1. Supporter re-activation strategies Duane Raymond, FairSay

2. Best practice retention level might be 40-60%
The elephant in the room
70-90% inactive after 1st action (for organisations who do not have a welcome series, development strategy and re-activation plan)
Best practice retention level might be 40-60%

3. Re-activation contact
Re-activation in theory…
Re-activation contact
Welcome
back
Mainstream
Survey
Next steps
Confirm interest
Helps get feedback to adjust segment and get active again
Remove non-responders from mainstream messaging
Could also involve sms, telemarketing, post, door-to-door, friend-to-friend, social media, etc.
= Completed
= No response

4. The Research Forum
A collaborative project to coordinate testing to improve campaigning, fundraising and supporter retention
Piloted with two medium sized UK charities
Findings represent the early results from one charity
More work to do to follow-up on this
More participating charities are welcome ;-)

5. Who was ed?
Inactive supporters who’ve been subscribed (and not bounced) for 12+ months (usually source unknown!)
Inactive defined as both: a) Subscribed for 12+ months b) Mailchimp 2-star “No engagement. Recipient is either a new member, or a previously engaged member who's gone dormant.” = 11 in EN engagement score
Represented 72% of campaign supporters

6. Email #1: Direct (control)

7. #2: Show impact

8. #3: ToC

9. #4: get you back

10. #5: Select group

11. #6: storytelling

12. Initial reactivation tests
Hypothesis (ask)
Sample 1
Direct ask: control (confirm)
~1000 2
Showcase NGO impact/progress (confirm) 3
How change happens (confirm) 4
Input to get back involved (survey) 5
Input to get back involved: select group (survey) 6
Personal story (confirm)

13. Initial reactivation tests
Subject
Opened 1
We’ve missed you…
5.8% 2
Great progress in the last 12 months
5.7% 3
You help protect children in war zones
6.1% 4
How can we get you involved 5
4.8% 6
It inspires me every day!
4.3%

14. Initial reactivation tests
Hypothesis (ask)
Clicked 1
Direct ask: control (confirm)
1.1% 2
Showcase NGO impact/progress (confirm)
0.2% 3
How change happens (confirm)
0.6% 4
Input to get back involved (survey)
0.1% 5
Input to get back involved: select group (survey) 6
Personal story (confirm)

15. Initial reactivation tests
Hypothesis (ask)
C:O 1
Direct ask: control (confirm)
19% 2
Showcase NGO impact/progress (confirm)
3.5% 3
How change happens (confirm)
9.8% 4
Input to get back involved (survey)
1.7% 5
Input to get back involved: select group (survey)
12.5% 6
Personal story (confirm)
2.3%

16. Initial reactivation tests
Hypothesis (ask)
Stat sig? 1
Direct ask: control (confirm)
1.1% vs 2
Showcase NGO impact/progress (confirm)
Y: 99% 3
How change happens (confirm)
N: 89% 4
Input to get back involved (survey)
Y: 100% 5
Input to get back involved: select group (survey) 6
Personal story (confirm)

17. Direct ask: control (confirm)
Initial reactivation tests
Direct ask: control (confirm)
1k test
6k remainder (after 12 hours)
Open
5.8%
6.4%
Click
1.1%
0.8%
Click:Open
19%
12.5%

18. What are normal results?
When full list ed (including 12 month inactive + 2- star/lapsed supporters):
Open
Click
Click:Open
Mailchimp NGOs
25%
2.8%
11%
Organisation
19% 1% 5%

19.   Why don’t people respond? They don’t seem to need my help
I didn’t receive it!
They don’t seem to need my help
I don’t remember signing up for this  
It is always so depressing
Its just more of the same
This isn’t relevant / interesting
I’m too busy right now

20. Can’t be solved alone Welcome Development Re-activation First Contact
Lapsed
Supporters

21. So what did we learn? Response rates are poor – but people do respond
So far: the direct approach seems to work best
Re-engaging long-term lapsed people is difficult
Re-activation will require multiple attempts to event get a small proportion of them re-engaged.
Might be better to prevent lapsing via a strong welcome route and supporter development plan

22. Next steps This was only the 1st wave of trials
Next we’ll do follow-up s (or Facebook, re-marketing) since many would have missed the original
Provisionally 3 attempts and then re-assess
Non-responders will be archived and only ed a few times a year

23. Key learning Leaving it this long to re-activate reduces re-activation
Not knowing how/where supporters first engages significantly hampers ability to re-activate
Defining ‘lapsing’ as 12+ months is far too long – 2-3 months would be more appropriate!
Welcoming and development prevent and predict lapsing

24. Which?’s learning
Who: non-openers, non-clickers after 12 months (+ emerging lapsers after 9 months)
Sequence follow-up s 4 days apart
Re-activation rate: 18% non-clickers; 15% non-openers
Use best performing form year with new subject line
Top subject: Come back [first name]
Also subject: “Too many s [first name]?” links to form to request fewer s

25. Your learning?

26. All possible in e-activist

27. Learn more
Search: ‘customer retention’, ‘supporter re-activation’, ‘win back customers’ and more
See ‘re-activation’ in the FairSay ‘insights’ section:
Join the eCampaigning Forum (ECF) community and learn with peers:
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