Fearless Fundraising

When non-donors take an action such as signing a pledge or petition and become opted in to receive more messages from its online activist group, the Choice Action Network, the organization sends them a welcome series that includes an initial welcome message that thanks them for their involvement, a second message that asks them to take the next step and become a financial supporter, and then the regular stream of online fundraising solicitations.

All in all, NARAL Pro-Choice America sees about 8 percent to 10 percent of its revenue coming from online sources. It also has added online appeals to the Justice Blackmun Society’s repertoire and has begun to see more major donors making their gifts online. “For the first time we are actually budgeting major-donor revenue through online gifts, which is something that several years ago we would never have dreamed of, but we’re finding people are more and more responsive, even at those higher levels, online,” Kushner says.

On the move
Organizations often talk about moving donors up the giving ladder. But with acquisition and reinstatement in the black, one-time givers converting to multi- and even monthly givers, a ship-shape major-donor program, and online and offline channels at work, NARAL Pro-Choice America’s donor stewardship is more like an escalator than a ladder.

The first stage of movement is the upgrade from a $10 to a $99 donor. Donors who exceed this and give a single gift of $100 or more annually become part of the Leadership Circle. Donors then are bumped up through the Leadership Circle, from $100 to $200 to $500, etc. The organization segments circle members based on factors such as highest previous contribution, most recent contribution and total giving history, and targets specific individuals to receive upgrade asks to join the Justice Blackmun Society.