Cover Story: 2009 Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence

Judging for the FS Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence has always been grueling. This year, however, was particularly tough (read: intense but fun) because our judges decided to up the ante all on their own.

In years past, entries were judged on a numerical basis by each judge on results, revenue, copy and 
creative. This year, they decided to rate each of the entries subjectively, carefully studying them on their own and then discussing each one as a group and naming the winners in each category.

It was a surprise, to some degree, but not totally since we have such an intrepid, dedicated group. Returning to the judging were FS Managing Editor Abny Santicola; Paul Bobnak, director of the Target Marketing Group's Who's Mailing What! Archive; and the indefatigable 
Steve Froehlich, senior director of direct response development at the ASPCA. New this year was Dane Grams, an FS Editorial Advisory Board member and development director at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, and former online strategy director for the Human Rights Campaign.

So why would the judges opt for a more intense, subjective process?

"There were so many amazing entries — really great-looking and great-performing packages," Dane explains. "It was important for us to give each the careful consideration it deserved. In the end, we thought it was in the best interest of the competition to discuss and compare the packages, and come to consensus as a panel."

Adds Steve: "Each of the judges brought a different set of experiences to the group and had slightly different areas of focus and expertise. It was helpful to hear each other explain why we liked or disliked a 
package, and to lobby those preferences to the larger group."

"We decided it would be more interesting if we evaluated the 
campaigns based on a more diverse basket of factors, like emotional reaction or the creativity of the package design, as well as the cold, hard numbers," Paul says. "This way, we more carefully considered each one on its own merits and how it stood out (or not) in its group."

Finally, Abny explains, "As a judge, it was nice to have dialogue with the other judges and actually discuss the merits of packages. And I think that discussion really pushed the best packages to the surface more effectively rather than just basing it on number scores. The way we did it called for agreement around the top three in each category, and that made us have to look at certain elements more closely and really 
compare the packages side by side."

The awards, admittedly, are a work in progress, and we hope that each year brings us closer to establishing a recognition program for fundraising efforts that will serve as both a benchmark for fundraising excellence and a classroom for fundraisers looking to learn from their peers.

Margaret Battistelli
Editor-in-Chief
mbattistelli@napco.com

Fundraising Effort of the Year (TIE)


No. 1 and Winner, Fearless Fundraising


Obama for America 

Sound Card Appeal

Submitted by A.B. Data Group

Numbers

Recipients: 9,858

Income Generated: $102,067.16

Average Gift: $77.09

Out-of-Pocket Costs: $36,910.67

Response Rate: 13.43 percent

Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.36

No matter what your political stance, there's no denying that President Obama is a powerful orator. In this bold package, A.B. Data harnessed that power to capture the imagination of a nontraditional direct-mail audience — mainly folks who purchased Obama-related goodies online but who weren't responding consistently to direct mail. The focus of the package is a greeting-card-like device that, when opened, plays a short recording of a speech by then-Sen. Obama. Noticeably absent is a traditional letter, which is replaced by a short note from the candidate written inside the card.

Our judges found this package so innovative and edgy that they moved it into the Fearless Fundraising category and named it the winner of both that category and co-winner for overall campaign of the year.

From our judges: "The challenge for any fundraiser is to convey the strongest quality of an organization into a printed mail piece. No one can argue that this audio package does the trick beautifully."

Fundraising Effort of the Year (TIE)

No. 2 and Winner, Direct Mail Special Appeal

Save Darfur Coalition 

"Be a Voice for Darfur" Poster Appeal

Submitted by A.B. Data Group

Numbers

Recipients: 29,730

Income Generated: $75,830

Average Gift: $48.50

Out-of-Pocket Costs: $12,293

Response Rate: 5.26 percent

Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.16

2008 was a banner year for A.B. Data in terms of creative — and successful — fundraising efforts. Our judges were impressed by this package that delivered a large, striking poster to recipients, along with highly personalized elements and a call to action — signing a petition to then-President Bush — that involved more than just donating. Like the Obama sound-card effort, this package was geared toward supporters with high online interest.

From A.B. Data's submission: "For a file consisting of donors and activists originally brought on through online channels, it is imperative for direct-mail appeals to stay as fresh and engaging as their cyber cousins."

From our judges: "This is definitely clever and attention-grabbing, and the personalization is great. I'm going to test this concept at [my organization]."

Acquisition (50,000 and more mailed)

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh 

June '08 Membership Acquisition

Submitted by Daniller & Co.

Numbers

Recipients: 54,995

Income Generated: $71,335

Average Gift: $122.15

Out-of-Pocket Costs: $41,227.04

Response Rate: 1.06 percent

Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.58

Combining a kid-captivating dinosaur theme with graphics that channel the energy and fearsome grace of a heavyweight prize fight was a winning move for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. This highly charged member-acquisition package focused on the "T. rex vs. T. rex" exhibition at the museum and used strong imagery (razor-sharp dinosaur teeth) and messaging ("T. rex vs. T. rex Fighting Tooth and Claw to the Death") throughout, including a nice-sized poster that's hard to imagine any little boy not wanting to tape to his wall. It also focused heavily on campaign-specific benefits such as priority admission to "the hottest ticket in town" and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this unique exhibit. Our judges were impressed with the energy and excitement that seemed to spill out from all sides of this eye-catching package.

Acquisition (fewer than 50,000 mailed)

Union Station Homeless Services

Fall Acquisition Package

Submitted by Schultz & Williams

Numbers

Recipients: 25,551

Income Generated: $12,984

Average Gift: $34.62

Out-of-Pocket Costs: $10,758

Response Rate: 1.47 percent

Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.83

Never underestimate the value of simplicity. That's the lesson learned from this impressively understated mailing. A major concern for the organization when it prepared this package was to decrease the cost of acquiring new donors. To that end, it went with strongly branded messaging and a more targeted approach that included mailing fewer pieces more frequently, allowing it to contact its best prospects more often. Our judges were impressed with the strong branding and clean look of both the envelope and the enclosed components, as well as the fact that the package achieved its goal beautifully. Overall, the organization's acquisition program invested $17.91 to acquire a new donor, which is $22 less than in 2007.

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.