes – Historic best performers • Add shifts or extend calling Page 10
Stewardship • Involve students: I ❤ Rochester Day - Handwritten thank you cards can lead to 2nd gifts by EOY
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Statement Mailers • “Ugly Betty” • Response rate between 5-12%
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Online Payments • Make a leadership gift for only $4 a day: one less latte! • Auto-Pay Push • Online Payments up 45%
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Donor Growth: Challenges and Deadlines Successful Models: • 24-Hour Challenges – Day of Giving models • Donor Matches: Double Your Impact! – Great opportunity to help colleague close major gifts • Class Challenges/ Regional Challenges – Participation rate focus • Draft Honor Rolls with deadline Page 14
Successful Samples: Personal Connections
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Successful Samples: Day of Giving
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Successful Samples: Challenges
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Participation Rate • Reduce Denominator - Improve data quality: cleansing to include deceased, international, email, phone, mail
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Participation Rate • Improve Numerator – Cost-effective asks and strategies – Pledge fulfillment – LYBUNTS – Can the organization devote more resources? • Add calling shifts • Incentives: raffles, personalized freebies
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Participation Rate
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Poll: Donor Retention Rate
POLL: What is your donor retention rate?
• Below 50% • 51 – 60% • 61 – 65% • 65 – 69% •
Above 70%
• I am not sure Page 21
Donor Retention Rates (Peer Comparison)
* UR is higher than industry average ** Data taken from Target Analytics – 2014 donorCentrics Higher Education Collaborative Benchmarking Report. Only undergraduate alumni retention is measured.
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Annual Fund Consecutive Giving
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Consecutive Giving Recognition • Rochester Loyal: 2-year consecutive giving program • In FY14 (launch year), Loyal society generated a return of 4:1 on our marketing budget • The best performing direct mail piece of FY14 for re-acquisition of first time donors • More than 22,000 members worldwide • Don’t have one yet? Create for next fiscal year and make the first pitch now for year-end impact. - Use as an incentive to be an inaugural member - Draft Honor Roll with deadline Page 24
Leadership Gifts Are in Your Control • Follow-up on ALL leadership Annual Fund asks! – Make up 60% of UR dollars • Credit is free – spread it widely. • Have all volunteers been asked? 100% board giving?
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Leadership Gifts Are in Your Control • If officers haven’t made ask, AF staff should do so now. - Mail or email to everyone - Make calls/visits if possible rate
- Average newsletter open rate between 40-50%
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Determine and Promote Your Strengths • Begin to manage expectations based on realistic year-end projections. Under promise and over-deliver. • Use analysis to determine other key measureables and important YOY wins for the long-term health of your program: – Number of new donors – Donor retention rate – Number of new volunteers – What are your pride points? Page 27
Determine and Promote Your Strengths – Are your lapsed Annual Fund donors giving more to the University in scholarship, major gifts, bequests? – Annual giving builds the habit of the heart. – Consistent annual giving is key predictor for major gift giving. New Major Gifts Pipeline
33%
Annual Leadership Giving Other
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Determine and Promote Your Strengths • Know your numbers! – Key program increases (young alumni, parents, faculty and staff, reunion, etc.)
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Key Takeaways • If it’s an organizational priority, shift budget to support it. Get buy-in! • Fulfill commitments first. • Donors who give, will give more with a compelling ask. • People respond to people, deadlines/challenges and impact. • It’s never too late.
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The Year-End Mantra
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Become an AGN Plus Member Today!
AGN Plus Members can get unlimited access to all AGN webinars and additional benefits.
To learn more, visit AnnualGiving.com or email
[email protected].
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