Small-Batch Marketing

We identified a group of about 60 retired nurses who were also annual donors for 5+ years. A letter approved by a current Legacy Society member (retired nurse with giving history), was mailed to this peer group. The mailing contained a simple informational sheet about beneficiary designations as well as bequests, and the planned giving director's business card. This warm, friendly letter introduced the expressed pride in their beneficiary gift. The client was "extremely happy" with the results. As an added bonus, we had content for a new donor feature for healthcare publicaitons.

An arts organization in the southwest United States had a small budget and wanted an idea to connect with likely planned giving prospects. We authored a letter from the new Executive Director, introducing themselves and asking to hear the impressions of longtime supporters. We mailed the letter, along with a short survey asking why they care about the cause. The survey included a few soft questions about legacy. We also included a beautiful art sticker as a "small gift to say thank you." The client had about a 305 response rate and said they were "thrilled: with the results.

With a legacy society of more than 2,000 members, the clientwanted to gather information about the oldest members. We narrowed a group to about 100 legacy donors, designed and mailed a survey. We used a large font and a mix of multiple choice and brief answer questions. We also asked for "memory" stories, and many respondents wrote about their childhood love of nature. We  politely asked questions about planned gifts and status. The client learned of additional gifts, updated donor information and followed-up with many respondents. The communications team also gained  ideas for future donor profiles.