University of Denver
Challenge
In 2015, Jon Kraus had a decision to make. As executive director of gift planning at the University of Denver, he served on a selection committee reviewing planned giving vendors. One rose above the rest: Stelter.
Solution
Building Confidence: “From a personal standpoint, I’m a much better gift planner with more knowledge,” Jon says. “Sure, I get information from other sources, but the most up-to-date material has been through Stelter.” The wealth of resources, he adds, gives him confidence when speaking to audiences. “The information is solid because it’s coming from a highly vetted resource.” Refining Prospects: Professionally, Jon adds, Stelter has helped him home in on top-tier donor prospects and messaging, so he can talk to them in meaningful, relevant ways with action inspiring tactics. That started when he used Stelter’s PG Finder analytics program, which compares clients’ prospect data with the unique identifying behaviors of more than 17,000 known planned givers. PG Finder isolates prospects most likely to respond to personal visits, phone calls and other relationship building efforts. “I always use that (analysis) to inform my outreach,” Jon says, “and it’s a direct correlation to the results we’re seeing.” Focusing on Results: From a pool of 140,000 alumni, Jon and his Stelter team identified nearly 10,000 high-potential prospects through PG Finder and other data dives. With this group, conversations (outreach) are carefully timed, one rolling off the other in a succession that reinforces predetermined planned giving topics. To donors, the total package of outreach—including emails, newsletters and direct mail— feels well-conceived and thoughtful, with words and stories that relate to them and inspire them.
Results
With an average 30% open rate and 11%-12% click-through rate on his monthly e-newsletters, Jon says he has confidence that “we’re doing the right thing.” What’s more, his audience is responding, spending on average five to six minutes on his planned giving website after clicking through. “That tells me that people are engaging with the site even if they’re not reaching out to me,” Jon says. Reply cards—another interactive outreach device—typically elicit 20-40 requests for free brochures each time the device is used; a handful of people even respond that University of Denver is already in their estate plan. A recent survey, which yielded a 10% response rate between print and digital formats, also connected with donors. “From that we got about a dozen notifications that people have included us in their estate plans,” he says. Results of a Stelter Partnership - $275,000 AVERAGE PLANNED GIFT - PIONEER LEGACY SOCIETY +81 AVG. NEW MEMBERS ANNUALLY - Stelter’s partnership with the University of Denver tells a planned giving growth story that is off the charts.
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