Mercy Ships is a global nonprofit organization committed to providing healthcare to underserved nations. It currently operates the largest non-governmental hospital ships in the world to conduct surgical procedures and medical training to the citizens and doctors of more than 57 developing nations and 18 developed nations, with a current focus on the countries of Africa.
Challenge
Mercy Ships relies on volunteers to fulfill its mission. Volunteers – not only doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, but also crew members to run the ship – are physically placed on the ships that travel to the designated nations. With a two week to two year commitment, vetting the right people is critical. Mercy Ships needed a robust email communication platform that would target serious applicants and weed out others.
Solution
Mercy Ships partnered with Invado to develop a marketing strategy that would nurture applicants through a robust email campaign implemented in Pardot. “Invado Solutions has a unique skill set and one that was absolutely critical to our success – the combination of Pardot technical expertise and Marketing strategy expertise,” said Mack McGowen, Solutions Development Manager. “It’s easy to have a vendor/client relationship, but what impressed me the most was the true partner I gained with Invado. They understand the non-profit space and go above and beyond to ensure our mission is successful.”
Results
Metrics provided from the automated email campaign allowed recruiters to identify the serious applicants, contact only those people for further questions and ultimately increase the number of volunteers recruited in a shorter amount of time. By not spending time and effort on non-serious applicants, Mercy Ships was able to use its resources more efficiently and effectively, a welcome accomplishment in a nonprofit organization where resources are scarce.
