Michigan Humane Society used an integrated donor-acquisition campaign to grow its donor file

By Joe Boland

"We just stuck to the plan," Howard says. "There was a plan that was decided, and we stuck with it."

The planning payoff

That determination paid off in a big way. Just through direct mail, MHS brought in about 4,800 brand-new donors, a 148 percent increase. In addition, 1,000 lapsed donors were reactivated. Through May 31, the lifetime value of those 4,800 new donors was $172,000, according to Howard, and of the 5,800 new and reactivated donors, about 20 percent made additional gifts for an average of 2.5 gifts. Further, 65 of those donors have become monthly sustainers.