American Friends Service Committee
Philadelphia, PA

Client Challenge:
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is made up of Quakers and non-Quakers dedicated to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. The organization was founded in 1917 to give conscientious objectors an opportunity to aid civilian victims during World War I.

In recent years, with the presence of more competition for donors and the birth of new nonprofits dedicated to some of the same issues, AFSC was faced with weakened fundraising results. They looked to Schultz & Williams to help them reinvigorate their current donor base, acquire donors in new markets, convey the organization’s history and spirit and evolve development efforts in accordance with their culture.

Schultz & Williams Approach:
Schultz & Williams began its work by conducting a qualitative and quantitative audit of AFSC's current and past fundraising programs. The audit benchmarked past results, documented donor giving patterns and assessed weakened results through analysis of upgrade/downgrade patterns, frequency of giving, donor retention and long-term value.

Schultz & Williams then developed a strategic and creative plan to create one voice for the direct marketing program by strengthening the message, responding more effectively to the current social and political environment and asking for support more aggressively.

Results:
Schultz & Williams and AFSC worked vigorously to implement the plan with outstanding results. The donor base has realized significant increases in income production due to a more aggressive upgrade strategy, adding renewal mailings and better targeting of its donors to appeal topics. Several new acquisition packages have been developed that are realizing double the results of previous campaigns and significantly reducing the cost to acquire a new donor.

Evidence of the strength of the new strategy was seen in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Schultz & Williams and AFSC produced an Actiongram asking for immediate donations to help all the victims of the tragedy – both in the United States and in Afghanistan. The appeal was mailed within 72 hours and generated over $1 million in additional income.

John Treat, Director of Strategic Marketing, American Friends Service Committee says, “Schultz & Williams took the time to get to know us and our situation and to provide a well-considered plan of action. Once the plan was delivered, they worked with us to ensure it would be successfully implemented. Their careful approach has essentially turned around American Friends Service Committee’s direct mail program.”

New strategies are continuing to evolve such as integrating the mail and on-line giving programs more closely, improving the monthly giving program, and developing donor giving circles.