How BDI helped a national nonprofit DOUBLE their net revenue over the last two years!
THE CHALLENGE
Summit Ministries, a national organization, has a divinely-inspired mission to equip young women and men to “embrace God’s truth and champion a biblical worldview.” They’re shaping the next generation for Christ through school and church curriculum, conferences and a vast library of online resources.
Looking to expand the ministry, Summit came to BDI looking for a strategic partnership to:
- Engage their existing donors, who were primarily alumni and parents, and acquire new supporters.
- Expand their direct response presence to establish an annual program for direct mail and digital fundraising.
- Encourage donors toward greater levels of generosity by increasing the strength and frequency of their communications.
THE SOLUTION
After assessing Summit Ministries’ existing fundraising strategies, BDI came alongside the ministry to develop a more focused, integrated program:
- Increasing their mailing cadence from 8 annual donor campaigns to 14 campaigns. In addition to crafting new appeals, BDI strengthened brand messaging, format and call-to-action to achieve impressive gains in YOY results.
- Expanding their donor base by creating acquisition versions of their most successful donor campaigns, and targeting potential new donors by way of strategically curated lists.
- Integrating their messaging into digital channels by leveraging Facebook posts, donation pages and display ads to accompany select campaigns.
THE RESULT
During the last two years, accounting for increased generosity due to the pandemic, BDI’s partnership with Summit more than DOUBLED the ministry’s net revenue!
DIRECT MAIL
- 31% increase in responses
- 58% increase in net revenue in one year
- 122% increase in their net revenue over two years*
DIGITAL
- 40% increase in gross revenue in one year
- 150% increase in responses in one year
- 212% increase in their gross revenue over two years
Our insightful Strategic and Creative teams continue to listen, adapt and pivot to ensure our campaigns for Summit Ministries deliver optimum results. Read more in the full case study
More of the story…
increased by 64%!
Focusing Their Fundraising Through Strategic Direct Mail Campaigns
For years, Summit Ministries had handled fundraising endeavors and donor cultivation internally, and they were feeling the strain. They were looking for a strategic partner to provide guidance on development best practices and strategic thinking. To more effectively engage donors, they were looking for a partner to execute an annual program for direct mail and digital campaigns.
When BDI began our partnership with the ministry, our primary objective was to bolster their direct mail fundraising through a targeted donor renewal and upgrade strategy. Solidifying Summit’s donor base was step one. Growth would be our next challenge. BDI implemented AI segmentation strategies to reach new and reactivated donors through select acquisition campaigns throughout the year.
response increased by 150%!
Dialing Up Their Digital Efforts to Reach New Donors
Summit Ministries recognized they were behind the times in their digital fundraising and marketing efforts – their previous campaigns lacked a strong fundraising emphasis and went primarily to existing donors. They needed guidance on cadence and messaging, and tasked BDI with strengthening this core capability.
After assessing Summit’s direct mail and determining the strongest campaigns that would perform well in the digital sphere, BDI created and deployed a series of integrated campaigns, promoting the key messaging through:
- Dynamic paid Facebook ads to test the best offers
- Branded donation pages that aligned with the campaign theme
- Display ads to penetrate greater market share and target potential donors
“Working with the team at BDI has improved everything we do! BDI helped bring industry best practices and strategic discipline to our digital and direct mail fundraising. Their thoughtfulness about our brand, culture and donor interests took us to the next level. We’re seeing results we never could have gotten without their help!”
Aaron Atwood – Vice President of Advancement, Summit Ministries
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