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Add One More: The Power of Incremental Improvement in Fundraising

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Would you like to increase your fundraising revenue? The most dependable way to do that is to add one more.

One more what? you’re probably asking.

I’m going to show you a few things you can add in your fundraising, but the most promising of them is to add one more fundraising appeal to your line-up.

It’s an easy win. If you increase your number of appeals by one, you will increase your net revenue.

And there’s hardly any downside.

You might be worried that adding an appeal will risk your relationship with your donors – that one more appeal will annoy them and chase them away, resulting in less revenue.

I know that seems like a real possibility. But let me assure you: It doesn’t happen. Adding an appeal improves net revenue and donor retention. One more appeal means more donors give. And the more times a donor gives, the more likely they are to keep giving. You not only raise more in the short term, but you improve your long-term fundraising.

Some fundraisers are sending too many appeals already, and adding one more may not be a great idea. But those organizations are rare: They’re sending 20 or more appeals per year. If you are in that group, be cautious about adding one more. It may not be the improvement you need to make.

The large majority of organizations are miles away from needing to be careful about sending too much. Most are sending between one and four appeals per year. If that’s where you are, you can add one more without fear of backlash.

So let’s look at the main downside of adding one more appeal: It’s more work and more budget outlay.

It’s the start of diminishing returns. There’s no getting around that. So you need to ask yourself if you have the capacity and budget to add one more appeal. Please don’t ruin your (or anyone else’s) life by piling on too much work! One more appeal will undoubtedly improve your revenue. But you need to count the cost.

Here’s what to expect if you add an appeal. To keep it simple, let’s say you’ve been sending one appeal per year. This year, you’re moving to two.

That’s a 100% increase in workload and cost.

It probably will not bring a 100% increase in revenue.

That’s because every time you add one more appeal, some of your donors give to appeal #2 instead of #1. The revenue just moves. But other donors will give to both, and that’s why it’s worth doing. You’re doing 100% more work for 90% more revenue. A sweet deal for sure, but at a lower return on investment.

If you’re going from one appeal to two, two to three, or other low numbers, the effect is small. But it’s cumulative as you increase the number of appeals you send. A nonprofit that sends 12 or more appeals is probably doing well with net revenue, but the ROI doesn’t look so great.

There’s a second factor that may be at play, and that’s the quality of your appeals. Very often when an organization is adding one more appeal, they are also making more effective versions of the original appeal. In that case, 1 + 1 = more than 2! But you only get that bonus the first year you do it!

When should your “one more” happen?

When it’s most likely to do well! During the “fundraising season” – October through December for most of us. If you’re already mailing heavily then, look for the next-best time of year. It could be during another holiday (Easter and Passover do very well for some faith-based organizations), or maybe there’s a special day connected with your community or cause.

You might wonder why “one more” and not two, five, or ten more. After all, more appeals means more net revenue, right?

In my experience, a sudden and dramatic increase in appeals is noticed (and disliked) by more donors. It can get you to – or beyond – the level where your appeals don’t do well enough to make the increased time and money worth it.

Start by adding one. If that goes well (it probably will), add one more again next year. You’ll know when you’ve hit your limit that way.

One more appeal isn’t the only “one more” that can improve your fundraising. Here are some simpler “add one more” things you can do to get quick and meaningful results:

  1. One more page to your letter. Longer letters work better than shorter ones. If you’re sending a one-page letter, you stand a good chance of improving results by increasing it to two pages. If you’re at two, make it four. (I usually recommend an even number of pages, because using both sides of each page works just as well as one side only.)
  2. One more lift piece. Lifts, such as lift notes, and other inserts in direct mail, can improve response. And with lifts, more is usually better. (Assuming they aren’t boring brochures!) I’ve done packages that had as many as ten lift pieces, and they worked. If you don’t use lifts, add one. If you’ve done well with one lift, add another. They increase cost, but can be well worth it.
  3. One more ask amount. Most US fundraisers use three ask amounts (plus an “open”). There’s no magic to that. It tends to fit easily on a coupon-style reply device. Usually adding a fourth amount (higher) improves average gift to your results. I’ve sent appeals with 12 ask amounts, and they’ve done great!
  4. One more email. Assuming you have emails for a good portion of your direct mail donors, you should always support your direct mail with the same message around the same time in email. In this case, just one email is hardly worth the effort. Most organizations I work with support their direct mail with 3-7 emails. So send three emails. And add one more!

There’s a powerful fundraising tool that builds meaningful relationships with donors, helps you find the hidden gold in your file, and immediately boosts revenue. Have you tried our unique Donor Survey? It’s easier than you think! Find out more from our e-guide, 5 Easy Steps to Your Game-Changing Donor Survey. Free!

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Author

  • Jeff Brooks

    Jeff Brooks is a Fundraisingologist at Moceanic. He has more than 30 years of experience in fundraising, and has worked as a writer and creative director on behalf of top nonprofits around the world, including CARE, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Feeding America, and many others.

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1 Comment. Leave new

  • Jeff,

    Thanks for this article, We send out 8 snail mail appeals (including a newsletter. Not easy to find a time to send another one. Curious if you thought adding a 9th would help us as we try to space out the mailings or we are sending enough already that wont improve results

    Reply

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