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Dear Colleagues,
"How do we know?" It's a
question clients ask us several times every day. Whether the question
deals with setting prices, directing a strategic tactic, or making a
selling point, the right answer comes from information in the database.
Here are some recent examples and outcomes:
What facts will
convince lawmakers?
Last fall, Pennsylvania legislators
were in search of new revenue. They proposed a tax on arts and culture
tickets, assuming it would impact only the state's wealthiest households.
The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance knew better, thanks to data
housed in its List Co-op. The Alliance research department teamed up with
TRG and found that less than 10% of arts ticket buyers fit legislators'
high income assumption. Further, the Alliance used Co-op data to generate
maps for each legislator; each map showed the number of households
(potential voters) in each district that also buy tickets for arts
events. The result of this data-informed advocacy campaign? There is no
new cultural ticket tax in Pennsylvania.
Who gets the
single ticket leads next, development or marketing?
Recent TRG studies for San Francisco
Ballet and Atlanta Ballet found that when new patrons make a next
transaction, it almost always is a repeat
of the first. Even though both companies conducted aggressive campaigns
to get single ticket buyers to donate or subscribe, response was minimal
compared to the volume of patrons who either exited completely or made
another single ticket purchase. Rather than continue getting marginal
results from conventional efforts, both companies have put in place new
cultivation and sales efforts specifically for new ticket buyers,
allowing relationships to deepen before a donation or subscription offer
is made. Early results are just coming in and are encouraging. Stay
tuned.
Which benefits
will attract more annual fund donors?
A very large and a very small
organization in Denver were experiencing flat annual fund revenues as the
economic downturn deepened. In each case, database analysis and response
tracking provided a way to identify best prospects in well-defined
segments. The data informed finely-targeted direct communications
campaigns and inspired a new type of annual fund solicitation: choose-your-own
donor benefits. Prospects were offered a menu of benefits -- the higher
the gift, the greater the number of benefits they could choose. Both
organizations increased annual fund revenue. New donors are up 20% at the
large organization; at the smaller organization, annual fund revenue grew
by $69,000, a 37% increase.
JUST ANNOUNCED: TRG CEO Rick
Lester will lead a three-hour clinic The
Art of Pricing on June 17, the opening day of the 2010
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) national conference in Chicago. The
session and the conference are open to members of TCG, the national
organization for the American theatre. Watch for details, or register
now, at www.tcg.org/conference
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With pleasure, TRG welcomes our newest
Community Program Databases and managing partners:
Chicago - League of Chicago Theatres
Los Angeles - LA Stage Alliance
New Jersey
(statewide) - ArtPride
New Jersey Foundation
And, TRG extends a special
welcome to our newest client organizations, including:
The
Globe Theatre - Regina, Saskatchewan,
Canada
Society
for the Performing Arts - Houston
Writer's
Theatre - Chicago
Theatre
Calgary - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Don't hesitate to call me
for details. If we haven't spoken lately, there's a lot to catch up on.
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