TOR: Content Creation for cash donors (incl. mid-level)
About IRC
Over the past 80 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC’s mission is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. The International Rescue Committee Deutschland is part of the IRC global network. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve.
IRC Germany was established in 2016 in order to further enhance the profile of the German humanitarian and development sector and to provide further opportunities for advocacy on behalf of the people we serve. Since its establishment, IRC-DE has grown rapidly and has representations in Bonn and Berlin. It is working with major German statutory donors, like the German Federal Foreign Office, KfW, and GIZ. IRC-DE is also cooperating with German civil society organizations. The IRC in Europe also has offices in Brussels, Stockholm, Geneva, and London, and a sister organization in The Hague.
Mass Markets Germany background and strategy:
The German Mass Markets (MMDE) team is responsible for raising unrestricted income from standard value and mid value individuals in Germany and Austria through one-time donors (cash) and sustainers (regular donors).
The German programme, which is about 3 years old, is still in its infancy but is embarking on a period of significant growth. In FY23, the tiny but mighty team is recruiting new staff, partnering with external vendors, building the foundations and upscaling the programme to have learnings and processes in place for a healthy FY24, which begins on 1st October 2023.
Brand awareness is increasing across the country, and the MM team has ambitious targets and large-scale acquisition plans across Face to Face, digital and direct mail. The acquisition upscaling will begin in June 2023 and the retention programme is being developed to retain and upgrade newly acquired sustainers, reactivate lapsed sustainers and convert cash donors and leads into sustainers. Telemarketing will play a big part in the retention of these sustainers.
The programme is currently sustainer-led but is developing its strategy to increase revenue from one-time donors, especially in times of emergency.
Project
Anticipated outcomes and Deliverables:
We’re looking to establish a new partnership with an experienced content producer, who has already experience in producing assets for fundraising purposes. Drive IRC’s retention strategies to improve retention and LTV. Use best practice and market knowledge to deliver the fundraising strategy as set out by IRC DE and deliver weekly and monthly results.
- Assist in developing new and engaging content for our supporters including on our website and for all supporter retention areas.
- Coordinate with the Communication department on brand to ensure any retention campaigns have brand appropriate content.
- Coordinate with IT for needs related to the development of retention activity. Work in close collaboration on all platforms as required (including Salesforce) to ensure IRC can deliver effective retention – be that related to donation processing, reporting, analysis including reports and processes needed by MMDE to deliver fundraising activities.
We are looking for a partner that can develop a content strategy to deliver the following types of activities and supporter experiences;
- (Digital) cash donors
- Emergency donors
- Leads
- Mid-level donors
This will include the following fundraising assets: Mailings, thank you letters, videos, e-mail newsletter, Brochures, Flyer etc.
Success Measures:
Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Provide daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly reports to monitor KPIs and track pacing to goals.
- Present end of campaign reviews to evaluate performance and align on strategic recommendations to optimize programs and strategy.
- Provide ongoing result reports to use in evaluating the effectiveness of the programs.
- Advise on sector, retention and development specific trends.
Acceptance Criteria
- Recommendations must be in line with the agreed strategic approach and delivering against the agreed KPIs.
Work Requirements
Purpose:
To forge a meaningful partnership with a partner to help develop and deliver MMDE’s retention strategy, with a focus on cash development in the 24 months after the first gift. We would look for a partner who would cover creative script writing and deliver optimized supporter journey strategies and reporting. The selected partner will be responsible for managing all aspects of the IRC’s retention activities, that in turn support our fundraising KPIs and budget targets.
Objectives:
IRC retention strategies
- Work alongside IRC to help us better understand what type of contact, to whom and when is the most effective time to make these contacts
Budget Modeling & Forecasting
- Support regular reforecasting initiatives to reconcile budget to actual performance and advise on any strategic pivots needed.
- Create income and expense models (projections) that serve as overall expectations for the retention program in order to help the IRC make decisions on levels of future investment.
Test and Learn Plans
- Initiate testing strategies to help drive improved penetration rates, encourage higher conversion and action rates, increase average gift value, and maximize revenue / ROI.
- optimizing the points in our Supporter Journeys when supporters are contacted to ensure we are on track with budget and KPI requirements set out in an annualized plan.
Compliance / Governance
- Advise on best practice and ensure full compliance with current sector regulatory guidance.
- Ensure high levels of data security and compliance.
Meetings and Approvals
- Weekly status meeting with the IRC to review campaigns and discuss upcoming projects.
- Ad-hoc meetings with IRC to develop and review plans as needed.
Timeframe and compensation
Please describe the project timeframe, scope, compensation, terms of payments
Period of Performance
This partnership will commence in October 2023 and run for 2 years, with the opportunity to renew the contract for a third year.
Support the Fundraising team up to 32 hours per week during the agreed period.
The Freelancer is free to structure her working time and choose her place of work, and is not personally bound by instructions of the Principal.
The Freelancer provides a written offer which includes the respective service and fee per assignment. The written offer must be approved by IRC DE in writing before any work is started. Please e-mail: [email protected]