Non-Profit Marketing Generates 18x ROI

May 12, 2021

The holidays are the biggest fundraising time of the year for non-profits because they’re considered the “giving season”.  This past year Calico came to us to help them with their non-profit marketing so they could continue their mission to achieve justice and healing for abused children.

To start the campaign we analyzed their existing donor base and then built a model that featured key demographics.  We then took that model and applied it to their geographical area to identify new probable donors.

Once we had identified potential donors, and targeted their existing donors we began developing a holiday appeal campaign that combined offline and online media.  The direct mail component included a letter with a tear-off donation form as well as an informational buckslip. 

Where possible we then found email addresses and mobile devices so we could deliver digital media in concert with the physical direct mail piece.  On average we served up around 12 digital impressions per person.

The outcome was a campaign that yielded 18x donations for every dollar invested.  In total the campaign nearly doubled their expected donation goal.

Special thanks to Summer Erickson for sharing her experiences.  Summer is a marketing guru and has actually worked with us before when she was with Galileo Learning.