EFM converts dormant emails into a 464% ROI for PBS Charlotte
EFM’s proprietary tools helped convert long-forgotten contacts into a thriving fundraising pipeline.
Location
Charlotte, NC
Type
Public Media
Company Size
50 Employees
Products Used
Data Archeology
Donor Growth
Google Grant
Since 1965, PBS Charlotte has informed and inspired 13 counties across the Carolinas with Emmy-winning documentaries, classroom resources, and hyper-local storytelling. Yet 2024 brought an unwelcome first: digital fundraising slipped, leaving a $66,000 shortfall and 122,000 “dead” email addresses gathering dust. The station needed a cost-effective way to breathe life into these dormant contacts and restore momentum.
Electric Fork Media stepped in with predictive modeling, social re-engagement ads, and Passport-focused messaging tailored to the highest-propensity names on the list. In just six months, that once-ignored database became a revenue engine—adding 741 new donors, 421 monthly sustainers, and wiping out most of the fundraising gap while setting the stage to scale the playbook to 55,000 warm leads next.
464%
Return on Investment
741
New Donors in Six Months
Digital fundraising fell for the first time while 122,000 dormant email addresses lay untapped.
Challenge
Demographic-focused segmentation and targeted social campaigns re-introduced high-value contacts to PBS Charlotte’s Passport membership and mission.
Solution
Result
The six-month test produced a 464% ROI and converted 57% of new donors into sustaining givers, turning lost emails into lasting revenue.
Ready to Learn More?
Discover how EFM’s Data Archeology package excavates decades of siloed, incomplete, or forgotten data layers—then turns those fragments into clear, decision-ready insights you can act on today.