Pareto Fundraising’s work with the Children’s Medical Research Institute
How expert targeting helped the Children’s Medical Research Institute protect children from suffering.
Background:
The Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) depends heavily on donations in order to fund research into childhood diseases. With little support from the government, it is absolutely vital that the charity’s direct mail appeals bring in as much money as possible.
Although CMRI have a large donor database, a significant number are on their lists purely because they took part in CMRI’s annual ‘Jeans for Genes®’ fundraising event. These individuals may have little or no real knowledge of the charity’s work, and some may not even be aware they supported CMRI in the past, not realising that Jeans for Genes® is a CMRI event.
It was against this background that CMRI commissioned Pareto Fundraising to develop their 2008 Christmas Appeal, challenging us to identify the best prospects from their database, to slash fundraising costs by eliminating those unlikely to respond, and to deliver a compelling appeal capable of converting Jeans for Genes® supporters into cash donors and raising lots of valuable funds for CMRI’s work.
Why did it work?
Thorough analysis carried out by Pareto Fundraising’s data team identified those supporters most likely to give to direct mail, greatly reducing the target audience for the Christmas Appeal. This helped CMRI to avoid unnecessary printing and postal costs, thus maximising their return on investment (ROI).- Pareto Fundraising’s strategic experts spoke to several CMRI-supported researchers in order to identify a compelling focus for the appeal. An interview was carried out with the family of a child who had benefitted from research. The child’s story, and the parents’ words, provided the appeal’s emotional heart.
- A brief pre-appeal email was sent to as many donors as possible in order to alert them to the mailing. In addition, a follow-up pack and a follow-up email was sent to a selection of the best prospects.
- Complex variables were used within the letter copy in order to thank each supporter individually for their past help. This tactic helped to establish CMRI’s connection to the Jeans for Genes® event and to overcome any negativity supporters might have felt towards the traditional, impersonal mass-mailing appeals that are so common at Christmas.
What was the impact of the appeal on the work of the Children’s Medical Research Institute?
Despite the challenges presented by CMRI’s unique supporter database, the Christmas Appeal achieved excellent results, which will now set the foundation for the growth of appeals into a significant income stream for the future.- As a result of the success of the Christmas Appeal, CMRI was able to invest more funds in the search for the causes of childhood disease.
Download pdf of this case study
About the Children’s Medical Research Institute:
One in 20 children born in Australia suffers from some kind of congenital abnormality or chronic disease. The Institute is working to find new and better treatments for these life-threatening illnesses. The Institute receives little Government funding so rely heavily on income from other sources, including individual supporters. That way the Institute can continue with their vital work towards discovering the causes of childhood diseases and putting a stop to them.
