November/December 2004

Improving Communications, Increasing Donations and Boosting Advocacy Using the Internet: Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s Online Success Story

About Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (http://www.madd.org/) is a grassroots organization with more than 600 chapters and two million members and supporters nationwide. MADD is dedicated to stopping drunk driving, supporting the victims of this violent crime and preventing underage drinking.

The Challenge
For years, MADD’s Rating the States and Tie One on for Safety public outreach campaigns have been two of the organization’s most important initiatives. Occurring every three years, Rating the States grades all 50 states and the nation as a whole on efforts to combat drunk driving and underage drinking. Tie One on for Safety, MADD's largest annual public awareness campaign, is conducted during the holiday season when the risk of drunk driving crashes rises significantly.

In 2002, MADD wanted to expand its reach with an online strategy that would further engage supporters and encourage them to get friends and family involved. MADD had a large direct mail file — with more than one million contacts — but only had email addresses for 11,000 constituents. The group needed to build its roster of email addresses to engage more constituents online.

In addition, MADD had tools for advocacy, fundraising and email, but wanted to cross-market among its constituents, motivating activists to donate and donors to become activists. The group also wanted to reduce the cost of acquiring new donors by leveraging the Internet as an alternative at times to direct mail appeals. MADD understood that to enhance offline marketing and advocacy activities, and to reach more supporters, it would need an integrated Internet strategy.

The Solution
MADD chose Convio software and services to support marketing, development, advocacy and constituent communications, and also for augmenting its existing Web content management systems. Convio helped MADD develop an online strategy, dovetailing Internet programs with existing telemarketing and direct mail campaigns. Convio also helped MADD create and manage online campaigns for building its email address list, gathering more information about existing constituents and acquiring and maintaining supporters.

For example, in late 2002, MADD boosted activism through its Rating the States campaign. The organization first targeted the thousands of constituents who had not provided state and ZIP code information, sending them an email offering immediate, online notification of their states' grades when released, in exchange for their state and ZIP information.

On November 21, simultaneously with the report's release, MADD emailed "report cards" to registered constituents based on their geographic locations. People who hadn’t provided their state and ZIP code received a national report. Each report had links to MADD Web pages where constituents could easily send messages to their governors calling for public policy change. The email also included links for people to make donations and forward the report card to others.

MADD also uses Convio to more fully incorporate the Internet into its Tie One on for Safety program. The traditional offline campaign asks motorists to tie a red ribbon or affix a window decal to their vehicles as a pledge to drive "safe and sober," and as a reminder to others to do the same. The Internet component includes sending an email to constituents with links to drive them to the organization's Web site, where they can pledge to help keep roads safe during the holidays and year-round. They also can make a donation, read safe party tips, send a message to others to visit MADD's site, and/or sign up to receive emails.

In addition, MADD uses Convio to improve outreach through “viral” marketing campaigns. In October 2003, MADD sent an email informing constituents that Halloween is one of the most dangerous times of year for traffic fatalities linked to drunk driving. The email asked constituents to act immediately by signing a petition for increased DUI/DWI enforcement and forwarding the message to five friends. MADD also sent personalized follow-up reminders, updating constituents on the campaign’s results.

Fig.1: MADD’s Halloween campaign encouraged recipients to sign a petition
and forward it to friends and family.

In 2004, MADD began using Convio TeamRaiser™ to take its new fundraising run/walk event, Strides for Change, online. TeamRaiser allows MADD to collect participant information online; it also allows participants and donors to register for the event and make credit card payments over the Internet. Additionally, TeamRaiser allows MADD to give participants email and Web publishing tools to solicit and acknowledge their supporters. MADD can view, print and download summary and detailed reports to analyze the event’s success. After using TeamRaiser successfully for six regional Strides for Change events, MADD plans to expand to 15 events in 2005.

The Results
MADD increased its support base and constituent participation in advocacy, built stronger constituent relationships and boosted donations.

Better Outreach — Using Convio, MADD reaches new supporters by encouraging constituents to forward emails to family and friends. During the Rating the States campaign alone, MADD grew its email list almost 15 percent, with more than 1,400 new constituents registering the first month. Five percent of the new constituents came from forwarded emails. During its Halloween campaign, MADD had more than 10,500 people sign its petition, 81 percent of whom were new to MADD. Forty-three percent of those new constituents signed up to receive future emails. The campaign grew MADD’s email file 23 percent in just 15 days.

Increased Action — Using Convio, MADD can foster immediate action by constituents. During the Rating the States campaign, MADD prompted constituents to send more than 800 advocacy messages to state governors. In addition, MADD pulled in nearly 1,350 new Tie One on for Safety pledge-takers.  And, in the first half of 2004, MADD motivated supporters to give $116,700-plus online.

Improved Response — Ten percent of respondents who received the initial ZIP code email from the Rating the States campaign visited MADD's Web site and provided geographic information — enabling MADD to provide them with relevant information. MADD generated email open rates 155 percent higher in personalized versions of emails — where recipients received state-specific information — versus recipients with no state data, who received the national version.

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