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Preparing for Advancement’s Digital Future

Explore the impact of advancing technology on marketing, engagement, and societal fears. Discover how innovation reshapes behaviors and expectations, influencing communication and connectivity. Learn to adapt and thrive in a fast-paced digital era.

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Preparing for Advancement’s Digital Future

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  1. Preparing for Advancement’s Digital Future Lessons from the Leading Edge of Marketing and Engagement Excerpted for UNC Advancement Symposium Advancement Forum

  2. The Future Is Here, and It’s Terrifying Digital Dependence Grows, Sparking Deep Concerns Among Constituents Sources: CariRomm, “Americans Are More Afraid of Robots Than Death,” The Atlantic, October 16, 2015. ; Sheri Ledbetter, “America’s Top Fears 2015,” Chapman University, October 13, 2015.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Americans Are More Afraid of Robots Than Death Chapman University’s Survey of American Fears, 2015 A Perfect Recipe for Trepidation #1: Corruption #2: Cyber-terrorism #3: Corporations Tracking Data #4: Terrorist Attack #5: Government Tracking Data #6: Bio-warfare #7: Identity Theft #8: Economic Collapse #9: Running out of Money #10: Credit Card Fraud … #38: Robots … #43: Dying • “People tend to express the highest level of fear for things they’re dependent on but that they don’t have any control over, and that’s almost a perfect definition of technology. You can no longer make it in society without using technology you don’t understand to buy things at a store, to talk to other people, to conduct business.” • Dr. Christopher BaderProfessor of SociologyChapman University

  3. Today’s Wired World A Life Without Technology Increasingly Unthinkable Source: “Retailers Used Most Frequently for Online Shopping Canada 2018,” Statista, March 2018.; “Mobile Fact Sheet,” Pew Research Center, February 5, 2018.; “The Inbox Report 2017: consumer Perceptions of Email,” Fluent, 2017.; Emily Jackson, “’Just can’t get enough’: Half of Canadian TV Subscribers use streaming services like Netflix too, survey says,” Financial Post, June 2, 2016.; “How Much Time Do We Spend on Social Media,” Mediakix, December 15, 2016.; The Majority Is Now Connected Technology Usage Rates in Canada and the U.S., 2016-2018 Across a Lifetime, People Will Spend More Time on Social Media… 63% Of Canadians use Amazon frequently 5 years, 4 months …Than Eating and Drinking… 77% Of Americans own a smartphone 3 years, 5 months 85% Of Americans check email at least once a day …Grooming… 1 year, 10 months 9.9 Connected devices in the average Canadian home …Or Socializing 1 year, 3 months

  4. Changing Who We Are Technology Rewires Us to Think Differently Source: Michael Schrage, “Who Do You Want Your Customers to Become?,” Harvard Business Review Press, July 7, 2017.; Camilla Turner, “Schools are removing analogue clocks from exam halls as teenagers ‘cannot tell the time,” The Telegraph, April 24, 2018.; Sherri Kuhn, “My daughter can’t read a map. And your kid probably can’t either,” The Washington Post, July 20, 2015.; “Smartphones Will Read and Write Better Than 32 Million American Adults in Next Decade,” Cision PR Newswire, March 9, 2017.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Innovation Transforms Customers… Successful innovators don’t just ask customers and clients to do something different; they ask them to become someone different.” …But Not Always in the Way We Intend Smartphone Clocks GPS Navigation Texting and Autocorrect Schools Are Removing Analogue Clocks from Exam Halls as Teenagers ‘Cannot Tell the Time' My Daughter Can’t Read a Map. And Your Kid Probably Can’t Either Smartphones Will Read and Write Better Than 32 Million American Adults in Next Decade

  5. Life Moves at Warp Speed Fast, Remote Experiences Set the Bar Higher than Ever Shift #1: A New Minimum Speed Limit for Experiences Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Old, Slow Analog Model New, Fast Digital Future Buying a Toothbrush • Drive to CVS, browse aisles • 25 minutes • Order with one click on Amazon • 10 seconds • Argue with family in Blockbuster • 45 minutes • Argue with family on Netflix • 25 minutes Renting a Movie Catching Up with a Classmate • Go to an alumni event • 4 hours • Message them on Facebook • 5 minutes High-Speed Expectations Spill Over to Advancement When we surveyed our alumni, we found they wanted the same thing from us that they wanted from Amazon—streamlined, customized, efficient, fast engagement and giving.” Betsy Mennell, Former Vice President of Development and Alumni EngagementNorthern Arizona University

  6. Immune to the Noise Constituents Tune Out High-Volume, Sophisticated Communications Shift #2: Overloaded Attention Spans Sources: Jason Wyatt Pro, “10 Marketing Trends to act on in 2018,” Become a Master Marketer, 2018.; "2018 Nonprofit Benchmarks!," M+R Benchmarks, 2018, https://mrbenchmarks.com/.; “2010 Nonprofit Benchmarks!,” M+R Benchmarks, 2010, https://mrbenchmarks.com/. Marketing Activity Across Sectors… …Makes Audiences Less Responsive Nonprofits Ramp Up Volume Fundraising Email Clickthrough Rate 57% Increase in nonprofit emails per person, 2007-2017 40% decline Commercial Marketing Innovates “What marketing activity will have the largest commercial impact for you in 2018?” Fundraising Email Response Rate Journey mapping Machine learning 50% decline Digital retargeting Marketing automation Artificial intelligence Big data

  7. The ‘Just for Me’ Era Technology Enables a Personal Touch in Every Interaction Shift #3: The Expectation of Personalization Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Competing in the Personalization Economy A Personalized Philanthropic Experience “There are a lot of small nonprofits and charities that are putting personalization at the center of what they do. Someone will give, and they’ll say, ‘You built this well in Africa,’ or ‘You personally fed this child.’ That’s fascinating to me. It’s not just companies that are thriving off of digital. Some newer entrants in the charity world are doing it, too.” David M. AndersonExecutive Director, Annual GivingGeorge Washington University Vinome Wine DNA test forms basis for wine shipments Nura Headphones Sonic range adapts to user’s hearing profile Birchbox Makeup Monthly boxes customized to individual preferences Charity: Water Dollar-level impact info for specific beneficiaries

  8. Empowered with Information Instant Access to Intel Leads Constituents to Dig Deeper Shift #4: Due Diligence for Every Transaction Source: “An Introduction to Yelp Metrics as of March 1, 2018,” Yelp, March 1, 2018, https://www.yelp.com/factsheet.; Brooks Barnes, “Attacked by Rotten Tomatoes,” The New York Times, September 7, 2017.; “2016 Annual Report,” Charity Navigator ,2016; “The Next Generation of American Giving,” Blackbaud Institute, 2016.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Data from 2015 to 2017. Constituents Research Everything… …Including Giving to Charity Charity Navigator Annual Visitors Dining Out Seeing Movies Buying Umbrellas 174M monthly visitors to Yelp 14M monthly visitors to Rotten Tomatoes 140% growth in searches for “best” umbrella1 Consumers now research even the smallest daily decisions. It's not a surprise to us that some of our customers research a bottle of water as deeply as they research an expensive bottle of wine.” Antonio SciutoNorth America Executive CMONestlé Waters 102% increase since 2011 Of middle-income people want to restrict gift use (v. 38% of high-income) 48%

  9. Preparing for Advancement’s Digital Future Lessons from the Leading Edge of Marketing and Engagement Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Today’s Constituents Are… 2 3 Distracted Overwhelming interruptions drown out advancement’s asks and appeals Individualized Hyper-personalized experiences raise expectations for tailored engagement Solution: Optimize Asks for Attention Solution: Personalize the Constituent Experience 4 1 Discerning Every decision is researched in advanced to evaluate its value Time-Pressed Fast-paced, digitally accelerated lives leave little time for in-person engagement Solution: Compete on Value, Not Loyalty Solution: Digitize Active Engagement

  10. Preparing for Advancement’s Digital Future Lessons from the Leading Edge of Marketing and Engagement Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Today’s Constituents Are… 2 3 Distracted Overwhelming interruptions drown out advancement’s asks and appeals Individualized Hyper-personalized experiences raise expectations for tailored engagement Solution: Optimize Asks for Attention Solution: Personalize the Constituent Experience 4 1 Discerning Every decision is researched in advanced to evaluate its value Time-Pressed Fast-paced, digitally accelerated lives leave little time for in-person engagement Solution: Compete on Value, Not Loyalty Solution: Digitize Active Engagement

  11. The Time-Pressed Constituent Digitizing Active Engagement Section 1

  12. Crunched for Time Alumni Have Fewer Leisure Hours, Feel Disproportionately Time-Pressed Source: John Maynard Keynes, Essays in Persuasion (New York: W.W.Norton & Co., 1963).; Derek Thompson. "The Myth That Americans Are Busier Than Ever," The Atlantic, May 21, 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/the-myth-that-americans-are-busier-than-ever/371350/.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. “What Will We Do With Prosperity?” Even During Our Leisure Hours, We Feel Busier—But Why? Expectation: Abundant Leisure Fear of Missing Out With so much to do, never enough time We shall do more things for ourselves than is usual, only too glad to have small duties and tasks and routines… Three-hour shifts or a fifteen-hour week may put off the problem.” John Maynard Keynes“Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren,” 1930 Work-Life Fluidity Work constantly intrudes on free time Urge to Count Time Scarcity of time puts price on free moments Reality: Less Time Than Ever Weekly Leisure Hours for College-Educated Adults Peak leisure High-Velocity Lives Tech tools makes daily life more hectic Record low

  13. Where Is Everyone? Events Across Sectors See Decline in Attendance as Competition Grows Source: CNN, Bloomberg, and the New York Times; “Empty Seats Galore,” Twitter; "Eventbrite's Extension Developer Partner Program,“ Eventbrite US Blog, May 16, 2018, https://www.eventbrite.com/l/partner-program.; “The Pulse Report: 2018 Event Industry Trends,” Eventbrite US Blog, 2018.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Marlins Park has capacity for 36,742 fans. …Yet Supply Grows Unabated Demand for Events Dries Up… Events Hosted Through Eventbrite, 2010-2017 “Olympics 2016: Why All the Empty Seats?” 809% growth across seven short years “Moviegoing Slumps to 25 Year Low” “A New Survey Finds a Drop in Arts Attendance” The Beginning of an Arms Race? Empty Seats Galore @EmptySeatsPics Tweets: 59.3KFollowers: 42.6K 80% Of organizations intend to increase events next year “Announced Wednesday [June 27] crowd of 6,382 at Marlins Park.”1 88% Of event organizers struggle with greater competition

  14. The Paradox of Event Attendance Constituents’ Reported Desires Don’t Match Attendance Patterns Sources: “Solving the ‘Paradox of Event Attendance’ – Leveraging Communications,” Alumni Attitude Study , October 20, 2014, http://alumniattitudestudy.org/solving-the-paradox-of-event-attendance-leveraging-communications/.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Do As I Say, Not As I Do “These data consistently show that alumni want their institution to conduct more events, and that they think more alumni should attend those events…Yet efforts to increase event attendance consistently meet with disappointing results. Apparently the “should” applies to other alumni, not necessarily to me.” Alumni Attitude Study“Solving the ‘Paradox of Event Attendance’” Constituents Say They Want Events… Of alumni say it’s important to attend non-sports events 70% …But Then Forget to Attend Them Of alumni have never been to an alumni event 60%

  15. A Problem We Don’t Want to Acknowledge: “Declining event attendance is something that everyone is aware of but is reticent to talk about. That’s because attendance serves as a proxy for engagement at a lot of schools. To say you have fewer event attendees is to say you have fewer engaged alumni. This isn’t necessarily true, but it looks that way.” Dr. Jay Le Roux DillonDirector of Alumni EngagementUniversity of San Francisco Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Overreliance on Events for Engagement

  16. Engagement’s Missing Middle Little Programming for Time-Pressed Constituents Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Caught in the Middle Digital Engagement In-Person Events Low time cost High time cost Low engagement High engagement Wins mindshare, but constituents want more Constituents would come, but they don’t have time No medium-commitment programming

  17. Expanding Events’ Reach Online Cornell’s Livestreams Satisfies Desire for Participation Without Attendance Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. A Range of In-Person Events, Brought Live to Your Laptop Justice Debra A. James lecture “Return to the Classroom” Series Entrepreneurship program update Back to the Classroom (Boston) Panel on campus climate & diversity Sidebar Encourages Digital Interactions • Social media stream • Ask a question • Moderated discussion • Interactive polling 30 7,950 Livestreamed events every year Livestreamed event attendees in 2017

  18. The Next-Frontier: Digital-Only Events Cornell Pioneers Events Without In-Person Attendees Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Pilot: Presidential Interview Exclusively for Mid-Level Donors Untethering the Event Model “What if we relied less on events? What if we crafted our own standalone virtual experiences online—ones that we design and develop with a particular audience in mind?” Andrew GossenExecutive Director, Digital, Alumni Affairs and DevelopmentCornell University A Digital Sit-Down with President Pollack 1 Invite Priority Prospects $5K+ donors receive link to register 2 Solicit Questions in Advance Donors ask about university’s direction, president’s vision 3 Film Interview with President Staff use studio space, livestream discussion without in-person audience 4 Archive Online On-demand access enables content to be repurposed

  19. Lighter Lift, but Equivalent Levels of Engagement and Attention “We track digital engagement as a metric for alumni engagement. Things like Facebook engagement are more passive. Watching a livestream, though—we see that level of engagement basically the same as attending an in-person event.” Ashley BuddDirector of Digital MarketingCornell University Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis.

  20. Time, Talent, Treasure—and Digital? Fourth Advancement Priority Arises in Response to Worldwide Digital Shift Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Evolving How We Define “Engagement” Digital Micro-Engagement Responding to calls to action online Time Showing up for eventsand activities • “I’ve come to realize there’s a fourth category, the communications and digital engagement category. If they’re in a positive, two-way, active dialogue with you, it’s deepening their engagement.” • Jason CoolmanAssociate Vice-President, Development & Alumni RelationsUniversity of Waterloo Talent Lending skills to institution through volunteering Treasure Making philanthropic gifts to the institution

  21. A Million Flavors of Micro-Engagements Quick, Digital Opportunities Offer a Next-Step to Tuned-In Constituents Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Active Engagement from the Comfort of Your Couch “Day After Graduation” Podcast Digital Memory Timeline Crowdsourced Reunion Playlist Longwood University interviews young alumni for 30-minute podcast about their post-grad experiences The University of Miami asked alumni to contribute memories to a virtual university timeline Northeastern University creates a collaborative Spotify playlist for alumni to add their favorite songs to • ‍Well-defined ask • Average time commitment of 30 minutes or less • ‍Active engagement, rather than passive consumption of content • ‍Shareable end product • Marketed and completed primarily on digital channels • ‍Low cost, broad reach Micro-Engagement Opportunities: 6 Key Elements

  22. Kind Words Through Digital Channels Western University Alumni Connect with Students in Under Two Minutes Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Message Printed on Postcard for Old Room’s Current Occupant Digital Platform Collects Alumni Submissions Keep your head up! You’re going to do great on your finals. Remember—break is just around the corner. Good luck! “A Few Kind Words Can Go a Long Way!” • Mobile-friendly form • 190-character limit • Asks for Twitter handle, old dorm room number Students can thank alumni on social media Sent to current resident of old room

  23. An Outpouring of Kindness—and Engagement Western’s Campaign Exceeds Participation Goal Seven Times Over Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Making In-Roads Beyond theUsual Suspects Campaign Reach Far Exceeds Modest Aims Kind Mail Alumni Participants Donor Status of Year 2 Participants 84% 235 repeatparticipants Of participants in year 2 were non-donors to Western A Quick and Easy Ask • I know that not everyone can come to an event or volunteer, but with this, alumni can participate from anywhere in the world. It takes little effort and two minutes of their time.” Meghan Cocurullo,Digital EngagementWestern University

  24. Susquehanna Micro-Asks Detect Alumni Affinity and Philanthropic Propensity Surfacing Alumni Inclined to Engage Source: EAB interviews and analysis. Deploying “Affinity Detectors” Test Willingness to Engage Average Business Card Yield Ask alumni to share business cards for admissions display on various careers that liberal arts majors enter and for distribution to interested students Ask alumni to share community service involvement, especially board service, for alumni social impact report 1 Represents 4.5% of addressable alumni base 2 Process Every Spring Semester Use e-mail campaign and phonation callers to contact alumni Average Response to Community Service Reporting 537 (5.9% of addressable alumni base) Different demographics than business card senders Update alumni information in advancement database Share persons of interest with campus partners

  25. The Distracted Constituent Optimizing Asks for Attention Section 2

  26. Unprecedented Opportunities for Distraction Digital Life Abounds with Demands on Our Attention Sources: Amrita Deb, “Phantom vibration and phantom ringing among mobile phone users: A systematic review of literature,” Asia Pacific Psychiatry 7, no. 3 (September 2015), 231-239; "The Average Briton's Mobile Phone Buzzes 93 times Each Day," Daily Mail Online, February 21, 2018; "Web Page Sizes: A (Not So) Brief History of Page Size through 2015," Yottaa, December 14, 2015; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Lots of Interruptions… …And Plenty of Temptations Total Number of Websites on the Internet 1,324 Digital ad exposures per person per day 634,000,000 90% Of people feel “phantom”phone vibrations 639,900% Growth Smartphone alerts per person per day (One every 10 mins) 93 100,000 130 1993 1996 2013 A Small Sampling of the Web’s Riches “Mobile phone users receive427% moremessages and notifications…andsend 278% more…than they did in 2008.” An endless newsfeed Funny cat videos Personality quizzes Every movie ever made

  27. A Minefield of Attention Risks Constituents Face Countless Opportunities for Distraction Before Conversion Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Every Additional Step Presents New Distraction Opportunities An Incomplete Online Donor Journey (Email Edition) Sees the appeal Opensthe email Clicks the call to action Waits duringloading Browses tocheckout Completescheckout An Abbreviated List of Threats to Attention • “Off hour” delivery times • Too-busy delivery times • Non-primary email address • Boring subject lines • Text-heavy content • Overly long content • Email pictures not loading • Incorrect color for call to action • Unobtrusive calls to action • Confusing calls to action • Poorly placed calls to action • Low-quality images • High-quality images slowing load times • Slow website load times • Mobile-unfriendly layouts • Too many clicks • Unpersuasive case for support • Too-long case for support • Confusing website layout • Too many required fields • Too many checkout pages • Long load times between checkout pages • Gift amount in wrong place • Hard-to-find “complete” button • Slow wifi • Unsubscribe button hard to find • Uninspiring content • Etc., etc.

  28. A Minefield of Attention Risks Constituents Face Countless Opportunities for Distraction Before Conversion Source: EveryAction, “2017 Nonprofit Email Deliverability Study,” https://act.everyaction.com/email-deliverability-study-2017; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Every Additional Step Presents New Distraction Opportunities An Incomplete Online Donor Journey (Email Edition) Sees the appeal Opensthe email Clicks the call to action Waits duringloading Browses tocheckout Completescheckout 18.2% Of nonprofit fundraising emails landin constituents’ spam folders An Abbreviated List of Threats to Attention • “Off hour” delivery times • Too-busy delivery times • Non-primary email address • Boring subject lines • Text-heavy content • Overly long content • Email pictures not loading • Incorrect color for call to action • Unobtrusive calls to action • Confusing calls to action • Incorrect color for call to action • Poorly placed calls to action • Low-quality images • High-quality images slowing load times • Slow website load times • Mobile-unfriendly layouts • Too many clicks • Unpersuasive case for support • Too-long case for support • Confusing website layout • Too many required fields • Too checkout pages • Long load times between checkout pages • Gift amount in wrong place • Hard-to-find “complete” button • Slow wifi • Unsubscribe button hard to find • Etc., etc.

  29. A Minefield of Attention Risks Constituents Face Countless Opportunities for Distraction Before Conversion Source: "2018 Nonprofit Benchmarks," M+R Benchmarks (2018), https://mrbenchmarks.com/.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Every Additional Step Presents New Distraction Opportunities An Incomplete Online Donor Journey (Email Edition) Sees the appeal Opensthe email Clicks the call to action Waits duringloading Browses tocheckout Completescheckout 84% Of people who receive nonprofitemails do not open them An Abbreviated List of Threats to Attention • “Off hour” delivery times • Too-busy delivery times • Non-primary email address • Boring subject lines • Text-heavy content • Overly long content • Email pictures not loading • Incorrect color for call to action • Unobtrusive calls to action • Confusing calls to action • Incorrect color for call to action • Poorly placed calls to action • Low-quality images • High-quality images slowing load times • Slow website load times • Mobile-unfriendly layouts • Too many clicks • Unpersuasive case for support • Too-long case for support • Confusing website layout • Too many required fields • Too checkout pages • Long load times between checkout pages • Gift amount in wrong place • Hard-to-find “complete” button • Slow wifi • Unsubscribe button hard to find • Etc., etc.

  30. A Minefield of Attention Risks Constituents Face Countless Opportunities for Distraction Before Conversion Source: "Average Open Rate for Email & Other Email Benchmarks," MailChimp, June 13, 2018, https://mailchimp.com/resources/research/email-marketing-benchmarks/.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Every Additional Step Presents New Distraction Opportunities An Incomplete Online Donor Journey (Email Edition) Sees the appeal Opensthe email Clicks the call to action Waits duringloading Browses tocheckout Completescheckout 89% Of people who open nonprofit emailsdo not click the call to action An Abbreviated List of Threats to Attention • “Off hour” delivery times • Too-busy delivery times • Non-primary email address • Boring subject lines • Text-heavy content • Overly long content • Email pictures not loading • Incorrect color for call to action • Unobtrusive calls to action • Confusing calls to action • Incorrect color for call to action • Poorly placed calls to action • Low-quality images • High-quality images slowing load times • Slow website load times • Mobile-unfriendly layouts • Too many clicks • Unpersuasive case for support • Too-long case for support • Confusing website layout • Too many required fields • Too checkout pages • Long load times between checkout pages • Gift amount in wrong place • Hard-to-find “complete” button • Slow wifi • Unsubscribe button hard to find • Etc., etc.

  31. A Minefield of Attention Risks Constituents Face Countless Opportunities for Distraction Before Conversion Source: Neil Patel, "How Loading Time Affects Your Bottom Line," Neil Patel Blog, July 12, 2018, https://neilpatel.com/blog/loading-time/.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Every Additional Step Presents New Distraction Opportunities An Incomplete Online Donor Journey (Email Edition) Sees the appeal Opensthe email Clicks the call to action Waits duringloading Browses tocheckout Completescheckout 47% Of people get frustrated after2 seconds of loading time An Abbreviated List of Threats to Attention • “Off hour” delivery times • Too-busy delivery times • Non-primary email address • Boring subject lines • Text-heavy content • Overly long content • Email pictures not loading • Incorrect color for call to action • Unobtrusive calls to action • Confusing calls to action • Incorrect color for call to action • Poorly placed calls to action • Low-quality images • High-quality images slowing load times • Slow website load times • Mobile-unfriendly layouts • Too many clicks • Unpersuasive case for support • Too-long case for support • Confusing website layout • Too many required fields • Too checkout pages • Long load times between checkout pages • Gift amount in wrong place • Hard-to-find “complete” button • Slow wifi • Unsubscribe button hard to find • Etc., etc.

  32. A Minefield of Attention Risks Constituents Face Countless Opportunities for Distraction Before Conversion Source: Neil Patel, "How Loading Time Affects Your Bottom Line," Neil Patel Blog, July 12, 2018, https://neilpatel.com/blog/loading-time/.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Every Additional Step Presents New Distraction Opportunities An Incomplete Online Donor Journey (Email Edition) Sees the appeal Opensthe email Clicks the call to action Waits duringloading Browses tocheckout Completescheckout 59.5% Of website visitors “bounce” from thefirst page they land on An Abbreviated List of Threats to Attention • “Off hour” delivery times • Too-busy delivery times • Non-primary email address • Boring subject lines • Text-heavy content • Overly long content • Email pictures not loading • Incorrect color for call to action • Unobtrusive calls to action • Confusing calls to action • Incorrect color for call to action • Poorly placed calls to action • Low-quality images • High-quality images slowing load times • Slow website load times • Mobile-unfriendly layouts • Too many clicks • Unpersuasive case for support • Too-long case for support • Confusing website layout • Too many required fields • Too checkout pages • Long load times between checkout pages • Gift amount in wrong place • Hard-to-find “complete” button • Slow wifi • Unsubscribe button hard to find • Etc., etc.

  33. A Minefield of Attention Risks Constituents Face Countless Opportunities for Distraction Before Conversion Source: "Average Open Rate for Email & Other Email Benchmarks," MailChimp, June 13, 2018, https://mailchimp.com/resources/research/email-marketing-benchmarks/.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Every Additional Step Presents New Distraction Opportunities An Incomplete Online Donor Journey (Email Edition) Sees the appeal Opensthe email Clicks the call to action Waits duringloading Browses tocheckout Completescheckout 83% Of people who clicked through to a checkout page did not complete their gift An Abbreviated List of Threats to Attention • “Off hour” delivery times • Too-busy delivery times • Non-primary email address • Boring subject lines • Text-heavy content • Overly long content • Email pictures not loading • Incorrect color for call to action • Unobtrusive calls to action • Confusing calls to action • Incorrect color for call to action • Poorly placed calls to action • Low-quality images • High-quality images slowing load times • Slow website load times • Mobile-unfriendly layouts • Too many clicks • Unpersuasive case for support • Too-long case for support • Confusing website layout • Too many required fields • Too checkout pages • Long load times between checkout pages • Gift amount in wrong place • Hard-to-find “complete” button • Slow wifi • Unsubscribe button hard to find • Etc., etc.

  34. Which Gift Planning Email Would You Send? Advancement Marketing Managers Often Forced to Place Bets Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. V. V. PROFILE Beverly Livingston, AM’68, PhD’74, leaves a legacy starting with the Manhattan Project. More » NEWS YOU CAN USE As a parent, you no longer have legal authority over your child’s affairs once he or she turns 18. More » IMPACT After his brain-tumor diagnosis, Brian Thomas set up a scholarship fund for UChicago undergrads. More »

  35. Which Gift Planning Email Would You Send? Advancement Marketing Managers Often Forced to Place Bets Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. V. V. PROFILE Beverly Livingston, AM’68, PhD’74, leaves a legacy starting with the Manhattan Project. More » NEWS YOU CAN USE As a parent, you no longer have legal authority over your child’s affairs once he or she turns 18. More » IMPACT After his brain-tumor diagnosis, Brian Thomas set up a scholarship fund for UChicago undergrads. More » 39% More audience engagement—despite a less obvious gift planning focus

  36. Diversifying the Ask for Attention UChicago Maximizes Attention Outcomes by Varying Communications Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis UChicago’s Approach Typical Approach Roll the Dice on a Single Version A Few Eggs in a Few Baskets Test A Test B Test C 75K 25K 25K 25K Recipients Recipients Recipients Recipients Undiversified campaign brings risk of “attention flop” By sending multiple versions, advancement shops can minimize the risk that they’ll choose the wrong one

  37. A Mix-and-Match Communications Strategy UChicago’s Multi-Variable Travel Emails Take Optimization to the Extreme Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Four Dynamic Elements, 54 Possible Combinations SubjectLine UChicago Alumni Trips (3 options) FeaturedLocation (3 options—Italy,Great Britain, Cuba) See this season’s trips. » ButtonPlacement Flavors and Culture of Northern Italy Trip Scholar: Peter White Sept. 15-23, 2018 | From $3,995 (3 options—top,bottom, both) Journey through Britain Trip Scholar: Elaine Hadley Aug. 20-Sept. 2, 2018 | From $5,896 Ordering of Trips (2 options—bydate or by price) See this season’s trips. » 16 2.3K 37K Versions of theemail sent Average recipientsfor each version Total recipients ofthe emails

  38. Hedging Your Attention Bets “Diversified Portfolio” of Emails Weights Performance Upward Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. A Few Top Performers Elevate Campaign’s Aggregate Impact Click Rate for 16 Email Versions 2.0% 2.5% 3.0% 3.5% 4.0% Less than half of the emails exceed 2.5% click rate—but their performance lifts overall average to 2.66% Emails with Below-Average Click Rate Emails with Above-Average Click Rate 54% More clicks for top performers (595 clicks v. 387 clicks) Post-Campaign Analysis Yields Lessons Learned for Next Attempt Predictive modelweighs each element • More Important • Subject line • Multiple calls to action • Less Important • Picture • Trip ordering

  39. Optimizing the Checkout Page Williams College Tests Old Against New Gift Completion Form Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. New Giving Form Old Giving Form • 11 form fields • Three short pages • Mobile friendly • Gift amount located at the beginning • 25 form fields • One long page • Not mobile friendly • Gift amount located near the end 55.7% 75.0% 19.3% Improvement in Completion Rate Completion rate Completion rate

  40. Multi-Touch New Year’s Eve Campaign Brings Outsized Returns Source: Network for Good, “2015 Online Giving Trends,” http://www.networkforgood.com/digitalgivingindex/2015-online-giving-trends/; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. FYE campaign sent to alumni of four schools at Georgetown, numbering about 25,000 individuals. Capitalize on December 31 Last Minute Gifts are Spread Across December 31 Percentage of Online NYE Donations by Hour for All Nonprofits No single high-giving moment to target Ensure No Gift is Forgotten Georgetown’s NYE Outreach Schedule 2,490 “Last day of 2015 to get your gift in!” Donors brought in by NYE emails 7 AM 12 PM “We’re halfway there!” 10% Of all donors annually 4 PM “Time’s running out!” $740K “Only two hours to make your gift” Dollars raised 10 PM

  41. Building Momentum over a Week and a Half Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Short Multi-Touch Campaigns Develop an Audience for the Ask Digital Micro-Campaigns at the University of Florida 10-Day Solicitation Window Launch Email “Be our partner in the Gator Good…” Reminder Email “Help us continue this important work. Join us…” “Cooling Off” Period 1 2 3 FALL WINTER Last-Chance Email “We have until midnight to reach our goal…” New Campaign Getting Noticed in Crowded Inboxes We wanted to do more in the digital space. Our asks were buried in long copy and contained graphics that had been retrofitted from print media. We saw email and online giving as an area of huge untapped potential for UF and were excited to begin testing different tactics.” Elizabeth Keppel, Associate Director of Annual GivingUniversity of Florida

  42. Multiple Email Touches Significantly Boost Giving High-Volume Strategy at the Core Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Alumni Interest Sustained OverDuration of Campaigns Florida Exceeds Dollar and Donor Goals FY2016 Goals and Outcomes Campaign Email Open Rates Campaign Email Clickthrough Rates 149% 121% Growth overFY2015 Growth overFY2015

  43. Drop-Off Doesn’t Have to Be Fatal Commercial Recapture Strategies Hold Lessons for Higher Ed Hardwire Follow-Up Triggers Source: Baymard Institute, “33 Cart Abandonment Rate Statistics,” January 14, 2016, http://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate. Cart Abandoners Don’t Mean to Say Goodbye Cart-abandoners whointend to return Online shoppers whoabandon their cart “Just a Helpful Reminder” Abandon purchase follow-up emails have a 5.2% response rate vs. 1.9% industry average

  44. Identify Lost Donors and Reach Out Abandonment List Export Allows for Email Follow-Up Abandon Gift Reminder Email Source: Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA; VSE Data Miner, 2013-2015; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Alumni donor growth attributable to peer fundraising strategy as well as follow-up emails and other tactics. Recapturing Almost-Givers at Dickinson College 30% Abandonment Alumnus/a begins gift form but does not finish checkout Tracking Alumnus/a’s name added to daily drop-off list compiled by vendor Follow-Up Administrative assistant sends email reminder to alumnus/a 24-48 hours later • Approximate response rate to follow up emails during 2016 giving day 5%-10% • Approximate response rate to follow up emails year-round (v. 1.5% response rate for 2016 FYE email campaign) Hello Mary, Thank you for your recent visit to the Dickinson College giving page! We noticed that you started a gift but something must have happened along the way. If you submitted your gift online already, please disregard this email. Otherwise, please give me a call at 555-555-5555 with questions or visit www.dickinson.edu/gift to complete the giving form! 8.3% • Overall alumni donor growth, 2013-20151

  45. The Individualized Constituent Personalizing the Constituent Experience Section 3

  46. Higher Ed’s Not Exempt from Personalization Pressures “People now expect personalization from their alma mater. They expect us to keep track of their interactions and preferences, and tailor our offerings to meet their needs. It’s not just about changing how we talk to people. We have to create more customized offeringsto begin with.” Jennifer CampbellAssociate Vice President, College Relations and CommunicationsIthaca College Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis.

  47. Constituents Hungry for Personal Outreach Spam’s Rise and Personal Communications’ Fall Prime the Pump Sources: Lindsay Kolowich, “19 Simple Email Marketing Tips to Improve Your Email Open and Clickthrough Rates,“ HubSpot Blog, June 21, 2016, https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/make-emails-more-clickable-list.; “Average US Households Receive a Personal Letter Just Once Every 7 Weeks," Daily Mail Online, October 03, 2011, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2044652/Average-US-households-receive-personal-letter-just-7-weeks.html.; "Spam Statistics and Facts." Cyberbullying, https://www.spamlaws.com/spam-stats.html.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Lacking Personal Connection Distrustful of Mass Marketing The average American receives a personal letter once every… Of all global email traffic is spam 45% 1987 2 Weeks • People are so inundated with spam nowadays, they often hesitate to open email from unfamiliar senders—and they’re more likely to trust a personalized sender name and email address than a generic one.” • Lindsay KolowichSenior Manager, Content StrategyHubspot 2011 7 Weeks

  48. Putting a Name to a Campaign University of Florida Recasts Mass Blasts as Personal Touches Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. …To a Personalized Sender From a Generic Institutional Email… 11.4%open rate 38.3%open rate University of Florida <ufgiving@ufl.edu> Leslie Pendleton <ufgiving@ufl.edu> Last chance to join us in 2014! The next 10 years 47.4% 18.4% Warrington Alumni News <ufalumni@ufl.edu> Heather Greig <ufalumni@ufl.edu> Warrington Wire: Specialized Success Following Up 13.8% 37.4% University of Florida <ufgiving@ufl.edu> Emily Behrens, c/o 2016 <ufgiving@ufl.edu> UF is rising and shining Be our partner in the Gator Good 2.5x Higher open rates when using a person’s name as the sender

  49. Segment Alumni by Campus Relationship Faculty and Staff Ambassadors Make a Personalized Case for Giving Back : Ambassador-Driven Outreach Initiative Source: Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX.; Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Texas Christian University Taps into Wide-Ranging Alumni Communities Solicitations Emphasize a Cause That Alumni Can Relate To Excerpted Campaign List Plain-Text Email from Personal Connection Dear Haley,As the fall semester comes to a close, we are gearing up for the spring semester, and I am excited to once again teach the Nature of Giving and Philanthropy class to another group of honors students, just as I taught you. Every year this course gains in both reputation and prestige, and this is a direct result of the quality of your work as a student in the course. As someone who participated in my class, you know better than most how important philanthropic support is to a nonprofit institution. TCU relies on alumni like you to make a gift and continue the TCU legacy for many generations to come. TCU needs your support now. You can make a gift at www.makeagift.tcu.edu.

  50. An Authentic Appeal to Alumni Affinities Right Message and Right Messenger Resonates with Young Alumni Source: Advancement Forum interviews and analysis. Data for 2016 initiative unavailable. Results based on smaller 2015 pilot. 400x Higher response rate than for typical young alumni email campaigns 25% Of solicitation recipients gave a gift 100% Of donors graduated in the last 10 years

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