(6 min read)
Use Direct Response Plans to create detailed Digital Ads, Direct Mail, Telemarketing, or Multichannel plans that include an audience list, segmentation plan, and budget projections which you can then export.
Getting started
To create a new plan, open the Direct Response Plans dashboard from the Sidebar or from Main Menu > Fundraising. If you are using the Fundraising Dashboard, you can also open it from the View All link in the Direct Response section of the Fundraising Dashboard.
Next, click Create a Plan on the top right.
Select the type of plan to be created from the available options. Enter a name and an optional description of the plan.
Adding Details to your plan
From the Details step, you can update or add more information about your effort.
In the Plan Details section, you can update the Campaign name, Effort Name, Description, or Drop Date.
The Budget section allows you to record the Budgeted Revenue, Budgeted Cost, Projected Revenue, and Projected Cost.
You can also add your Vendor Information including Vendor Name, Mailing Instructions, and List instructions.
Adding the Audience
For all plans except Acquisition plans, the next step is to add an Audience from your records. (Acquisition plans use external lists that are not part of your records.)
Select one of your previously saved searches to Include in Audience. You can also add a search to use as an exclusion by selecting the blue text labeled Exclude a Saved Search from your Audience.
You can also decide how you want to handle Financial Households in your mailing export.
Creating Segments
For all Direct Mail or Telemarketing plans, you will need to generate segments and divide the audience between them. (Digital plans skip the segmentation step.) The way you add a segment varies depending on the type of plan you are creating. There will be in-context help that will walk you through each step you need to take.
Begin by using + Add Segment to divide the audience into the first segment. A saved search or list must be selected, and the segment can be given a specific name if desired (which is helpful in reporting).
Save the segment using the link at the top.
Once you Save the segment, you can further sub-divide it into one or more Sub-Segments (or Packages for Direct Mail). Sub-Segments and Packages operate in a hierarchy. A contact who appears in two lists will be included in the first possible segment and removed from the subsequent Sub-Segments or Packages.
If you are creating a Sub-Segment of a Telemarketing plan, you can assign a Script, a Source Code, and Sub-Segment Cost.
When you are creating a Direct Mail Acquisition plan, you'll need to select external lists to segment. You can build your segments manually or import them from an external spreadsheet.
When you are creating a Direct Mail - Housefile plan, you can use saved searches to further segment your audience and add sub-segments called Packages to your plan.
Once you've added your details, you can confirm your Sub-Segment or Package using the checkbox on the right.
You can continue to add additional Sub-Segments using + Add Sub-Segment, add additional Packages using + Add Package, or add additional Segments using + Add Segment.
Using Ask Strings to conditionalize your asks
You can select Add Ask String on a sub-segment or package to conditionalize the donation amount you are requesting from your contact based on their past giving history. When the plan is exported, the Ask Strings for each contact will be calculated based on the choices you made.
Begin by selecting the appropriate contribution aggregate.
You will then be able to select up to 6 multipliers and whether you want to include a selection for Other Amount. You can also set Minimum and Maximum ask values and a Rounding value (such as the nearest $5). These parameters can be saved just for one package or sub-segment or be applied to all current packages or sub-segments in the plan.
To understand how this ask will work, look at the simplified example below, where we've selected: HPC24 (Highest Previous Contribution in last 24 Months); multipliers of 1, 1.5, and 2; Include Other Amount; a minimum ask of $25 and a maxium ask of $5000; and chosen to round up to the nearest $5 increment.
If your contact has an HPC24 of $22, then the Ask Strings they see will be $25, $35, and $45, as well as an option for Other Amount.
Understanding Counts
To the right of your Segments you will see a box that will help you keep track of the total Counts in each of your segments and sub-segments.
You can choose to automatically Split your Audience across the number of segments by using Proportionally Divided. The Count and Cost per Household fields in each of your sub-segments will automatically update when you select this option.
If you prefer to manually input your Counts, you can select Input Quantities. An input box will appear under Counts and you can update the number manually.
Once you have confirmed all your packages and segments, you can then use Update Counts to run a real-time update of all searches and to calculate the counts and costs for each segment.
The resulting counts are then displayed on the right side, and also in-line with each package or sub-segment. All unassigned contacts get put in an automatically generated segment called Remaining Audience. This catch-all segment will disappear upon updating counts if the saved searches have been changed to ensure all contacts end up in one of the user-created segments. If the user wants to include that catch-all segment in the final export, a name and source code must be added.
Adding Extras
If you wish to include more Segments and associate them with Source Codes, you can add them from the Extras step. This is an optional step and you can choose to leave it blank if you have nothing further to add.
Reviewing and Exporting your plan
In the final Review step, you can review all aspects of the plan in a read-only format. Edit buttons allow you to navigate back to a particular step. You can change the status to Ready to Approve or Approved.
If you want to export and review your data before changing the status, you can Export the entire plan as a sample file without completing your plan. This makes it easier to edit or change the plan after exporting the file.
Once you are ready to do a final Export and Complete your plan, you'll see an option to immediately mark all your included contacts as Mailed. This saves you the effort of uploading a matchback file if you're going to mail everyone included in the plan. Leave the checkbox unmarked if you prefer to use a matchback file once your effort is completed.
Export files will be available as shown in a second pop-up window.
After a plan is Complete, most of the input fields in a completed plan are permanently locked, but some values may be changed later, such as Cost.