Nonprofits – Cultural Services

Creating a family of supporters

Nonprofits serving the arts and cultural market are unique and it can be extremely challenging getting donors to support your cause. Your zoo, aquarium, science center, museum, etc. is seeking the same dollars as lifesaving hospital foundations and social service organizations protecting women, children and our world! How do you compete? Create a family of supporters through membership and donation fundraising.

Building your core membership

We understand that acquiring and retaining members is difficult. Sadly, statistics indicate that nonprofits in the arts and cultural arena are losing members at a faster rate than they are being gained. Growing and maintaining your membership is crucial to your donor pipeline. It’s time to get creative with your nonprofit fundraising program!

Much can be learned from for-profit sector customer loyalty programs. Without going into great detail, consider Amazon Prime – membership gains you free shipping. Translate that to the nonprofit world – membership gains your privileges. So, as donor loyalty programs are being developed, consideration should be given to membership benefits that will entice prospects and one-time donors to convert to sustainable, long-term donors.

Some of our membership marketing best practices at C.I. Partners Direct include:

  • Exclusivity – Ensuring constituents know that there is exclusivity to membership, including member-only events and previews, early entry times, branded premium merchandise, and more, as a way to motivate donors to become members.
  • Stay in touch – Members want to hear from you and are among your best advocates and referral sources. Let’s leverage that!
  • Know your members – Never undervalue the engaging effect that personalized direct mail and online communications have with your membership base. Utilizing the data gleaned from your membership database to customize your messaging and offers is extremely impactful.
  • Membership level targeting – Segmenting your list by different membership levels with the goal of moving members up the membership ladder.
  • Social media – Spreading the word about events, etc. that are free for members and setting up private members-only groups.

Don’t forget about your supportive donors

As we all know, sometimes supporters are not interested in becoming members per se. Rather they wish to support your cause for the good that you are achieving on behalf of your beneficiaries, whether that’s saving animals, promoting the arts, furthering exploration through science, improving our environment and more. We ensure that your fundraising program includes creative and innovative ways to reach new donors as well as moving existing donors into more full and engaging relationships with your organization that net larger, long-term donations.

We’d be honored to help

Managing an exceptional and balanced nonprofit fundraising program that addresses both members and donors takes exceptional knowledge, experience and skill. Our experienced consultants, project managers, data analysts and creative team work diligently with you to provide customized strategies and long-term solutions to exceed your nonprofit fundraising goals.

Our personalized service for nonprofits serving the unique cultural market include:

Contact us today to implement the right industry-leading fundraising strategies for your nonprofit.

Our Clients Say It Best

CI Partners Direct has proven to be an outstanding partner.  They produce work of exceptional quality while maintaining the highest level of integrity and workplace transparency. They exemplify the rare mix of expertise, thoroughness, commitment, and accessibility we strive to find in a pivotal vendor. The team at CIPD consistently meets very high standards for productivity in a high-pressure environment. Since we started working with CIPD, we have never missed a deadline or produced less than excellent work. Their comprehensive research and attention to detail resulted in a dramatic upturn in the number of gifts received and the revenue generated.

Kaye L.Children’s Hospital Foundation client

Upcoming events