The Dallas Zoo and Aquarium: Improving Renewals through a Multi-Channel Approach
Dallas, TX

Client Challenge:
The Dallas Zoo—the first zoo in the Southwest—offers the largest zoological experience in Texas. It is well-known for its outstanding Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo with several different interactive areas for kids. The Zoo has also achieved recognition and awards for its Jake L. Hamon Gorilla Conservation Research Center.

However, with competition from the Fort Worth zoo, the increase of membership prices, and competition from other institutions, the Dallas Zoo needed to look for ways to not only acquire new members, but more importantly to keep the ones it had.

So the Dallas Zoo looked to S&W Direct to help revive its renewal program.

Schultz & Williams Approach:
S&W Direct began its work by analyzing the Dallas Zoo’s existing renewal program and identifying its strengths and weaknesses. Then we created and executed a number of strategic recommendations, which included:

• Integrating the e-mails into the renewal campaign. By adding in e-mails to the five-part direct mail renewal series, the Zoo was able to have even more touch points with its members. And, because over 30% of members join the zoo on-line, continuing to communicate with them through e-mail was critical. The web also increased the ease with which members could renew, while costing the Zoo less than traditional direct mail.
• Increasing the number of renewal notices from four to five. By adding another notice, sent 30 days after a membership has expired, the Zoo was able to extend its contact with recently lapsed members without having to wait for the spring or fall acquisition campaign.
• Changing the package to increase the exclusivity and value of the offer. S&W recommended removing the offer of three-months free if members renewed after just the first notice. Those who renew at that phase do not need extra incentives. However, further into the renewal series, members need more reasons to induce them to renew, such as premiums and exclusive members’ nights to enhance the value of the membership.
• Customizing each renewal notice to the individual member’s name and level. This personalization, while costing more, also makes the member feel more valuable to the Zoo and thus more inclined to renew.

Results:
Today the Dallas Zoo has achieved its most impressive renewal rate to date. The Zoo has renewed 62% more members this year compared to last year. By the end of the first three months of the renewal series, the Zoo had already increased its total income by 84%. The Zoo also realized an 850% increase in the number of its members joining online.

We strongly believe that this integrated approach was essential to realizing significantly higher renewal rates. As more people turn to and trust the Internet to give money to organizations, direct mail programs must keep pace by adding an e-blast approach. This gives members an opportunity to attain benefits immediately and with ease.

Overall, our renewal mailings have realized improved response rates and higher average gifts. Improving their overall renewal rate and upgrading their members was essential if the Zoo wanted to achieve significant file growth, realize long-term return from their acquisition investment and build a prospect pool for additional, non-membership gifts. Key to achieving this was the integrated online/offline approach, increasing the efficiency and number of contact points with the members.