St. Vincent Meals on Wheels: Increasing their Online Presence
Los Angeles, California
Client Challenge:
Like so many organizations today, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels (SVMOW) wanted to take its online communications and fundraising program to the next level, but found itself with an outdated website that was difficult to navigate, did not reflect their organization, and did not facilitate giving.
As a highly successful and respected meals organization delivering hot meals and warm greetings to over 2,000 seniors and homebound adults every day of the year in Los Angeles, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels needed a web presence that spoke to their success and fostered continued support for their mission. Establishing the right website would be a crucial first step towards developing an integrated, multi-channel marketing and development plan.
Our goal was to create a professional, trustworthy and responsible online presence that differentiated SVMOW from other meals and social service programs in Los Angeles and Meals on Wheels programs nationwide, and to use it as a platform for the creation of a sophisticated e-communications program.
Schultz & Williams Approach:
Schultz & Williams has partnered with St. Vincent Meals on Wheels since 1989, when the program had only a few thousand donors. While our work in major gifts and direct mail fundraising have realized great success—growing the program to over 50,000 donors—we could see a clear opportunity to broaden and deepen donor engagement and engage new constituents through the development of a tailored website and the integration of online fundraising into the well-established mail and major gifts programs.
- Increase online exposure and thus potentially secure more opportunities for funding and growth;
- Present a professional, branded and memorable image to existing and potential donors, as well as program clients and volunteers;
- Facilitate donor cultivation and encourage deeper involvement of these donors; and
- Provide a platform for integrated fundraising.
Results:
Today, the St. Vincent Meals on Wheels’ website is a source of pride, excitement and fundraising opportunities! The design speaks to the mission, and the architecture allows visitors to quickly and easily navigate through a large body of information. The site also includes robust functionality—such as site opt in and tell-a-friend opportunities, unique donation forms for branded giving clubs, event and volunteer registration, and built-in graphic integration with the current mail campaign.
In just the first five months since the launch of the new site SVMOW has increased online giving by 80% and has grown their constituent e-mail list by more than 100% through successful viral and engagement e-mail campaigns. The continued growth of this list will allow SVMOW to cultivate, motivate, and solicit constituents through dual channels, which has been shown to increase the value of any donor by as much as 300%.
This early success is just the beginning; as we evolve strategies to further integrate St. Vincent Meals on Wheels’ mail, e-mail and website we will continue to:
- Grow the constituent list through sharing and viral campaigns;
- Engage constituents through cultivation touches and interactive opportunities; and
- Convert cultivated email subscribers to donors and renew & reengage existing donors through coordinated e-mail and direct mail efforts.
You can see their site at www.stvincentmow.org
