Preserving donors at the Nature Conservancy

The Situation

The Nature Conservancy* is the world's leading private, international conservation group. Founded in 1951, it manages over 1300 wildlife preserves, covering over 70 million acres of land worldwide.

Overall growth in charitable giving hovered in the low single digits. Yet other environmental groups had successfully launched marketing campaigns aimed at capturing a larger share of fund-raising dollars given by The Nature Conservancy's core donor base.

The Nature Conservancy sought Bain's assistance in evaluating and improving its fundraising strategy.

Our Approach

Bain quickly focused in on the largest giving segment, individual donors, and drilled down on performance along the two core fundraising competencies: donor acquisition and donor retention/cultivation.

Our Recommendations

Three major findings formed the basis for a fundraising strategy focused on donor retention, with a special emphasis on retaining "superdonors."

The Results

Four successful initiatives resulted in a significant profit improvement opportunity.