5 Ways to Maximize Your Multichannel Fundraising

With donors using so many more channels, it can be tough to measure, fine-tune, and improve your fundraising results. So here are five no-nonsense ways to get more from your multichannel campaigns.

1. Make it easy for donors to cross channels.
   The most common cross-channel activity happens when donors receive a mail appeal, then respond online. So make sure your website has language and graphics that match your mail piece. If your donors think they’ve reached the wrong website, you could lose those gifts.
2. Look at long-term value.
   First, by donor group. You need to know the value of donor groups giving online-only, offline-only, and both on and offline. This reveals what single and multichannel donors are worth. Second, by individual channel. Donors acquired by mail, for example, may give a higher gift, but lapse sooner than non-mail donors. Knowing long-term value by channel will help you allocate your media budget.
3. Watch for an online surge after a direct mail drop.
   If revenue jumps a few weeks after your mail appeal drops, you can see how mail is spurring online gifts. You’ll have a clearer picture of the real value of your direct mail campaigns.
4. Run a match-back analysis.
   After a direct mail campaign, do a match-back analysis to determine which donors on your direct mail prospect list chose other channels, such as white mail, online, or events. This reveals how direct mail encourages donors to give through other channels.
5. Track overall giving.
   Since donors are going beyond the reply device, it’s important to look at total giving from all channels. Use a control panel of donors that receive multichannel treatment, compared with a group that does not. This shows giving in each channel, as well as the true impact of the test treatment.