Cover Story: 2009 Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence
Renewal(50,000 and more mailed)
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Membership Card Renewal
Submitted by Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co.
Numbers
Recipients: 56,033
Income Generated: $531,514
Average Gift: $59.81
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $23,488
Response Rate: 15.86 percent
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.04
Once again, we're back to simplicity — this time with a bit of a twist. This mailing from Americans United for Separation of Church and State relies heavily on its letter, which has four pages loaded with information, urgency and specifics on how the organization plans to translate funds raised from the campaign into important strides in protecting church-state separation.
The twist in this case is a back-end premium offer of a book for a $60 donation. Our judges liked that the reply form offered eligible donors the option to decline the book. With a letter this long, the writing had better be pretty good — and it is. The authoritative but inclusive tone of the letter marries current issues with AU's core mission and focuses on action, urgency, and the important partnership between AU and its donors.
Renewal (fewer than 50,000 mailed)
The Empty Stocking Fund
Donor Renewal Test Package
Submitted by The Heritage Co.
Numbers
Recipients: 3,402
Income Generated: $23,257.63
Average Gift: $49.17
Out-of-Pocket Costs: $1,544.14
Response Rate: 13.90 percent
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.07
"Simple and powerful" seems to be the theme that emerged most often from this year's judging. And this effort from The Empty Stocking Fund is a perfect example. There isn't a wasted word in the one-page, three-color letter with reply device included at the bottom. Every sentence forces recipients to concentrate on the sad plight of children who wake up on Christmas morning with no presents under the tree and how the organization and, more importantly, its donors are uniquely empowered to change that.
The poignantly worded ask string, which outlines exactly how many children can be helped with each donation, also got high marks from our judges. As did the Johnson box, which juxtaposes sweet green-and-red snowflakes and candy canes with a message that is sad and hopeful at the same time: "Without You, The Empty Stocking Fund Truly Would Be Empty!"
Grand Control of the Year
New York Restoration Project
Member Acquisition Package
Selected from the Who's Mailing What! Archive
This member acquisition package Lautman Maska Neill & Company for the New York Restoration Project has been in the mail since at least November 2004. It looks simple enough at first — a plain, white 6-inch-by-9-inch envelope with only the organization's logo and the name "Bette Midler" in the corner card, and an "R.S.V.P." at lower left. But inside, the letter by the award-winning singer and actress really shines. Midler begins with a story, painting a picture of an ugly Harlem River waterfront circa 1996. She then replaces that image with one of a new park, "a five-acre jewel," that was the result of the "determination of our caring supporters." Over the course of four pages, she reviews NYRP's successes in reclaiming New York City's many green spaces. The tone is conversational, neighborly and never preachy. The reply form has a clear call to action; corresponding descriptions and pictures of what each amount can accomplish match the ask-string amounts; and the form's reverse side lists each membership level and benefits — all resulting in a winning appeal that encompasses environmental concern, community education and civic pride.
