PILOT
SMS: Subscription Monthly (Donor) Strategy
About
SMS: Subscription Monthly (Donor) Strategy has been designed to increase retention from lapsed donors and donors giving less than $40 annually. By sending a monthly SMS text reminder, donors could “opt-in” or “opt-out” of sustainable giving on a month-by-month basis.
USA for UNHCR is seeing the effects of economic instability on fundraising outcomes in recent years. Donors are expressing these concerns in their giving behaviors. For example, overall donor retention of newly acquired donors in 2022 dropped by more than 10 percent compared to previous years; fewer individuals are signing up for existing means of recurring gifts (typically monthly); and there has been a significant decline in recurring gift retention in the first three months of 2023. How might we provide a more interactive and personalized outreach to donors using technology that keeps them connected to the refugee crisis while also providing more agency over their own monthly/recurring giving?
Implementers
Seiko Yoshitake
Director of Direct Marketing, USA for UNHCR
Nicole Smith
Senior Manager Tech Initiatives and Strategic Partnerships, USA for UNHCR
Challenge
What is the challenge the project is addressing?
Challenge A:
Beyond traditional NGO fundraising models. New fundraising products to build long-term relationships with our supporters
Challenge B:
New channels, new tools. Increasing relevance and long-term value when engaging with our supporters
USA for UNHCR has slightly more than 20,000 monthly donors who have lapsed since the beginning of 2022; additionally 45,000 donors have given less than $40 annually in the last two years — two groupings. Fewer individuals are signing up for existing means of recurring gifts (typically monthly); and there has been a significant decline in recurring gift retention in the first three months of 2023.
Objectives
What is the main objective of the project?
USA for UNHCR’s main objective is to increase recurring gift retention of these two groups.
Test / Experiment
What is the specific test / experiment?
Since we have phone numbers for these audiences, we would like to leverage SMS as a form of communication and use a random sample from each group as a test while keeping the remaining contacts in their normal treatment for control. We hope that by providing new ways to give, we will increase retention and revenue for these two groups. In order to have a large enough sample to statistically confirm the effectiveness of this test for two groups that has proven less responsive in the past, we recommend testing the SMS content and ask over the course of several months in order to best understand if a frequent ask of 1x gift is an effective strategy for stronger retention of these donors in times of economic uncertainty.
A series of 3 appeals will be used to validate the approach.
Timelines
|
Milestones |
Name of Milestone / Project Point |
Deadline (rough month / Quarter indication) |
|
M1 |
Planning and Preparation: begin building testing framework including data gathering, copy and creative development, scheduling, and developing KPIs |
Dec 2023 |
|
M2 |
Execution: send month 1 SMS to audience, monitor responses |
January 2024 |
|
M3 |
Execution: send month 2 SMS to audience, make any optimizations, monitor results |
February 2024 |
|
M4 |
Execution: send month 3 SMS to audience, make any optimizations, monitor results |
March 2024 |
|
M5 |
Data Analysis: after 3 months, analyze the results and deliver report |
April 2024 |
|
M6 |
Data Analysis (cont.): after 6 months, analyze the results and update report |
July 2024 |
Sponsored by
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