We recently launched Firstgiving’s partnership program, and periodically, we’ll be blogging Partner Spotlights to introduce you to our new partners. Like us, our partners work with non-profit organizations doing wonderful work for a variety of causes, and we’re helping them raise more money online. Today we’re speaking with Katrina VanHuss of Turnkey Promotions.
How did you get started working with non-profit organizations?
I started my company 20 years ago selling plain vanilla logo-imprinted products to anyone who wanted them. It was boring. Without a measurement of success, the work wasn’t fun and I wasn’t sure it was exactly ethical either. Then, out of the blue, a woman who worked for a national non-profit organization contacted me. She had been referred and told me that she wasn’t happy with the way her current vendors were serving her. I asked her what was wrong. She said, “they don’t help me; they just sell me stuff.” She wanted me to understand her organization, help her raise more money at lower costs, and reduce staff time spent doing it. I asked her how exactly I could do that. She said, “Honey, I’m sure you will let me know. I suggest you not show up here again until you are a team captain in one of my income events. That would be a good way to start.” Thus began my research, and it still goes on today.
How does your organization help non-profit organizations?
The service we provide that has the most impact on volunteer fundraising and volunteer retention is our incentive program. We track individual participants through the years to ensure that the program is indeed increasing income and retaining volunteer fundraisers. We have developed a series of best practices, borne out by research, which definitively increase income, and our collaboration with Firstgiving helped us put a hard number to that statement. The application of a good email marketing campaign to a test group brought in 21% more income than the control group.
We also have applied these same best practices to other goals (like improving safe behaviors, or following best practices, or reaching recruitment goals) and found they work there, too! We also provide other event products like fundraising crutches (products designed to help the shy in asking for money), event tee shirts, event supplies, sponsor recognition and staff recognition programs.
Why did you decide to work with Firstgiving?
Firstgiving is ethical and nimble. They listen and respond. And, they are analytical data geeks who likely need to get out more, which makes them my kind of people.
Anything else you’d like our readers to know about Turnkey?
I think our mission and vision statements describe us pretty well:
Mission statement: We use logo-imprinted products to change behavior for our clients.
Vision: To live comfortably and ethically with positive influence.
You can learn more about Turnkey Productions at their website.
Want to learn how you can earn rebates for you or your favorite non-profit? Find more information about becoming a Firstgiving partner here.
