Email Uses Gift Chart to Motivate Last-Minute Donors

I've been watching the summer fundraising campaign of the Tucson Audubon Society. All summer they have been raising funds with an end-of-August deadline and a $75,000 goal.

The most recent email came this past Saturday with the subject line: "Tucson Audubon: Final 72 hours." The email explained that the organization had raised $65,000 and was only $10,000 from its goal.

What caught my eye was that the email used something similar to a gift chart, with an accompanying graph showing the campaign's progress, to spur donations. These two items plus the urgency of the email created just the right tone, I thought, to spur those last minute contributions.

Here is part of the text of the appeal:

"You and hundreds of Tucson Audubon members have helped us raise more than $65,000 during our summer appeal! We still need your help during the final hours to reach our goal of $75,000 for education and conservation activities by midnight on Monday August 31.


Now we need only

one gift of $5000,

one gift of $2500

one gift of $1500

one gift of $750

one gift of $100

and

three gifts of $50

to exceed our goal of $75,000.

Please help us protect our wildlife habitats, and your quality of life, today."

The graph was positioned next to the above text and could be clicked to see a larger version. Here is the graph.

This email was direct and limited to the special appeal. I thought the copy and the graph were very convincing and a good example of how an email can be used with a fundraising campaign. Including the "gift scenario," that illustrates just how that final $10,000 could come together, seemed an effective way to suggest donation levels, while still motivating a donor who might only be able to afford a smaller amount.

This email was one of a series that was sent out during the summer, so the recipient knew about the campaign in considerable depth by this point. Someone who had already contributed could well be motivated to donate again just to help clinch the campaign.

See the original campaign appeal letter and brochure here.

Do you think this appeal is effective? Have you done something similar to this? Do you have any tips about email fundraising?

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Joanne Fritz, About.com Guide to Nonprofits,  has worked in the nonprofit world for most of her 30-year career beginning with teaching at the secondary, college, and university levels. She has also held senior management positions at two national nonprofits and two universities. Fritz has served on numerous nonprofit boards and was chosen to participate in leadership programs in two cities. ©2010 About.com, Inc., a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.