Los Angeles Mission exists to provide help, hope and opportunity to men, women and children in need. Their vision is to see individuals and families set free from addictions and homelessness, transformed by God to become physically and spiritually healthy.
Our multichannel disaster optimizations in March-May led to year-over-year results:
156%
increase in direct mail revenue
1,511
reactivated donors
199%
increase in digital revenue
156%
increase in direct mail revenue
1,511
reactivated donors
199%
increase in digital revenue
“Our partnership with RKD has resulted in wonderful achievements for Los Angeles Mission, especially when we were challenged with COVID-19. Knowing it wasn’t “business as usual” RKD made sure our fundraising strategies were solid. During these uncertain times, the RKD team exceeds our expectations in unexpected ways.”
Michelle Trinh, Director of Development, Annual Fund
THE CHALLENGE
Uncertain road ahead
When COVID-19 began to spike in California in the spring, Los Angeles Mission was facing numerous challenges while serving on the front lines. The sharp rise in unemployment increased the number of people in need of food boxes by 100%. Volunteer help had significantly declined due to social distancing and shelter-in-place orders. Los Angeles Mission needed an increase in fundraising during a time of economic uncertainty.
THE SOLUTION
Multichannel messaging overhaul
RKD overhauled previously planned mailings to pivot the focus to COVID-19. Language was shifted in digital fundraising efforts to highlight the increased need as a result of the pandemic. Once we felt that the language was effectively resonating with their donors, RKD added an acquisition and modeled-lapsed reactivation plan to the mail schedule.
breakthrough
Increase in revenue and major giving
The donors answered the call for relief. Direct mail revenue from March through May increased 156% year-over-year. During the same time frame, digital revenue rose 199% year-over-year, with a 172% increase in donors. The modeled-lapsed reactivation campaign profitably reactivated 1,511 donors and brought in a $25,000 gift from a 10-year lapsed donor. The May match campaign quickly became the highest-performing of the fiscal year, with gross revenue up 156% year-over-year.
