America’s Second Harvest of Wisconsin
 |
"The Convio Go! program has paid for itself and more with our very first online appeal. With only one devoted staff person spending an average of 10 hours a week on the program, and two others overseeing the strategy, we’re very pleased with how far we’ve progressed with a relatively small time commitment."
- Susan Baran, Resource Development Manager, America’s Second Harvest of Wisconsin
|
About America’s Second Harvest of Wisconsin
America’s Second Harvest of Wisconsin, a member of Feeding America, distributes more than 13 million pounds of food a year to more than 1,100 pantries, meal programs and other nonprofit agencies that serve nearly 235,000 people in the eastern half of Wisconsin. With the demand for food assistance on the rise, the organization has invested in technology to raise more funds and efficiently communicate its mission using the Internet. The staff was impressed with the Go! program because it was both technology and online best practices, according to Ms. Baran. “As a long time fundraiser, learning the best practices along with the software appealed to me because I didn’t know that much about online fundraising, but I did know that it was quite different from direct mail practices or major giving methods.”
The challenge
- Had limited online presence with only its website and used only a donate button on its homepage
- Communicated to constituents through direct mail only which was expensive and limited to fundraising appeals
- Had used agency support to run its direct mail program and wanted to use the same model for running its online program
- Understood the importance of leveraging the Internet to reach donors and cultivate personal relationships, but did not know the best practices of running an online campaign
- Had limited time and resources to dedicate to a brand new online initiative
- Wanted a solution that would make them more efficient as an organization
- Had a donor database with over 30,000 contacts, but only 1,000 had email addresses
The solution
Entered the Convio Go! program in June 2008 as part of a strategic initiative to invest in online communications - included in the program were:
- Convio Strategic Services to map out a year-long online marketing and fundraising plan and analyze results vs. industry benchmarks
- Convio Interactive Services to get help producing email newsletters and best-practice viral marketing and fundraising campaigns
- Convio Email Marketing to communicate effectively with constituents, strengthen relationships with existing donors, and improve overall fundraising outcomes
- Convio Fundraising to enable its website with best practice donation forms and secure payment processing
- Convio PageBuilder to publish web pages with frequent news stories without a complete overhaul of its existing website
Results
- More than paid for the Convio Go! program with its first online appeal
- Able to communicate relevant news more frequently, without being charged for each email sent
- Ensuring supporters perceive many opportunities to engage without constant fundraising appeals
- Doubled their email address when supporters signed an online letter asking President Obama to make fighting hunger his legacy
- Gathered personal stories from many supporters through its house file building campaign – made it possible to learn more about what their donors care about
- Received guidance on best-practice online marketing and fundraising, empowering existing staff to continue their success after Go! program graduation
- Achieved their leadership team’s goals without spending more than 10 hours of staff time per week
Related links
Give us a call - 888.528.9501
