Anatomy of a Control: A Vision for Growth
Lighthouse International looks to expand its acquisition program and evolve its control
March 2009 by Marissa FabrisLighthouse International created a more exclusive donor or membership level for its prospects by clearly enumerating the benefits associated with each level. It invites prospective donors to consider joining the President's Circle by annually contributing $1,000 or more, and according to Rizzo, there are many perks associated with this exclusive level. "They get invited to screenings here-we screen some movies before they're officially released-and they get more high-end solicitations from our major gifts department," she reveals.
Indeed, by offering a variety of incentives to the highest-dollar donors-be it advance entry to exhibits, invitations to exclusive events, newsletter subscriptions or other valuable premiums-there may be a significant number of prospects who decide to contribute at higher levels.
Finally, the control package's two-sided, three-color insert offers more detailed information about vision loss and Lighthouse International's services and initiatives for the visually impaired.
And furthering the effort to expand Lighthouse's acquisitions program, Rizzo explains that the organization is testing new lists, particularly reaching out to prospects outside of the New York tristate area. "We're testing outside into other states, and we're finding that some of those other states are doing just as well as the names in the tristate area," notes Rizzo. "So we have a lot of testing going on with packages as well as lists and segmentation."
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