Telemarketing Campaign of the Year: The Wilderness Society

GOLD AWARD
The Wilderness Society
Chopping Block Upgrade
Submitted by Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey

The Numbers
Recipients: 7,095
Response Rate: 17 percent
Total Cost: $13,393
Income Generated: $70,144
Average Gift: $136.22
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.19

For this campaign, TWS targeted $100 to $999.99 donors who had made a gift in the previous 24 months, asking them to increase their giving level. Our judges liked the urgent, straightforward script, and especially the use of “by invitation only” giving circles based on donors’ highest previous contributions.

“Of the 335 gifts received,” CCAH’s Lon Chapman wrote, “24 percent were upgrades.”

“With a marginal cost to raise a dollar, this campaign delivered an exceptional net ratio of $10,918 per thousand,” he wrote. “The strategy delivered upgrade appeal through telemarketing with 80 upgrades at an average increase of $162 more than the donors’ highest gifts ever on file.”

SILVER AWARD
Kennedy Center
February 2011 Reinstatement Telemarketing
Submitted by The Kennedy Center

The Numbers
Recipients: 9,362
Response Rate: 8.45 percent
Total Cost: $47,861
Income Generated: $71,620
Average Gift: $90.54
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.67

The audience for this reinstatement campaign included 13- to 96-month lapsed Kennedy Center members, with the majority of the file (73 percent) inactive for three to eight years.

“Traditionally hard to convert, these deeper lapsed members were ideal candidates for a telemarketing campaign timed to coincide with the Kennedy Center’s new season announcement,” the campaign’s submission form explained. “In order to allow callers to engage with former members, the script was written to renew the prospects by highlighting upcoming Kennedy Center performances prior to presenting the philanthropic case for support.”

The Kennedy Center also discounted membership donation levels by 20 percent to reactivate those members who might have missed the benefits of membership. It was impressive that despite the discounts, the average pledge surpassed budget by $17.12 while maintaining a strong pledge rate of 10.92 percent.

Our judges also were impressed that even though this campaign was budgeted at a net loss of $1,204, it actually yielded $23,759 in net and successfully renewed 791 Kennedy Center members — 37 percent more than anticipated. Nothing like blowing the projections out of the water!