The Challenge

In reviewing Mid-Level and Major gift donor portfolios, Moody’s Director of Development sensed adjustments might be needed for some. But most importantly, he believed there could be untapped potential among some unassigned donors who might be poised to give more if given the right communication experience.   

For a more strategic approach, Moody sought the expertise of their long-time partner, AGP to identify donors who, with a more personalized donor experience, might be ready to give at a greater level during the critical calendar year-end period. 

The Solution

Allegiance Group + Pursuant leveraged GivingDNA’s advanced analytics capabilities and insights to uncover a previously untapped segment of donors with substantial capacity for giving. Specifically, we looked for donors who: 

• Gave between $50 and $9,999 in the last 2 fiscal years 

• Were affluent and demonstrated an affinity for charitable giving, especially toward religious causes 

• Identified as “extremely likely” or “likely” to respond to direct mail 

• Given +$500 to other organizations 

• Was not already in a Relationship Manager’s portfolio 

With these parameters in place, a targeted group of 2,000 donors emerged as prime candidates for engagement.  

In addition to other direct mail efforts, we designed a personalized 6x9” package for each recipient to kick off the effort in November. The package included a heartfelt Christmas card, a compelling letter, a detailed proposal, and a reply mechanism. Each piece was crafted to evoke a sense of connection and inspire increased philanthropic support. As well, we created two follow-up mailings for December in addition to two stewardship mailings from Moody — an impact report and a newsletter detailing the impact of donors’ support in 2023.  

The Results

Moody Bible Institute’s year-end campaign exceeded all expectations, proving the efficacy of a targeted approach. Of the 2,000 individuals who received the special direct mail package, across the 3 mailings between November and December, we saw a 2.3% response rate with donors contributing $124,129 during the calendar year-end campaign period. This significantly surpassed the previous year’s campaign, in which this same set of donors contributed only $22,845. 

Even more encouraging was that this special donor segment continued their upgraded giving from January through the end of the fiscal year in June 2024—giving 35% more than the prior year.  

Moody Bible Institute’s year-end 2023 campaign not only achieved immediate success but also re-energized their direct mail program, creating sustained momentum. By leveraging GivingDNA to refine mailable segments, the campaign maximized returns and enabled strategic donor prioritization, including assigning previously unassigned donors to gift officers. This data-driven approach deepened donor engagement and paved the way for continued success, inspiring Moody to repeat this strategy for year-end 2024.