Braille Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate barriers to a fulfilling life caused by blindness and severe sight loss. They offer a variety of Free Programs, Classes and Services at five Centers and 220 Community Outreach locations throughout Southern California. Each year Braille Institute serves more than 75,000 people.
Breakthrough Offer Lifts Average Gift
Focus
on children instead
of adults
13%
increase in average gift size
16%
higher net income
Focus
on children instead
of adults
13%
in average gift size
16%
higher net income
Changing The Focus
Donors Respond Better To Children’s Needs
RKD believed that highlighting children instead of adults would increase the appeal’s effectiveness, since our extensive experience showed that direct mail donors tend to be responsive to children’s needs. Even better, the expansion of Braille Institute’s Children’s Programs made it the perfect time to try this new offer and determine if A/B testing reveals donor motivation.
50/50 Test
Testing Is Key
Due to our firm belief in testing, RKD divided the donor file into a 50/50 split test. One group received the control package, which featured the story of a blind woman asking donors to give a gift to keep Braille’s services free. The other group received a similar package, which showcased the story of a blind child and asked them to transform a youngster’s life by making a gift to supply children’s books to Braille’s library.
breakthrough
A/B Testing Reveals Donor Motivation
Results of our 50/50 split test showed that our “Children’s Ask” test group was more successful. Those that received the “Children’s Ask” package, showcasing the story of a blind child had a 13% higher average gift, resulting in a 16% higher net income. The story of transforming a youngster’s life by making a gift to supply children’s books was a more impactful story.
