Habitat for Humanity of Omaha

Background

To address the need for quality housing in their community, Habitat for Humanity of Omaha builds and renovates homes, repairs existing houses, takes down blighted structures, and advocates for better laws and systems. They work with families to help them acquire the access, skills, and financial education necessary to become successful homeowners. Thousands of donors and volunteers have worked together with future homeowners to make these opportunities a reality, building stronger neighborhoods and affecting measurable change in the community.

Customer profile

Product: Bonterra EveryAction
Sector: Nonprofit
Vertical: Human services

Challenges

EveryAction’s sophisticated tools streamline fundraising and boost efficiency at Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, and it’s become a cornerstone of the nonprofit’s fundraising initiatives. The nonprofit has seen particular success in email fundraising.

In conjunction with their efforts to expand their email fundraising program, Habitat for Humanity of Omaha partnered with Bonterra EveryAction to test the platform’s Optimized Ask feature with a goal of maximizing email fundraising outcomes without requiring extra time or manual effort from their limited staff.

'I love being able to really target folks with this tool, and I loved the fantastic results we saw. It was the most successful email we've had, and I think that was directly correlated to those very specific, strategic ask amounts.' ~Melissa Murante

Optimized Ask is a fundraising optimization tool powered by EveryAction. It’s built to maximize fundraising by targeting donors with personalized ask amounts. Optimized Ask uses machine learning algorithms to determine the optimal amount to send as an ask to donors, making the most of every digital fundraising opportunity without suppressing conversion rates. It also personalizes the array of ask amounts presented on the form based on that specific donor’s giving history. This gives each supporter a better, more personalized experience that encourages them to make a gift that’s right for them — and helps nonprofits avoid leaving potential funds on the table.

Outcomes

To demonstrate the effectiveness of Optimized Ask, Habitat for Humanity of Omaha sent an email fundraising appeal using the functionality and compared the results with recent emails with similar audiences and messaging.

133% increase in amount raised per recipient
155% increase in amount raised per email opened
242% increase in total revenue raised

The stellar results achieved demonstrate the power of predictive analytics technology in taking strategic email fundraising to the next level. Combining EveryAction’s Optimized Ask feature with a well-crafted, inspirational, and personal email appeal maximized fundraising results without requiring any additional staff effort. This feature also gave supporters a superior experience, and increased overall fundraising outcomes for Habitat for Humanity of Omaha.

During her tenure, LeAnn Kassube, fundraising database manager, has found two features to be particularly strong: list segmenting and bulk upload capabilities. The detailed segmentation allows for targeted communication with donor groups within EveryActon’s AI-powered CRM, allowing Habitat for Humanity of Omaha to personalize its communication with its community without a huge lift from the team. It’s led to a 2% increase in keeping donors and has eased staff workloads tremendously.

The ability to focus communications on various segments is crucial for engaging stakeholders and fostering lasting relationships.