Mar 11 2021 1:00PM

Donor Stories in Marketing—To Use or Not to Use?

The planned giving industry assumes that donor stories are an effective way to inspire other donors and to increase engagement, including response, in marketing materials. There has been no formal, large-scale research study conducted on planned giving marketing materials to support or counter those assumptions—until now. The Pentera research study to be presented analyzes two key metrics: the click-through rate and the response rate in tens of thousands of e-newsletters that went to millions of prospective donors over several years. The study includes one surprising key finding: certain types of donor stories can actually decrease response rates. Based on the findings of the study, we will recommend when to use donor stories in marketing materials and when not to, as well as what types avoid. Attendees will receive guidelines for writing effective donor stories and using donor blurbs to get the best response rates possible.