How a multi-channel approach drove growth for Operation Smile
	Posted by Mark Rhode at Jul 20, 2012 12:31 PM CDT

As a Vice President at Russ Reid, I’ve had the chance to work with many charities on their integration, but one of the most successful campaigns we’ve worked on has been with Operation Smile. Their success offers a terrific example of how to execute a strong multi-channel campaign, and their results give ample evidence that good integration is worth the time and effort. I hope you find their story helpful for your own integrated fundraising.

strong>The opportunity
Operation Smile is a worldwide children’s medical charity that performs free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for thousands of impoverished children every year.

When Russ Reid began working with them in 2003, they were using a single-channel direct mail program. It was not delivering the growth they needed, so the goal became to increase the organization’s visibility, donor base and net revenue through a multi-channel marketing strategy. They needed growth. And lots of it.

Operation Smile volunteer surgeons can repair and transform children’s lives in as little as 45 minutes. The amazing before and after stories of their work provided the heartwarming insights and images needed to craft a compelling offer.

Operation Smile defines and markets one of the most tangible offers in the nonprofit world. For $240, a child’s life can be completely transformed by a surgery. And there were images to prove it. To make the giving opportunity accessible to as many people as possible, we also developed a step-down offer which allowed donors to give just $20 a month and still have a real and significant impact. Operation Smile have since taken this into a successful, comprehensive monthly offer that is used year-round, across all campaigns.

Growth through multiple channels
TV crews went to Vietnam and Venezuela to capture the stories of transformation and created two 30-minute DRTV programs designed to dramatically increase mass exposure. We seized the opportunity to test and fine-tune the offer, make strategic media buys, develop powerful creative, enter untapped markets, set up solid positioning of the show, and even refine call center scripting.

We engaged and managed telemarketing centers to handle phone donors and created landing pages for the more than 40% of donors who are more comfortable responding online. By adding TV, phone and digital to the media mix, the donor file quickly expanded. Large single gift and monthly pledge supporters formed a broader, deeper and more committed pool of donors – the key to successful growth. We also crafted a direct mail program to integrate with the new TV focus and as a result, DM acquisition increased 59% over the previous four years.

Growth – one city at a time
Multi-channel acquisition efforts did not stop there. To continue to grow their donor file, we developed a six-week citywide campaign to challenge communities to take action by joining local leaders who were already involved with Operation Smile. Launching the first campaign in Salt Lake City, we crafted a layered media approach featuring long-and short-form television, radio spots and traffic sponsorships, online banners, bus and light rail signs, billboards and direct mail, all totaling an estimated 15.5 million impressions.

The campaign goal was to raise enough funds to provide 1,000 smiles and the Salt Lake City community delivered.

Expanding supporter engagement
Our analytical team identified an untapped segment of mid-level donors giving between $1,000 and $10,000. We then crafted a middle donor appeal with a unique offer to support the building of a comprehensive care center in Ethiopia. Response was strong, and prompted us to launch an ongoing middle donor cultivation stream that has successfully increased net revenue and donor engagement.

As the cultivation file matured, we identified lapsing and pre-lapsing segments of valuable donors. We implemented a multi-touchpoint strategy to offset attrition and reactivate supporters. The results were encouraging as donors were reactivated with higher average gifts.

As Operation Smile moved to help in the aftermath of the Haiti 2010 earthquake, an Emergency Response offer was created – expanding the organization’s capabilities and increasing support of their mission.

Growth online
Armed with a track record of success, we launched a new brand initiative to better communicate with our audiences. In keeping with the newly refreshed and focused brand, we redesigned the Operation Smile website with a concentration on fundraising.

Growth through new products
Looking to take advantage of holiday shopping behavior, we launched an Operation Smile Holiday Gift Catalog. This allowed donors to give a Christmas gift of hope and transformation in the name of friends and family. The new Holiday Giving Catalog was promoted through the media by celebrities, and was a success with their current donor base. With the increase in online shopping, we refreshed the catalog’s e-commerce site to streamline the catalog giving experience and increase online gifts.

Incredible results
Operation Smile created the kind of significant revenue growth that will continue to fuel their life-changing work. They have now evolved into a sophisticated, multi-channel and holistic marketing organization that has achieved year over year, double-digit donor and revenue growth with a healthy ROI. Through alignment of multiple channels and consistent messaging across layered media efforts, they have:

• Increased average gift by 51%*
• Increased annual giving per donor by 93%*
• Increased number of active donors by 324%*
• Increased direct response revenue by 719%*
• Achieved ranking on the Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100
• Won the 2008 DMA Nonprofit Federation “Nonprofit Organization of the Year” Award

And most importantly: forever changed the lives of more than 200,000 children with surgery.

*As of December 2011