531. The Art + Science of Donor Cultivation - Ronen Tal, The Nature Conservancy of Canada

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Overview

Meet Ronen. He’s a deeply passionate marketer and fundraiser, focused on the donor experience. With over a decade under his belt in fundraising, working on the org and agency sides, he’s at Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as Director, Integrated Marketing & Fundraising🌲 Ronen and his team are dedicated to enhancing the donor experience and optimizing the lifetime value of donors to NCC. They work collaboratively with channel experts and external partners to achieve these goals, navigating challenges such as rising acquisition costs and evolving privacy laws. He’s sharing his wisdom on acquiring quality donors and nurturing long-term relationships, regardless of the initial donation size. Join us as we uncover the art of turning supporters into true believers🌱

💡Learn

Challenges nonprofits face in donor acquisition and retention
Turning One-Time Donors into Sustained Supporters
The ins and outs of Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns

Today’s Guest

Ronen Tal, Director, Integrated Marketing and Fundraising, The Nature Conservancy of Canada

“The organization is the vehicle by which you make the change that you want to see in the world.”

— Ronen Tal, Director, Integrated Marketing and Fundraising, The Nature Conservancy of Canada

Episode Transcript

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Episode Highlights

Ronen’s story and journey to where he is today (4:00)
The integration of fundraising and marketing (7:39)
Common challenges nonprofits face in donor acquisition and retention+ the opportunities that exist (14:00)
Turning One-Time Donors into Sustained Supporters (19:00)
Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns Best Practices (23:00)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Ronen’s Life
Roney’s One Good Thing: Write down your hypothesis. What do you think is going to happen? (38:00)
How to connect with Ronen and The Nature Conservancy of Canada (39:00)

Impactful Quotes

“The organization is the vehicle by which you make the change that you want to see in the world.” -Ronen

“We’ve got the math that proves that big gifts start small. If you focus on the long-term game with them, just keep them engaged with what's happening, you are going to have opportunities to get those larger donations down the road.” -Ronen
“It’s not a solicitation. This way is an invitation to come however you want to come, whenever you want to come, with whatever you have to give in to show up when you're ready to pour in.” -Becky

"If you care about that change, I don't want you to just give once. I want to give you lots of opportunities to give. That way you can realize that change with us as your partner or as your vehicle." -Ronen

"It's about you as the person and your relationship with nature, your relationship is not with The Nature Conservancy of Canada. We’re just the conduit for you." -Ronen

"We want to get real tactical with it. Every one of our campaigns starts with a very thorough brief. Every single one. If you're a fundraiser trying to do multichannel or omnichannel campaigns, if your briefs are not right, you're dead in the water." -Ronen

"Our solution was to force every one of the teams working on our campaign to go to a training at one of our properties, that way they have to see where donor dollars go and to get to experience that they breathe the air around all these trees." -Ronen

"If we can get him to take that next step, they are far more likely to stay on file and active with us." -Ronen

"Our brains trick us. Especially when you're running a test in a campaign, if you do not write down why you're running that test, what you expect to happen and then measure the results against that you are doomed to make a bad conclusion." -Ronen

Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns Best Practices

Outline who you are going to be speaking to and in what channel.
Write down your hypothesis. What do you think is going to happen?
Are you saying the same thing across the different channels?
Be consistent. People are going to give by the channels they want to give. Make sure they are surrounded by it and it is consistent.