Channel Integration: From Ordeal to Ideal
Nine ways your strategy can go wrong — and how to avoid them
February 2007 By Darryl Gordon
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Savvy nonprofits have seen both the vision and value of multi-channel fundraising and are actively using multiple mediums to support their fundraising efforts. The process of integrating channels — that is, working to ensure all mediums used in a campaign share the same message, branding and call to action — is not without its share of challenges. In fact, it’s not enough for nonprofits simply to use e-mails, Web content and direct mail in a fundraising campaign; the mediums must work together to support the same end goal.
Below are nine common mistakes nonprofits make when approaching their channel-integration strategy — and what to do right to help ensure a flawless campaign.
Failing to create cross-functional campaign-integration teams. Depending on the size of the organization, the Web site might fall under the IT department’s purview, or perhaps e-mail campaigns are the responsibility of the communications office. How can development professionals successfully develop and execute a channel-integration strategy without enlisting the help, support and, ultimately, buy-in of the departments responsible for several of the channels?
Developing a cross-functional team, including representation from development, IT, marketing/communications, public relations and any other major stakeholders, is critical to the success of a channel-integration strategy. Use this opportunity to share the vision and expected outcome of the campaign to gain buy-in and resources from each respective department.
Forgetting the power and value of segmentation. Fundraisers have become experts in segmenting their database to communicate differently with 50-year-old Latino males interested in lung cancer research than they do with 20-year-old white females who want to quit smoking. But this best practice often flies out the window when working on an integrated, multi-channel fundraising campaign.
Many nonprofits mistake these large-scale campaigns as an opportunity to blast their entire database using multiple channels. But just as in smaller, one-channel campaigns, segmentation (including appropriate ask amounts) can be critical to the success of the campaign. Using multiple channels doesn’t mean that each channel should not be targeted to a specific audience. In fact, successful integrated campaigns often consist of several mini-campaigns — each using multiple channels such as Web, phone and direct mail — that target unique database segments using personalized, relevant messaging and appropriate ask amounts based on capacity, propensity and affinity to give.
Maintaining separate databases for each medium. Another common mistake nonprofits make is continuing to maintain separate databases for each medium, such as a phone list, direct-mail database and e-mail marketing list. The value in an integrated multi-channel campaign is that nonprofits are reaching their audience multiple times in multiple ways (but with the same message, of course).
Below are nine common mistakes nonprofits make when approaching their channel-integration strategy — and what to do right to help ensure a flawless campaign.
Failing to create cross-functional campaign-integration teams. Depending on the size of the organization, the Web site might fall under the IT department’s purview, or perhaps e-mail campaigns are the responsibility of the communications office. How can development professionals successfully develop and execute a channel-integration strategy without enlisting the help, support and, ultimately, buy-in of the departments responsible for several of the channels?
Developing a cross-functional team, including representation from development, IT, marketing/communications, public relations and any other major stakeholders, is critical to the success of a channel-integration strategy. Use this opportunity to share the vision and expected outcome of the campaign to gain buy-in and resources from each respective department.
Forgetting the power and value of segmentation. Fundraisers have become experts in segmenting their database to communicate differently with 50-year-old Latino males interested in lung cancer research than they do with 20-year-old white females who want to quit smoking. But this best practice often flies out the window when working on an integrated, multi-channel fundraising campaign.
Many nonprofits mistake these large-scale campaigns as an opportunity to blast their entire database using multiple channels. But just as in smaller, one-channel campaigns, segmentation (including appropriate ask amounts) can be critical to the success of the campaign. Using multiple channels doesn’t mean that each channel should not be targeted to a specific audience. In fact, successful integrated campaigns often consist of several mini-campaigns — each using multiple channels such as Web, phone and direct mail — that target unique database segments using personalized, relevant messaging and appropriate ask amounts based on capacity, propensity and affinity to give.
Maintaining separate databases for each medium. Another common mistake nonprofits make is continuing to maintain separate databases for each medium, such as a phone list, direct-mail database and e-mail marketing list. The value in an integrated multi-channel campaign is that nonprofits are reaching their audience multiple times in multiple ways (but with the same message, of course).
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