3 Experiments Show What Works in Year-End Online Appeals

In the year-end giving season, it’s crucial to have the best possible approach to email appeals. Blue State Digital, a technology and consulting company, ran some tests on behalf of its clients beginning on the day after Thanksgiving and repeated the winning strategies during the week after Christmas. Some of the tests, such sending as many as three emails to donors on big fundraising days, seemed to go against conventional wisdom for nonprofits, which can worry about overwhelming donors with messages. But, in some instances, these unconventional strategies worked.

Blue State Digital would not release the names or the number of nonprofits in its test group, but it did say the organizations “range in size from medium to large.” The charities in the testing sample worked on missions including eradicating hunger, fighting poverty, providing health care, and preserving the environment. Here are three lessons for fundraisers from Blue State’s year-end experiments.

Focus on cultivation, not solicitation.

Blue State Digital tested the fundraising response to a “cultivation” email aimed at building a relationship with potential donors with that of an email directly appealing for donations.

Cultivation emails essentially thank donors for their support, financial or otherwise, without directly asking for money.

“The focus is really on getting them involved emotionally rather than asking for money,” said Dan Thain, Blue State’s chief fundraising strategist.

These emails can emphasize the importance of the nonprofit’s mission, or they outline what the charity has already accomplished with donor contributions.

On Black Friday, the big shopping day after Thanksgiving, Blue State Digital sent a cultivation email to half of a nonprofit’s email list and a fundraising email to the other half.

The direct fundraising appeal raised more revenue than the cultivation email. But on Cyber Monday, the popular online shopping day, and Giving Tuesday, Blue State sent follow-up fundraising requests to the full email list. The result: Those people who had received the cultivation email followed by fundraising appeals gave 7 percent more than those who received only requests for money.

In light of this response, Blue State included cultivation messages in the emails sent to supporters during the last six days of the year.

Don’t be afraid to send more emails on peak giving days.

On Giving Tuesday, Blue State Digital found that sending more email solicitations resulted in more donations.

The company tested how recipients responded to three email strategies. One group received three emails, another got two, and a third received two emails plus a second copy of an email they hadn’t previously opened. The group that received three distinct emails on Giving Tuesday donated the most money that day — 48 percent more than the group that got two emails and 37 percent more than the group that got two messages plus the resent email.

Interestingly, the higher number of emails did not turn off supporters: Only four donors unsubscribed after the three-email blitz, and the extra email helped the organization pick up 34 new donors.

Think long-term by making monthly gift appeals at year’s end.

While donors typically have one-time gifts in mind during the final months of the year, Blue State Digital tested the success of a monthly giving appeal, sending out an email on Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday.

In the test, half of a nonprofit’s email list received an appeal to make a one-time donation and the other half received an appeal to give monthly.

The one-time donation appeal raised more money immediately, but Blue State estimated that the donors who signed up for monthly giving would contribute 59 percent more money per person over the course of the donors’ commitment.

Before going all-in on asking for monthly gifts, organizations should be sure their donors will be open to the idea. Thain suggests that nonprofits collect data on the average amount given over the course of an average commitment by people who already give monthly or at other regular times throughout the year to understand what might work in a more formal effort and run tests on their donors’ response to appeals for monthly gifts. Facebook, Thain says, provides excellent tools for charities of all sizes to determine what works for their donors.