Internet Visibility: Why It Matters

1

• Internet Visibility Why It Matters
• Catholic Relief Services
• Case Study
• 2006 Digital Now
• Orlando, FL
• Kevin Whorton, Principal
• Whorton Marketing Research
• Columbia, Maryland
• info_at_kwhorton.com

2
Overview

• Audience/Online Strategy
• Website/Online Giving
• E-newsletters
• Online Catalog
• Advocacy and Outreach
• Membership/Sponsorships

3
(No Transcript)
4
The U.S. Constituency
Total US - 273 Million
Total Catholic - 65 Million
Typically Attend Mass - 20 Million
CRS Aware 14 Million
Donors - 400,000
5
Online Role in Marketing Strategy

• Estimated market 65MM people, 24MM households
• Lowest-cost technique to reach truly mass
  audience
• Mail acquisition 12 million pieces per year
• 0.6 response rate, 35 average gifts
• 35 second gift conversion rate (annual marketing
  cost 7.50)
• Telephone acquisition limited tests
• 3.50 per call, 60 average gifts, 15 response
  rates
• Media Mostly print advertising, some PSAs
• Parish programs little trackability, strong bias
  against fundraising
• Online programs "push" "pull" e-mail and web
  centered initiatives acquisition and
  current/lapsed supporters

6

• Real (internal) constituencies
• Marketing decisions on positioning "you are
  what people think you are"
• Goal move slowly from "church-based disaster
  relief" to sustainable development
• Emphasize beneficiary self-sufficiency and
  empowerment
• Perceptions by segment
• Major donorsCRS delivers relief, helps people in
  need, outcomes focused
• Mail giversimmediate needs, focused on their
  giving
• Aware Non-Donorsknow about need, not CRS, need
  more information to feel comfortable donating

7
CRS Web Site Managing Content

• Engage donors and supporters
• Maximum traffic 50,000 unique visitors per day in
  2006
• Build empathy, solidarity with the poor overseas
• Educate and inform donors about CRS
  programsthrough the eyes of the people served
• Convey history of organization
• Underscore legitimacy efficiency ratios,
  effectiveness
• Create compelling, integrated user experience
• Huge amount of content allowing viewers to drill
  down
• Taxonomy regions (U.S., Asia, Latin America,
  Africa)topical areas agriculture, community
  health, education, emergency response, HIV/AIDS,
  microfinance, peacebuilding

8
(No Transcript)
9
Profile Online Giving Levels

• Steady annual growth, about 12 annually to 900k
• Average gifts substantially higher than mail
  giving
• But giving levels comparable to association
  memberships 250 average one time gifts compared
  to 145 mail (average 2.0 gifts per year of 72)
• Real payback adding capacity for emergencies
• Timely medium typical crisis response 15,000 -
  50,000
• But far lower than outbound telemarketing
• Added Kintera microsite, raised 14.5 million
  tsunami gifts
• 50,000 new donors, questionable long-term value
• Revealed a hidden opportunity cost low site
  bandwidth
• Even switched two weeks into disaster (lost 350k
  in gifts over four hours of "test"!)

10
(No Transcript)
11
Profile E-Communications Vehicles

• Created CRSBriefing CRS Emergency Bulletin
• Growth of email distribution lists grew from
  8,000 in 2002 to 135,000 in 2004
• Extensive appending, poor results direct info
• Audience demographics working against us
  averagedonor ageof 62

12
Profile Other Traffic Drivers

• Linking with affinity partners
• Hungersite.org banner ads .35 CPC
• Featured in special appeals by other Catholic
  charities
• Lobbied to be on key disaster/preferred charity
  sites
• Traditional approaches to search optimization
• Experiment with Google AdWords
• Allocated limted daily budget with cost per click
• Best for driving traffic during disasters
• Limits on eligible (non-competitive) terms
• Wide net first million impressions yielded 2,000
  clickthroughs
• E-acquisition waves of 0.5-1MM messages to
  rented lists
• Tsunami period 25-30 read rates, up to 0.5
  giving
• Oddly, stronger performance with "non Catholic"
  lists

13
Profile CRS Project Catalog

• Joint print and web initiative
• How to transparently communicate the best of your
  programs with 1,200 to choose from?
• Launched www.crsgifts.org November 2003
• Profiled 50 projects with simple search tool
• Keywords for each project with nutshell
  descriptions
• Opportunities to buy
• Test mailings to 165,000 lapsed, prospective,
  mid-level DM donors, then full rollout
• Distribute catalogs to all U.S. parishes

14
(No Transcript)
15
Profile CRS Advocacy Programs

• General issues
• Promote increased aid, development priorities
• Supporting Church positions (Iraq, etc.)
• Corporate social responsibility
• Parish level programs
• Free trade, "Operation Rice Bowl" children's
  education
• Special events
• Vigils, traveling exhibits, media events
• Smaller audience, compete for resources
• Reason we purchased Site Executive CMS,
  self-published Global Village

16

• Tangible accomplishments
• Legislative victories
• Visibility for academic-quality resources100k
  downloads of extractive industry white paper
• Success in rebranding Lenten "CRS Collection"
• Revitalizing Operation Rice Bowl parish program

17
Profile CRS Global Village

• Membership-model "Sponsorship program
• Communications challenge How do you help
  supporters truly understand your issues?
• Financial challenge Feed monthly giving member
  programs
• Existing monthly giving membership "brands"
  Footsteps in Faith, Millenium of Hope, Sustainers
• 11,000 participants, 6 million (15 total
  revenue) including one-time gift responses to
  invitations
• Actives 38/month, 300/year
• 50 cc/EFT givers, high retention
• 50 statement givers, low retention/average
  giving

18
ProfileCRS Global Village

• Communications
• Profile through storytelling, maps, photos and
  video
• Chose multiple villages in each of three sites
  Chhattisgarh, India Guatemala Malawi
• Chosen for geographic balance, appeal,
  fundraising needs
• Strong educational program for secular/Catholic
  schools
• Financials
• Mail and online invitations to sign up members
• Create stable stream of restricted revenue, while
  avoiding distortion of program priorities
• Many programs are funded by combination of grants
  and allocations of unrestricted funds
• Our descriptions make it clear we're funding a
  larger entity a diocese or category of programs

19
(No Transcript)
20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
Thank you!