NATIONAL
ESTUARY
PROGRAM
ANNUAL APPEAL CRITICAL TO SUSTAINABLE FUNDING &EPA
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary knew how essential it was to have a broad base of funding support and, like many nonprofits, struggled to identify
its funding vehicle. With the NEP management approach as the guideline, they turned lessons learned from early-on funding disappointments into a finely
tuned strategy to secure and sustain funding.
When the Partnership began its annual appeal program in 1996, it faced a number of challenges. Not only was the organization new; the resource it
protects—the Delaware Estuary—was nearly unknown in the three states it occupies. To build support for the Partnership, the director and staff established relationships with
Delaware Estuary stakeholders and engaged them in program activities, speculating that those who were involved with its activities would be far more likely to offer financial
support.
THE NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM IN ACTION
Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
In 1999, the Partnership insti-
tuted its first appeal campaign
funded by a foundation grant for
capacity building. It used a mail
house and sent a generic appeal
letter to the 25,000 people on
the organization's mailing list, all
of whom were recipients of the
Partnership's quarterly newslet-
ter. The results were disappoint-
ing and the Partnership huddled
to restructure the appeal.
A year later, the Partnership test-
ed a smaller, more personal ap-
proach. It sent personalized ap-
peal letters along with an annual
activity report and an appeal
return envelope to past donors
and to a select group from the
mailing list (fewer than 1,000
people). The results improved,
but the Partnership believed they
could do better.
In 2001, the Partnership further
targeted its annual appeal with
the help of a fundraising consul-
tant. For its 2001 appeal, the
Partnership segmented the mail-
ing list into four different target
groups: past givers, lapsed and
never givers, board member
contacts (with the letters signed
by the board member), and board
members. Each group received
a different letter and program
materials. The Partnership also
gave a set of estuary-themed
note cards (purchased wholesale
from a publisher) to donors con-
tributing over $75. This model
returned the best results and the
partnership received 57 dona-
tions totaling nearly $10,000.
Since 2001, the Partnership has
continued to segment the annual
EFFECTIVE
EFFICIENT
ADAPTIVE
COLLABORATIVE
-------
appeal mailing. Each year, prior
donors are asked to consider in-
creasing their gift. A second
mailing each spring targets past
givers who did not respond to
the fall appeal. In all cases, do-
nors of over $75 receive a spe-
cially designed set of note
cards.
Their annual appeal strategy—
along with increased awareness
of the Delaware Estuary and the
Partnership—has generated a
steady increase on the return
from the annual appeal cam-
paign. In 2005, the Partnership
received a total of $29,779 in
donations from 183 people, for
an average gift of $163.
Their lessons learned are appli-
cable to many other community-
based programs:
• While an annual appeal is not a
quick fix for raising unrestricted
revenue, it can be a very suc-
cessful resource that pays off
over time.
• Annual appeals should be
viewed as an investment in the
organization's funding health: it
may take several years to see a
positive return, and all the while
there are related expenses, such
as staff time, printing, postage,
and giveaways.
• The success of annual appeals
depends on building a relation-
ship with donors; the more spe-
cific and personal the appeal,
the better.
• Timing is important—appeals
should be on a consistent sched-
ule, and the end of the calendar
year is for many a key time as it
is when givers feel beneficent
and seek tax deductions.
• Recognition matters: the Part-
nership lists all donors to its an-
nual appeal in an activity report.
Visit www.delawareestuary.org
to learn more about this and
other Partnership efforts.
EPA's National Estuary Program
(NEP) is a unique and successful
coastal watershed-based program
established in 1987 under the
Clean Water Act Amendments.
The NEP involves the public and
collaborates with partners to pro-
tect, restore, and maintain the wa-
ter quality and ecological integrity
of 28 estuaries of national signifi-
cance located in 18 coastal states
and Puerto Rico.
For more information about the
NEP go to www.epa.gov/owow/
estuaries.
The NEP: Implementing the Clean Water Act in ways that are Effective, Efficient, Adaptive, and Collaborative.
EPA-842F09001
------- |