Are there BETTER lists for hospitals than Grateful Patients?
By Wayne Gurley
President & Creative Director
Here’s something you may not know…
There are lists that work BETTER for hospitals than Grateful Patients.
I’m talking Rented Names - otherwise known as “Serial Donors.”
The search for "Serial Donors."
Donors on Rented Lists - like March of Dimes, Easter Seals, and others - have made contributions to nonprofit organizations in your area.
You may not have these people on your radar when you think of Rented Names. Likely, your idea of a rented list is wealthy people who live in fashionable zip codes with sky-high home values.
The truth is, zip code lists are some of the WORST names you can rent. I highly recommend AGAINST using these types of names.
Instead, you want “Serial Donors.”
People on Rented Lists give to many different organizations. It’s estimated they support between 7-10 different nonprofits. As such, they are prime candidates for successful fundraising appeals.
Believe it or not, most of the donors in YOUR database are Serial Donors. They give to multiple nonprofits, too. And they don't support your organization exclusively.
Why Rented Names work better than Grateful Patients…
I can hear you saying, “This doesn’t make sense. Why would a person who hasn't been a patient at my hospital respond better than someone who has?"
There are several reasons…
With Grateful Patients, we know two things...
1. We know they’ve been in your hospital.
2. We know they are the correct age.
(If you've selected your Grateful Patients properly, the best age group for fundraising is 60+. If you mail to younger donors, this reliable age characteristic is off the table. According to The Blackbaud 2020 Charitable Giving Report, the average age of a U.S. donor is 64.)
There are two things we DON’T know about Grateful Patients…
1. We don’t know if they are philanthropic.
2. We don’t know if they are direct mail responsive. (Some people aren’t.)
With Rented Names, we know three things...
1. We know they are philanthropic because they’ve demonstrated generosity by supporting multiple organizations.
2. We know they are direct mail responsive. Nearly 100% of the lists you can rent have been built via direct mail.
3. We know they are the correct age because they are existing donors to other nonprofits, and those folks are typically older donors.
How much better are Rented Names than Grateful Patients?
Three recent mailings from one of our clients produced these results…
MAILING #1:
Grateful Patients – 1.35% response
Rented Names – 1.98% response.
MAILING #2:
Grateful Patients – 1.79% response
Rented Names – 2.75% response.
MAILING #3:
Grateful Patients – 1.23% response
Rented Names – 4.36% response. (That’s not a typo…it really was 4.36%!)
Bottom line - with the right copy approach, Rented Lists can make HUGE difference when you want to increase the size of your donor base.
How can we help?
For more info on how Allegiant Direct, Inc., can help your organization improve its fundraising results, write Shannon Russell at: shannon@allegiantdirect.com