Boston University Giving Day Case Study: How to Boost Annual Fund Participation

Boston University Giving Day Case Study:

How to Boost Annual Fund Participation

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Confidential document: Kimbia Inc. 2014

Agenda

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Presenters

Miriam Kagan

Senior Fundraising Principal

Kimbia

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Hilary Shepard

Director of Marketing & Participation

Annual Giving - BU

Phil DiMartino

Asst. Director, New Media Fundraising

Annual Giving – BU


BU Quick Facts

• Large, private research university with 310,000 alumni

• First-ever comprehensive campaign: $1 billion goal

• Campaign goal of doubling alumni donor counts

• Currently at 9.7% alumni participation

• No reunions or class volunteer structure

• Retention and acquisition are key


Miriam Kagan

UPDATE SLID WITH ALL THE HIGHER ED LOGOS


Let’s Get Started!


• A time-limited (in most cases 12-24 hours) online fundraising competition

• Bringing together your communities (donors, participants, advocates, alumni, corporate partners, etc.)

• Raising money for your community, nonprofits, programs, institutions

• A single online donation campaign

• Driven by a sense of urgency around matching funds and/or prizes

Giving Days: What Are They?


• Increase revenue from a new revenue stream (across channels) -- it’s not just online

• Attract new donors and appeal to more hands-on fundraising demographic

• Generate buzz and excitement in the community, with sponsors, and on social media

• The long-tail effect: successful days may inspire major donors to give matches, endow future programs, etc.

• Increase lapsed participant, donor, alumni participation-new exciting way to engage

During a Dean’s reception held by Columbia College, one major donor was so excited by the results of the

prior year giving day he enthusiastically declared he was going to match the $1.2 million

raised by Columbia College that day.

During a Dean’s reception held by Columbia College, one major donor was so excited by the results of the

prior year giving day he enthusiastically declared he was going to match the $1.2 million

raised by Columbia College that day.

Giving Days: Why Do They Work?


Model 1: School/Program Model• Fundraise for schools/programs

• Incentivize via prize and gift structure built around revenue and gifts going to each school

• Showcase schools and programs throughout giving days

• Activate school/program loyalty and engages school/program staff to help raise funds

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Model 2: Geographic Competition• Great fit for schools with

geographically widespread alumni network

• Engages cities/states/countries with large alumni presence to foster a sense of competition

• Prize structure and matches well suited to take advantage of local wealthy donors or to help support local alumni clubs.

• Focus on % participating rather than funds raised as a great way to increase alumni participation

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Model 3: Inter-Institution Competition• Institutions compete to raise

the most funds around a specific event, such as a football game

• Engages competitive school spirit in a positive, proactive way

• Activates sense of competition around sports or other naturally competitive events


The BU Model

• Double Your Impact

• Donor-Centric – You Choose the Designation

• BU Pride and Feel-Good Marketing

• Micro Challenges

• Organic Competition

• Led by Online Ambassadors



Successful Giving Days

• Compelling value proposition for stronger Giving Day message

• Scalable, stable platform

• Strategic promotion planning before, during, and after Giving Day

• Design optimization: Clean and clear call to action and design

• Engage donors and alumnae across channels, including social media and mobile

• Power on-the-go engagement via mobile optimization

• Remember to say “thank you”

• Staff are “Giving Day” ready


Over $1.1 million from over 3,100 donors raised in one day!

Over $1.1 million from over 3,100 donors raised in one day!



Select a Vendor Who Will Provide Communication and Social Media Tools & Training



• Staffing, staffing, staffing

• Develop timeline

• Cross-departmental buy-in: feedback loop

• Set clear goals and expectations

• Solicit major donor for matches/challenges

• Align action items of partners

BU Giving Day: Planning


• Planning makes perfect

• Clear content calendars and pre-prepared materials

• Manning the phones and trouble-shooting

• Social stewardship

• Managing the buzz

• Updates – internal and external

BU Giving Day: Execution



Your Tech Prep List


A mobile pause

30% of site visitors and 15 % of transactions came from mobile on Giving Day

Optimize for mobile for on-the go donors during a limited time period (don’t forget to include tablets in your design considerations)



Tech Priorities

• Simple Donor Experience

• Responsive Design

• Real-Time Counters

• Integrated Processing

• High Volume

• Automatic Receipting

• Customized Reporting





EVENT DAY HQ

•Sufficient staff to field questions

•Community outreach

•Real-time communications: social media, leaderboards, progress, and prizes


BU Giving Day: On Campus



• Day After Email

• Social Updates

• Gift Processing

• Thanking our Ambassadors

• Team De-Briefs

• Surveying Schools & Colleges

BU Giving Day: Post-Event




Analyze and Iterate


Omni-Channel FundraisingTM Solutions



Q&A

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www.kimbia.com@kimbiainc

[email protected]@miriamkagan

[email protected]@phildimartino

[email protected]/campaign

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Thank you!

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Government & Nonprofit

Boston University Giving Day Case Study: How to Boost Annual Fund Participation