Samaritans appoint R Fundraising for donor recruitment drive

Matt Saunders | 8 May 2013 | News

Samaritans have appointed donor recruitment and retention agency R Fundraising as part of their plans to recruit more donors this year. The campaign will be an integrated two step campaign using the phone and the mail to recruit, and maintain a good relationship with the supporters.

The ‘donor investment’ programme starts with a call to place small money boxes into people’s home, the recipients of this call are new to Samaritans, so this call also introduces the charity and the importance of the work they do.

The supporter collects cash in their money box, and that is then made as a donation. The supporter is then thanked and asked to give on a more regular basis to support the work being done. The ongoing stewardship is made up of thank you letters, thank you calls and newsletters. Later on, all committed givers are called and asked to increase their gift. By speaking to them on a regular basis, and giving the donor the choice on how they support, they feel much more connected to the Samaritans and will support for a much longer period of time.

Samaritans will also be testing the online take up of the home money box during the same period as placing the boxes by phone. The online supporters will then continue their journey online and through the phone, meaning Samaritans can continue to build on their integrated fundraising approaches.

Amy Oberholzer, Senior Acquisition Manager said “I am very excited to be testing a new income stream and activity. We are keen to find the best way to recruit loyal donors, which may or may not be the same as what other organisations are doing. By testing across all fundraising streams we hope to find the right mix for Samaritans and involve our supporters in the way that feels right for them.

About Matt Saunders
Matt is the owner of Charity Box, a social enterprise helping third sector organisations across the UK to maximise their impact with digital tools.