2012 DMFA Acquisition Package of the Year: Covenant House Paint Can Appeal

"From the second she stepped inside our shelter, she mystified us. Whatever she did, wherever she went, the paint can never left her hands."

It goes on to describe that in the paint can were the ashes of the girl's mother, emotionally engaging prospects.

The the letter was first tested to Covenant House's donors 20 years ago, and the response was off the charts. In the early 1990's it tested the letter to prospects, and it became the control acquisition package. Over the years, Covenant House "tested every element 50 times," Gaffny says. It stood as the control for nearly a decade, but then in 2000 it was beaten by another premium package.