E-mail ($10 Million and Up): Canine Companions for Independence

2012 Initial Puppy Offering
Canine Companions for Independence
Submitted by Merkle Inc.

The numbers

• Recipients: 284,455
• Response rate: 0.23 percent
• Total cost: $50,000
• Income: 134,050 (incl. $26,100 in major gifts made offline)
• Average gift: $204.97 ($165.31 without major gifts)
• Cost to raise a dollar: $0.37

Great results are great results, and this campaign certainly has them. However, in one important way, the submitters admit, this super-cute campaign underperformed. But first, let’s look at the campaign itself. It’s a series of e-mails centered around a tongue-in-cheek theme: an Initial Puppy Offering or IPO, mirroring the Initial Public Offering process in the finance world. Recipients were asked to buy IPO shares by making a donation. Its goals were multifaceted: to raise money, of course, increase awareness of the organization and its mission, and build awareness of Canine Companions’ corporate partner (a dog-food company), etc.