Launch
October 2022
Marketing Automation & Campaigns
Swiss Red Cross Canton Zurich – Legacy Donation
Back to the Future – To pass on the Good
Success
Design of a timeless multichannel campaign to acquire legacy donation leads
Back to the Future – to pass on the Good
Donating a legacy is an investment in the future. Both for the person dedicating a portion of their inheritance to a good cause and for the nonprofit organization to which the bequest is made. Yet despite the fact that legacy donations are of such great consequence, few organizations rely on digital estate campaigns. The Zurich Red Cross has ventured into this uncharted territory – supported by getunik! The result is a cross-channel campaign that takes up a historical event with modern means and invites addressees to discover their own gratitude between past, present and future. This is shown in the generous act of a testamentary donation.
Challenge – Striking the right tone
Will donations are a pillar of the fundraising mix for most nonprofits, but few invest in cross-channel campaigns that allow them to generate qualified leads. This is partly because they have limited capacity to acquire and nurture their leads. On the other hand, the topic of estate is complex, as personal communication is required and thus even more capacities are needed. This is where Marketing Automation can be a great support. The offline acquisition of bequests can be optimized and partly replaced by digital products. But it cannot be done entirely without personal contact. This is precisely where the greatest challenge lies in campaigns for legacy donations: in the creation of personalized communication that allows authentic intimacy to be established, while at the same time relieving the burden on employees. This was a particularly high priority for the Zurich Red Cross, because it is the only way to retain leads – the prerequisite for them to make charitable bequests. At the same time, it is important to view the campaign as a true fundraising campaign that has a clear call-to-action. Striking a balance between emotional and goal-oriented language is key. So it also requires an investment in good wording! In this way, emotionality should be used to pick up leads and factuality should be used to get them to their destination. All just wishful thinking? We say no, because with our campaign for the Zurich Red Cross we have found a new way.
Solution – A multichannel campaign for generating qualified leads
The solution for a successful estate campaign was an automated multichannel campaign. The goal of the Journey is to ensure that donors include the Zurich Red Cross in their wills, but also to bind them to the organization. After all, donating one’s estate means a commitment that extends beyond one’s own lifetime – an investment in the future.
When creating the concept, the first step is to think through all the possible scenarios of a Journey. What are the different touchpoints and how do we pick up as many leads as possible? Which stations should they pass through and how are they best guided to the target? What are the possible actions and how can we best manage the bounce opportunities? The call-to-action to make a legacy donation is a very big one. Potential will donors need to get something back. That’s why the Zurich Red Cross wanted to tell the story of the so-called Zugkinder (“train children”) in terms of added value. For the target group, it is an opportunity to get to know an important episode of a part of the forgotten Swiss history and the solidarity that emerged from it. In addition, the Journey gives them the opportunity to become part of the humanitarian Red Cross story themselves through the legacy donation.
“The campaign is proof that the use of digital tools offers new opportunities for generating legacy donations without sacrificing philanthropy and relationships. It’s an exciting introduction to the topic of digital estate campaigns.”
Astrid Vancraeyenest, Customer Success Manager, getunik GmbH
Implementation – An ocean of possibilities
Leads are acquired via three entry points: Facebook Ads, various Google Ads and e-mails to third-party and personal addresses. A free memory diary acts as a lead magnet, providing an introduction to the subject of wills and establishing a link to the topic of Zugkinder. This booklet can be ordered on a landing page and is also the entry ticket for the automated email journey, which consists of a total of 4 emails, each with a landing page.
In order to manage the expectations, the content of the emails and landing pages was carefully selected. An emotional introduction with the thematic focus on the Red Cross Zugkinder serves to generate leads. As the Journey progresses, emotional content gradually decreases, and content that focuses on wills and counselling increases. Within the journey, all stations are interlinked, and a sophisticated scoring system can be used to precisely record the interactions and interests of the contacts in the course of the journey. Wills consultants can then use this scoring to identify who is particularly receptive, for example, for a follow-up conversation where personal contact is worthwhile. These high-quality leads are offered personal advice at the end of the journey. The last stop on the Journey is the opportunity to make a donation to the Zurich Red Cross in one’s estate via the DeinAdieu platform.
Impact – The foundation for automated will donation campaigns is laid
It would be wrong to measure the success of such a campaign in figures, because this is a bit of a long time coming. Legacy donations are not about direct results, where a large amount of donations can be expected within a very short time. Often donors decide years later to include an organization in their will. This makes it all the more important to maintain this relationship. This can be made possible through the consultation with a specific contact person. Inheritance donations are not only an investment in a better future for donors, if they pass on their inheritance to charity as a sign of the solidarity they have experienced. On the part of the Zurich Red Cross, it is also an investment in the future of the organization: The concept of an automated will donation campaign lays the foundation for further automated and cross-channel campaigns. This is because these enable a relationship to be built with donors and deepened over time. This is critical because it’s about making a positive impact beyond your own life.
“For me, this campaign is not the end product but the beginning: it’s a new way of exploring numerous new opportunities for acquiring testamentary leads.”
Maria Steinbauer, Head of Fundraising at Swiss Red Cross Canton Zurich
getunik services
getunik was able to support the Zurich Red Cross throughout the following steps:
One of the biggest humanitarian actions of the Swiss Red Cross
Between 1942 and 1956, as part of the SRC Children’s Aid program, a total of 180,000 starving children between the ages of 4 and 10 from areas of Europe that had suffered damage during the war were brought to Switzerland by the Red Cross Children’s Trains for recuperation and cared for in foster families. It was one of the largest humanitarian operations led by the Swiss Red Cross.
The Landscape of the Zugkinder Campaign
When creating the concept, we had to think through all possible scenarios of a journey. What are the entry points through which we pick up leads? What channels can we use to do this as effectively as possible? What stages should they pass through and how are they best brought to the destination of a legacy donation? What are the possible courses of action for leads and how can we best manage bounce opportunities? What if they want to opt out of the Journey? The Landscape represents a contact’s journey to their destination.
A special offer for potential will donors
The goal of this campaign is to complete a will that includes the Zurich Red Cross. This is a big ask, with contacts needing to be taken by the hand in the course of the Journey. With various offers, from will templates to answers to the most common questions about inheritance to personal advice, everything was there. Always related to the story of the Red Cross Zugkinder.
Swiss Red Cross Canton Zurich
The Swiss Red Cross is the oldest and largest humanitarian organization in Switzerland. In the areas of health, integration and relief, the Zurich Red Cross is committed to helping people in difficult circumstances. Together with 2600 volunteers, it provides more humanity and solidarity regionally.
