As manager of individual giving, it was my responsibility to develop strategic solutions and oversee their implementation, in consultation with team and our consultants, TRG Arts, who later joined us in the 14/15 season. From the time of my first campaign in the 11/12 season to my last in the 15/16 season, the following solutions were continually explored, built, tested, and redesigned.

• Segmentation and investment strategy: after greater analysis of the behavioral patterns of the donor—including purchase and donation habits, event attendance, and online engagement—we shifted our strategy to narrow our aim, and find in the right offer for the right person. We increased our segments from 4 to 15, including more customized upgrade offers for existing donors, and gateway offers to prospective donors. The content was designed to personalize the tone, and deepen the relationship with the donor. While previous campaigns front-loaded expenditures with a single mass direct mail piece with a wide-net cast, we shifted our strategy to focus our direct mail on only the 5000 households most likely to donate. This allowed us to increase the frequency of the mailings in concert with a digital strategy. Over the course of a three-month campaign, people would receive 3-4 mailings, with e-blasts interspersed so as to build the momentum towards shorter deadlines.

• Reducing costs: we did this in two ways: by seeking high-margin initiatives like the in-theatre tactics, and by working to reduce the fixed and variable direct mail costs. We worked with our suppliers and bulk ordering some supplies for the year rather than by campaign, we worked to reduce our overall print and mail preparation costs.

• In-theatre tactics: Promote the campaign at the most visible and meaningful interaction point in our user journey, at the theatre itself. We designed in-theatre experiences to promote the campaign, including installations in the lobbies, an onstage video played before the show, and appeals from actors immediately after the performance, followed by them directly collecting donations in the lobby.

• Increased Analysis: we developed a more rigorous analysis and processing system to better evaluate the response rates, cost of sale, return on investment, and cost per piece.

• More effective messaging: we evolved from scattered messaging across the two campaigns, to a single brand and communication theme for the year in which the campaigns were integrated. In the 15/16 season, our theme was “a home for artists,” with the two campaigns elaborating on this single message about the Arts Club’s role in the community, and how donations make it possible.

• Digital strategy: Our aim was to tell better stories, and to tell them in the places that theatre goers would see them. We had both a digital and in-theatre strategy. Our digital strategy was to increase the quality of our content, by using digital storytelling to tell the artists’ and donors’ stories. Better stories meant that we were able to make a more memorable impact and tap into why people support the arts in their community.

• Emotion experience design to create unique tactics that delight users: We created experiences as gateway incentives rather than tangible benefits, for example offering a backstage tour of the set of Mary Poppins. We strived to design an emotional experience that would add a wow factor, and draw attention through authentic means that would help to deepen engagement and loyalty.