How our fundraising consultants helped Mission Aviation Fellowship New Zealand (MAFNZ) to a more strategic focus on fundraising with enhanced fundraising results.
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is a faith-based, not-for-profit team of aviation professionals providing air transport in places of deepest human need – remote places where flying is not a luxury, but a lifeline. MAF operates 140 aircraft globally to give isolated people access to medical care, emergency relief, education, long-term development and Christian hope. Mission Aviation Fellowship New Zealand (MAFNZ) is part of a worldwide partnership, servicing 2,500 airstrips, supporting over 1,000 organisations in 30 countries.
Mission Aviation Fellowship New Zealand has two primary aims: to provide personnel (particularly qualified pilots and engineers), plus funding. Like most small to medium charities, MAFNZ has limited resources, and each staff member has several roles to fulfill. Fundraising is shared between the CEO, communications and database managers.
The majority of funding comes from overseas staff raising their own support from friends and family, but that funding is unavailable for general operations.
MAF needs to expand its donor base and increase its fundraising activity and results. It is aware that most of this will come from individuals and therefore needs to enhance its new donor acquisition and the way it nurtures and cares for its current donors to increase the loyalty and ‘life-time-value’ of donors.
Prior to AskRIGHT direct involvement, the fundraising consultant was contracted privately.
During this period an effective acquisition tool was developed that brought significant ongoing results for us. The fundraising consultant was able to provide a springboard to the development and ongoing Direct Mail programme, which has brought good outcomes.
Mark Fox, CEO
A magazine insert was developed for new donor acquisition, offering gift levels with tangible benefits to the cause. It was tested in a variety of publications, and used repeatedly in the better performing ones.
The direct mail campaign was changed from a basic appeal every month with minimal personalisation or segmentation to an enhanced appeal 6 times per annum. The key elements were:
- stronger propositions
- increased personalisation
- adoption of the Recency-Frequency-Value model of segmentation and asking levels.
This new approach increased results by nearly 300% pa.
Following this success, AskRIGHT was then contracted to provide fundraising strategic advice and coaching.
AskRIGHT provided ongoing fundraising advice throughout the consultancy to the CEO. The specific areas that AskRIGHT contributed to included:
- Develop the fundraising strategy and structure
- Prepare a Case for Support to inform all fundraising programmes
- Direction for the Direct Mail campaign
- Establish a Major donor focus
- Develop a plan for donor care and stewardship
- Prepare a plan and collateral for Bequest promotion.
- In addition, Board members received training in fundraising and the specific role they can play.
AskRIGHT have shown tremendous skills in identifying our needs, giving strategic direction and applying the correct constituent focus. Hiring a fundraising consultant has been very helpful in identifying key strategies for fundraising and moving our organisation toward the achievement of those strategic goals within our particular parameters and constraints.
The AskRIGHT fundraising consultant brought fresh ideas to the organization. From vast experience and involvement in fundraising for not-for-profits, AskRIGHT fundraising consultants understood the key and current issues in the sector and the challenges we face.
Mark Fox, CEO
AskRIGHT offers a range of fundraising consulting and fundraising support services to help nonprofit organisations increase their capacity to raise more money. Learn more here.