Fifteen Proven Ideas That Will Boost

Your Membership Results

With your facilitators:

John Bell, Shane Guiter and Lo Hartnett
 John Bell
Director of Membership and
Communications, OPB
 Alabama Memorial Day Two-fer

• Combine Memorial Day Observation with

direct mail add-gift campaign
• Honored hundreds of vets and raised a
total of $43,369 (net $28,022).
• Contact:
– Despina Vodantis, Membership
Director, APTV, dvodantis@aptv.org
 KSPS Family Album

• Member Testimonials without the hassle

• Solicit photos and comments with add-
gift mail for use on-air on on-line
• Contact:
– Dawn Bayman, Dir. Member Services,
KSPS, dawnb@spokaneschools.org
 5 Minute Pledge Shows

• Re-version pledge shows to fit as

interstitials
• Air between shows or as alternative to
breaks in Newshour, etc.
• Contact:
– John Bell, Dir. Membership and
Marketing, OPB, jbell@opb.org
 Matching Gifts Detective

• Flag new gifts from employer-match

eligible donors for follow-up
• Saw a 243% increase in matching gift
contributions
• Contact:
– Carol Young, Mgr of Membership and
Special Events, WSKG,
cyoung@wskg.org
 Let Your Members Write Your Themes

• At station or public events hang poster-

board and ask members to write down
what they think of when they think of
you.
• Modify (steal) their copy for direct-mail/
on-air scripts/e-appeals/website
– Contact: John Bell, Dir. Membership
and Communications jbell@opb.org
 Shane Guiter
KLRU-TV, Austin PBS
 WGBH – Auto-Renewal

• Idea: Ask members to sign up for auto-

renewal as they are renewing their
membership
• Motivation: Increase sustaining
members, raise retention rate, lower
fundraising costs
 WGBH – Auto Renewal

• Asking members for auto-renewal via telemarketing

• 10-15% conversion rate each month
• Language written into acknowledgment letter
• Receive reminder postcard 1 month before auto renewal
• Since Oct 2008 – no customer service calls or cancels
• That’s a 100% retention rate, folks!!!
• Sustainers now 12% of file & 17% of revenue
• In first year at smaller WGBY, sustainers increased from
200 to 1,000
 WGBH – Sustainer Pledge

• Idea: Reduce Pledge days by setting

aggressive goals for sustainers
• Motivation: Increase sustaining
members, reduce on-air pledge, lower
fundraising costs
 WGBH – Sustainer Pledge

• Building big campaign around “Summer of Mystery”

• If 1000 sustainer goal reached, Mystery will air
uninterrupted through the fall
• Campaign is all encompassing – TV, Web, Online, Mail
• Asking for sustainers in add gift mail for first time
• Similar campaign for radio pledge allowed 6 days of
fundraising to be cut
WGBH – Sustainer Pledge
 WGBH – Auto Renewal

• For more information contact: Daren Winckel at WGBH/

WGBY - dwinkel@wgby.org
 Houston PBS -TRG Alliance

• Idea: Use local TRG Alliance for direct

mail prospects. A Free and easy way to
reach out to potential donors.
• Motivation: Cutbacks forced station to
eliminate budget for new member
prospects
 Houston PBS- TRG Alliance

• 45 local arts organizations participate

• Demographic overlays, SES, Household income, etc all
available for a small fee – but the rest of the database is
FREE!
• HoustonPBS is using for small mailings (5m-10m) every
few months to keep adding new names to their
membership base.
• Easy, quick approval from other orgs, did I mention
FREE
• Average Bi-monthly Acquisition average 1.15%
• Best performance: 2.00% Avg Gift $49.57
 Houston PBS- TRG Alliance

• Other cities with TRG: Seattle, LA, Denver, Houston,

Chicago, New Jersey State, Philadelphia. Coming soon:
Washington DC.

• For more information contact: Abby Koenig at Houston

PBS – akoenig@houstonpbs.org
 KLRU - Member Newsletters

• Idea: PBS Newsletter template shared by

stations to keep costs low – local content
added in production
• Motivation: Give all members a mailing
that fills the void left by discontinued
program guide. Bring in enough revenue
to pay for itself
 KLRU – Member Newsletter

• Printed newsletter drops ever two months

• Mails to 20,000 active members and recent lapsed
• DMW writes PBS content and manages print and mail
• Local content & show times added by KLRU Staff
• Large direct mailings & renewals have not suffered
• Great tool for bringing lapsed back to active
• All 8 issues have exceeded their goal of $24,000
• Best single issue performance was $38,000
• Helped in the downturn - Direct Mail was up 23% in
2009
KLRU – Member Newsletter
KLRU – Member Newsletter
 KLRU – Member Newsletters

• For more information contact: Erin Gingrich-Gaylord at

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS – ering@klru.org
 KLRU – Online Pledge

• Idea: Create an online form for each

show of the drive tied together with drop
down menu and rotating home page
slides
• Motivation: Simplify and increase online
giving during pledge drives. 67% of TV
viewers surf the web and watch TV at
same time
 KLRU - Online Pledge

• Used easy to create donation forms – html cut & paste

• Forms for entire pledge drive take 2-3 hours to create
• Donate button on home page goes to dropdown menu
displaying every show for the drive – Pick and Give!
• Always a “no gift” option and ask for additional $
• Slides tied to Google calendar allow us to display what is
on air on the home page with big donate button
• Now able to track online revenue by pledge program
• Online pledge revenue has increased from 12% to 30%
• “No gift” form still generates 12%, show forms raise 18%
KLRU – Online Pledge
 KLRU – Online Pledge

• For more information contact: Sara Childress at KLRU-

TV, Austin PBS – schildress@klru.org
 Lo Hartnett
Consultant UNC-TV, WGBH, Vegas PBS
 WQED PRESENTS

• Ticket club for $50 additional gift.

• Benefits include - Advanced ticket purchases, best seats in
the house and advance notices.
• In 2009 streamlined process and stepped-up promotion in
pledge.
• Separate pledge form. Volunteer training.
• On-air spot promos, web, brochures.
• OPT-IN only, No automatic enrollment
• WQED PRESENTS impact.

• Members grew from 68 in 2007 to 469 in 2009.

• Generated $32k gross and $30k net revenue.
• 60% of members had no prior adgift history.
• Minimal costs. 75% e-communication based.

Contact: Amanda Hess Ahess@wqed.org

 DISCOUNT OFFERS

• Discount offers in lapsed and acquisition mail to boost

responses and build your member file.

• Discounts of 15% 25% 30% 50% or more.

Deep Discount $20
KLVX ACQ Discount # Memb Response Rate Average Gift Cost to Acquire
Acq

Tightrope 240 0.85% $30.81 $60.42

March 08
Tightrope March 09 304 1.10% $25.07 $31.04
$20 Discount Offer

$20 discount produced 27% more members.

Cost to Acquire a member dropped 50%
FY10 Deep Discount $20 Pkg Test
ACQ $20 #Acq % Rate Avg Gift Cost to Acquire

Tightrope 195 1.1% $28 $27

Coupon 158 0.9% $28 $62

LAPSED $20 # Rejoin % Rate Avg Gift Cost to Acquire

Tightrope 99 1.1% $27 $13

Coupon 128 1.5% $28 $17

•Lapsed = Coupon 29% more rejoins, but at higher cost

•Acq = Coupon 19% fewer members, and at higher cost
•Bottom line = Discount offers get more members -- TEST.
•Contact: Margaret Ann Schneweis, Mann@vegaspbs.org
 Monthly Adgifts

• Adgift mail timed with three pledge drives. Members in renew

cycle never asked for adgifts, and others got one campaign
limited to one adgift message a year.
• MPBN modeled after many Maine member NFP’s and
structured a monthly adgift program.
• Members receive adgifts in the 1st, 3rd and 6th month
• 1st and 6th get 2 hits, 3rd get one hit or TM call .
• Selections targeted incorporating TM timing, TAGS.
• Excludes all members in a renewal cycle.
• PROS:
• Increases the size and accuracy of data pulls
• Gives all members exposure to a range of adgift opportunities
• Mail production uses letter templates with custom laser text.
• Ability to change messaging on the fly - need, campaign, theme…

• CONS: Caution - use targeted criteria or Tags to narrow selections

on successive hits to avoid member complaints.

• IMPACT: FY09 MPBN increased adgift revenue 68%

• Percent of members giving adgift = up 15%
• Reliable revenue stream ($268k-$450k)
• Flexibility and timeliness in messaging and offers.
•
• CONTACT: Judi Gardner Jgardner@mpbn.net
3rd Adgift Hit
3rd Adgift Hit
 3rd Adgift Hit

FEB 2010 #Gifts % Rate Avg Gross $

2 Hits (41m) 1895 4.5% 53 $97,931
3rd Hit (12m) 994 8.1% 57 $56,696
Var. w/3rd hit +58% +18% +3% +65%

 Narrow 3rd hit selection.

 Select most responsive Adgift members
 Consider timing between hits

Contact> Arnetta Campbell Acampbell@unctv.org

3rd Adgift Hit
 SATURDAY NIGHT CONCERTS
Detroit PTV uses Saturday night to build the audience and
pledge opportunities with primetime broadcast of air checks
and pledge events.

PROS: CONS:
•Uses pledge inventory that might not None so far.
make it in drives. No viewer flak.
• Raises $5k - $15k each wk.
• Requires no in-house resources.
•Staff reaction is positive.
“How much this week?”
 Contact:

Fred Nahhat Detroit PTV

Fred@dptv.org
 LAPSED RENEWALS

When you pull the R1 list each month,

pull the previous year expire date (1yr lapsed)
and send them the R1 notice.  

This month, if you pull expire date SEPT 2010

for the R1, pull expire date SEPT 2009
and send them the Ren #1 letter as well.
Repeat every month.
UNC-TV response rate ranges from 2% - 5% for this mailing,
beyond regular lapsed campaigns.

Feb-2010 Resp Avg

LAP REN R1 4.8% $67
TightRope $25 1.8% $40
 LAPSED RENEWALS
PROS:
- Easy production, just fold into monthly mailings – with
a unique source code.
-Unit cost based on renewal notices, usually lower.
-Doesn’t need segmentation with big lapsed campaigns.
-Recaptures members with better net.

CONS: ???

Contact:
Arnetta Campbell
Acampbell@unctv.org
Questions?
 CPTV Red Carpet
Experience
• Brand name for all ticket initiatives
• Not a club, but moving to it with benefits.
• All offers wrapped with Red Carpet brand
• 1.5 staff dedicated to build ticket opportunities.

PROS: Tickets = 25% of revenue.

CONS: Net lower than overall
“Feed the Beast”

Contact: Jack Callahan, Jcallahan@cpbn.org