For Dublin-based Merchants Quay Ireland, transforming a newsletter that was short on storytelling into a five-piece package that highlights client stories has led to a significant increase in the number of donors who make repeat gifts to the charity, which provides care and treatment services for drug users and homeless men and women.
In addition to the newsletter itself, the package consists of an outer envelope, a cover letter from the chief executive, a response card, and a business-response envelope. Neither the newsletter nor the cover letter contains a direct request for a donation.
Before 2010, the newsletter was not published on a regular schedule and included a letter from the chief executive, leaving little space for client stories. After Denisa Casement took over as the organization’s head of fundraising, the newsletter was published twice a year and then three times each year, beginning in 2011.
Today it is published every three months and serves as the primary channel for informing donors about the challenges clients face and the programs Merchants Quay provides. An issue often focuses on a single critical topic, like securing safe housing for the homeless, and invites supporters to connect with the organization in person.
“As we increased the number of newsletters per year, we not only raised more money but saw a steady increase in response rates and retention rates,” Ms. Casement said.
In 2010, the group’s retention rate for single-gift donors (that includes donors who give randomly between one and four times per year) was below 50 percent. That rate has since risen to 64 percent for single-gift donors and over 90 percent for monthly givers. The organization continues to add 3,000 to 5,000 new donors each year.
“Our donors really respond well to information on our programs” as long as it comes from the perspective of the people Merchant Quay helps, said Ms. Casement.
Nobody on staff works on the newsletter full-time. Ms. Casement and two other staff members are constantly looking for stories to share, interviewing clients to build a library of interviews to draw from. Those two staff members gather the newsletter information in addition to managing fundraising appeals, gift processing, and donor relations. Ms. Casement helps make decisions about content and tone. She then hands the project off to consultant Lisa Sargent, who writes the articles based on the interviews, and Sandra Collette, who does the design.
On average, Merchant Quay’s newsletters net at least $7 for every dollar the group spends on them, and the organization can trace several legacy gifts and bequests back to the newsletter. It has also helped increase donor feedback and attendance at events, such as open houses and tours.
By the Numbers
Retention rate: 64 percent for single-gift donors and over 90 percent for monthly givers
Gross revenue: $127,438 for the summer 2014 issue
Response rate: 14 percent (summer 2014 issue)
Average gift: About $88 (summer 2014 issue)
Number mailed: 11,066 (summer 2014 issue)
Cost: About $19,500 (summer 2014 issue)
