May/June 2005

Constituent360™ Opens Door to Stronger Constituent Relationships

Getting to know constituents better is key for any nonprofit organization to succeed in online marketing, fundraising and advocacy. The more an organization knows about its constituents, the more targeted and relevant its communications can be. This, in turn, creates a better constituent experience and raises the level of constituent engagement. Storing constituent information in a single online database opens a world of opportunity for an organization to get constituents more involved.

That is why Convio built its entire software system on an online database, Constituent360. It allows organizations to capture information — through interactions, surveys and Web site click-through tracking, and other mechanisms — about its site visitors, donors, volunteers, activists and members, and then use that data to develop a deeper online relationship with each supporter.

Following are ways that any organization can use Constituent360 to maximize online relationships with constituents.

Build Constituent Profiles
Getting to know constituents by building a profile of their interests and online interactions with an organization is the foundation for strong online relationships. Here are a few techniques for gathering information about constituents:

• Regularly ask registrants to volunteer information about themselves — such as their preferences for specific causes — that will enable more personalized communication with them. Include these questions in online surveys and forms.

• Conduct "profiling drives" of existing donors, offering them the opportunity to receive personalized information that matches their specific interests.

• Ask donors and prospects for ZIP code information, and then use that information to send communications about events, news or upcoming elections in their communities or districts.

• For more in-depth knowledge about each constituent's interests, track relevant and important interactions such as actions taken, emails responded to, or donations made.

Segment, Target and Test
As in direct mail, an organization will improve response rates by segmenting its email file based on factors such as constituent interests, donation history, gender, age, length of membership or any other defining characteristic, and targeting those groups with specific messages. With each online campaign, an objective should be to segment constituents by a defining characteristic and to send a message relevant to their interests. 

In addition, A/B, or split list, testing can help an organization determine which messages work best with each audience segment. This approach involves sending two or more variations of a message to a percentage of the target audience to test the effectiveness of each message, then sending the most effective message to the remainder of the audience.

Cross-Market to Get Constituents More Involved
One of the greatest benefits of a database containing email addresses with detailed profiles of each constituent is the ability to cross-market. Say, for example, that an organization knows through its profiles that a group of constituents previously have volunteered, but never donated. Clearly, they already have a strong affinity for the organization since they donated their time and provided information about their interests. The organization can use this information to send the volunteers a targeted email thanking them for past support and encouraging them to donate to the same program for which they volunteered.

Organizations can use Constituent360 for more sophisticated cross-marketing as well. For example, if site visitors to a conservation organization participate in an "adopt-a-wolf" program, these constituents have indicated their interest. The organization then may use that information strategically to send an email to these constituents, asking them to also take action on pending legislation to protect the forests in which the wolves live. By targeting constituents based on their interests, and by asking them to participate in multiple ways, an organization can effectively maximize each constituent's involvement. 

This type of approach can offer even greater flexibility if an organization creates links between various interests. In the example above, interest in wolves relates to forests, which also may be related to clean air initiatives. 

Through strategic relationships, targeting, testing and marketing, a little bit of information about a constituent can open up a vast array of engagement opportunities.

Find out more about Constituent360.

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