Appeal Codes & Package Codes

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Laura Moretti
Laura Moretti
Third Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment Activity: First Reply
in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®: General Discussion

For any given appeal (i.e. activity / topic / ask that we send out to donors or prospects), is it best to identify the “tactics” (aka medium: direct mail, email, etc.) through Package Codes within one Appeal Code? Assume that we would send both tactics to the target audience.

Here is an example I am imagining: We want to send a newsletter by mail (postal) to a group of donors and then we want to follow-up several days later with an email to that same group of donors. Appeal = Spring Newsletter; Package 1 = direct mail, Package 2 = email.

Or, is it better to assign a different Appeal to each tactic? In which case, there would be two Appeals: Spring Newsletter DM and Spring Newsletter EM

Which of these two approaches would be ‘best practice’ and allow for clarity and efficiency when viewing and analyzing results?

As another layer, I am accustomed to using Package Codes to identify donor segments within an appeal (so that we can use variable copy, etc.). Would it then become too cumbersome to manage tactics AND segments through Package Codes?

Any insight or experience on this would be appreciated! Thank you!

p.s. I did watch the Webinar called Collect, Fund, Analyze – it was helpful. Though here, my question is even more granular. ?

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  • JoAnn Strommen
    JoAnn Strommen Community All-Star
    Ancient Membership 2,500 Likes 2500 Comments Photogenic

    Ditto @Jess Moxley on use of package denoting different message/audience.

    To me another factor is can you differentiate between a response to the direct mail and to the email?

    Do both pieces have the same link for online giving? If so, then it seems unnecessary to have them be different appeals as you don't know what triggered the gift. If email says to mail in a gift, will they be given specific coding so that you can record it is response to the email. Without the details, analyzing is tough.

  • Dariel Dixon 2
    Dariel Dixon 2 Community All-Star
    1,500 Likes Seventh Anniversary 1000 Comments Photogenic

    I think it depends on the reporting you want to do. Can you do the reporting on packages as easily as reporting on appeal? I know in regards to certain gifts we get online, we have the ability to add the appeal, but not a package.

    TBH, since you're doing a comparison, I think the packages are an excellent way to go, barring there is no other sub-segregation going on. Especially since you can break down the appeal by package in some reports.

  • Angela Tuttle 2
    Angela Tuttle 2
    Ninth Anniversary 250 Likes 100 Comments Photogenic

    In the past we used packages for the different donors. Parents (LYBUNT), Parents (Non Donors), Alumni, Fac/Staff, etc. We would do Non Donors or other categories for each constituent code.

  • Frank Richter 2
    Frank Richter 2
    Sixth Anniversary Photogenic First Comment Activity: First Reply

    We use the packages within an appeal to identify the means by which the constituent came to donate. While we usually know, for example, that a gift came in via the Fall Appeal, the package offers more insight. For reporting purposes, all of the packages are identifiable as the gifts come in. For example, our SYBUNT Package, Employee Package, Mailhouse package, In-Person Ask Package, In-house Package, Email Package, etc. can all easily be identified (by the color of the reply card or specific online form the donor uses) by our gift processors. The gift processor then selects the package on the gift in RE. We can then query or run reports based on packages and compare a package's success verses other packages, or compare year-to-year, etc. It also gives our solicitors talking points (i.e, they might notice the donor gave because of the story we told in a particular package).

  • Laura Moretti
    Laura Moretti
    Third Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment Activity: First Reply

    Thank you to all who replied. It's helpful insight and I appreciate it! Will be tackling this in the new year.

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