Client Story - The Salvation Army Intermountain Division
High-value donors needed more attention
After huge staff turnover, the development staff needed training and a common language. Veritus stepped in to help.
01. Problem / Challenge
A new leader knew that consistent, high-value donors were not being managed effectively, and that new staff members needed training in The Veritus Way.
02. Solution
Veritus vetted and trained four new major gift officers and one mid-level officer. We provide ongoing structure, strategy and accountability to the entire team.
03. Results
The new team has connected well with donors, resulting in deeper donor engagement, more intentional Permission-based Asking™ and increased revenue of $1.5M!
“Veritus Group has provided the needed support to guide Donor Relations Directors in having meaningful donor relationships through cultivation and stewardship and the permission based ask. This model has proven to be successful through increased individual giving and sustainable donor engagement. I highly recommend the Veritus Group model for any major gifts program.”
– Peter Irwin
Divisional Development Director, The Salvation Army, Intermountain Division
The Results
82%
Increase in Revenue
By year two of the pilot program with Veritus, revenue increased by nearly 82% with additional revenue totaling $745,717.
105%
Turnaround in Value Attrition
After the first year of the pilot program with major gifts, value attrition improved by 105% (from -46% of value lost year over year, to +2.5% value retained). This means not only did existing donors stay; in aggregate they gave 2.5% more than they had previously.
77%
Average Increase in Giving Per Donor
During the pilot program, the value per donor increased by nearly 77% to an average gift of $5,215.
Building a New Team
What the Organization Needed
The Development team had gone through many changes, with a lot of staff turnover in the past few years. A new leader engaged Veritus in 2019. They knew consistent, high value donors were not being managed effectively, and that training the new staff in the Veritus way would ensure donors were attended to.
Our Recommendation
Veritus Group worked with new staff and helped to manage donors from a retiring gift officer’s caseload. With a largely new development staff, the Division could create a common language and structure for gift officer work and accountability.
Veritus recommended not only initial vetting, hiring and training, but we also began providing ongoing structure, strategy and weekly management, including accountability.
The Results
Focus
The Right Donors
Fundraisers are engaging high-value donors at deeper levels. The donors often mention how much they enjoy the connections and communication.
2x
Double Giving
One donor had been giving $17,000 each year. After a new gift officer reached out multiple times, the donor called back and thanked him for the great communications. Then she doubled her gift to $35K!
$1.5 MM
Increased Giving
Even with new staff, FY 2020 giving was up $1.5 million over 2019.