Engagement Strategies For Your Mid-Level Prospect Pool
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I am coming to the conclusion of a blogging series on utilizing your Target Analytics data for identifying mid-level gift prospects. My first blog introduced the series and includes a helpful question from a client as well as a reply back on ideas to help nonprofits define their mid-level donor levels. My second blog discussed thoughts on how to utilize your ProspectPoint® modeling results to identify and rank your best mid-level prospects. My third blog discussed utilizing your WealthPoint® data within ResearchPoint™ for mid-level giving prospect groups as well as utilizing these data points to refine your modeling scores. The fourth blog discussed how to identify prospects for mid-level giving opportunities with Affluence Insight™ data.
Here is a list of ways your organization can potentially engage mid-level prospects, and ones that I’ve seen work successfully at other nonprofit organizations who have utilized our Target Analytics data to identify mid-level prospects:
For all the ideas mentioned above, consider employing a two-pronged strategy such as an appeal or invitation to an event followed up by sending a personalized email or letter – or even better pick up the phone and call them if your schedule permits you to do so. No matter what, it goes without saying that any prospect that responds to your mid-level engagement strategies and appeals should be followed-up with. If they do donate at any level in response to these strategies, show your appreciation by thanking them.
One more idea I wanted to mention is that if you have the ability and budget to do so, create a part-time or full-time gift officer role(s) for mid-level giving. I have seen nonprofits be successful by allowing their annual fund manager / director some additional bandwidth for mid-level gift portfolio management. If possible, create specific annual “leadership” gift officer roles for specific mid-level prospect portfolio management. One client I worked with saw tremendous gains in fundraising by employing two such gift officers to grow their mid-level program. The activities around these roles truly “primed the pump” for their major gift prospect pipeline. In addition to making phone calls, sending letters and cards, and inviting them to tour their facility, they found that by allowing their AGOs to do some local onsite visits with a portion of the prospects in their portfolios each year, it was both a rewarding for the gift officers and helped the organization raise more money.
I hope you found this blogging series helpful. I am a big fan of having a mid-level engagement efforts, and I hope your organization can prioritize specific engagement around this program.
Here is a list of ways your organization can potentially engage mid-level prospects, and ones that I’ve seen work successfully at other nonprofit organizations who have utilized our Target Analytics data to identify mid-level prospects:
- Send out a higher-end mailing, inviting these prospects to be part of your $1K gift club (or whatever level marks a mid-level donor at your organization)
- Be sure to include the individual and aggregate funding a gift like this would mean to your organization
- Invite your mid-level prospects to a more exclusive event
- Consider an event that provides information around how a higher level of giving will help your organization flourish
- Send personal hand-written cards (if possible written by development officers), or personal letter signed by the CEO at your organization with a quick note thanking them for their past support
- Send a personalized email with a hyperlink to a YouTube video from your organization, specifically around the impact of a mid-level gift to your organization
- For example, consider including a video showcasing a “like-donor” story of an annual fund donor who upgraded to the “President’s Society” $1K gift club level, and ask them to include the reasons they increased their philanthropic commitment to your organization
- I like doing this in favor of showing a link to a video of one of your $1M campaign donors – Remember mid-level prospects will relate to other mid-level donors to your nonprofit
For all the ideas mentioned above, consider employing a two-pronged strategy such as an appeal or invitation to an event followed up by sending a personalized email or letter – or even better pick up the phone and call them if your schedule permits you to do so. No matter what, it goes without saying that any prospect that responds to your mid-level engagement strategies and appeals should be followed-up with. If they do donate at any level in response to these strategies, show your appreciation by thanking them.
One more idea I wanted to mention is that if you have the ability and budget to do so, create a part-time or full-time gift officer role(s) for mid-level giving. I have seen nonprofits be successful by allowing their annual fund manager / director some additional bandwidth for mid-level gift portfolio management. If possible, create specific annual “leadership” gift officer roles for specific mid-level prospect portfolio management. One client I worked with saw tremendous gains in fundraising by employing two such gift officers to grow their mid-level program. The activities around these roles truly “primed the pump” for their major gift prospect pipeline. In addition to making phone calls, sending letters and cards, and inviting them to tour their facility, they found that by allowing their AGOs to do some local onsite visits with a portion of the prospects in their portfolios each year, it was both a rewarding for the gift officers and helped the organization raise more money.
I hope you found this blogging series helpful. I am a big fan of having a mid-level engagement efforts, and I hope your organization can prioritize specific engagement around this program.
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ARCHIVED | Blackbaud Target Analytics® Tips and Tricks
07/11/2018 6:18pm EDT
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