Conference Corner
EVENT: DMFA Luncheon, Jan. 25, 2006, New York
SPEAKERS: Tiffany Lacey, director of development, Animal Haven; and Lisa Maska, account executive, Lautman & Co.
Lacey: Animal Haven raised more than $60,000 in Katrina relief funds from 325 donors (25 percent of whom were new) by combining good local media coverage with a series of e-mails, most of which were blog entries from AH’s executive director, who was in the field. AH created nine e-mails between Sept. 9 and Sept. 26 that used seven blogs, two special reports and pictures from the field to create fundraising opportunities. AH sent a follow-up report to donors and made thank-you calls to anyone who gave $100 or more. This was AH’s first foray into e-mail fundraising.
Maska: International disaster-relief organization Mercy Corps rolled out acquisitions mailings to generate new donors after the 2004 tsunami in South Asia, and 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and earthquake in Pakistan. It supplemented its direct-mail effort with targeted Web site information, e-mails, and print and media ads in a campaign that was up and running within three weeks of the tsunami.
For its tsunami effort, Mercy Corps received a 2.11 percent response, acquiring 77,000 new donors with an average gift of $45 and a cost to raise a dollar of 72 cents. The Katrina effort generated a 0.77 percent response, acquiring 17,000 new donors with an average gift of $39 and a ctrad of $1.08; and the Pakistan effort received a 0.30 percent response, acquiring 13,000 new donors with an average gift of $99 and a ctrad of 30 cents. It renewed 36 percent of the tsunami donors.
— Cary Castle (ccastle@nyc.rr.com)
