Multichannel ($10 Million and Up): Union Rescue Mission

Pops — The Story of Life Transformation
Union Rescue Mission
Submitted by Union Rescue Mission

The numbers

• Number of recipients: 95,900
• Response rate: 2.09 percent
• Total cost: $29,000
• Income generated: $108,166
• Average gift: $53.95
• Cost to raise a dollar: $0.27

The imagery used in this campaign is extremely evocative, and it proves the power of telling real stories to display how donors help change lives. Union Rescue Mission really knows how to use riveting photos and personal stories of the people it has helped in a way that makes it almost impossible for a recipient not to give. The really powerful creative is reflected in the results.

In this case, the focus is on Nick Sidebottom, tenderly known as “Pops,” who in another life had another nickname, “El Diablo.” His story: Pops went from being one of the deadliest drug dealers on the streets to handing out supplies and wisdom to men looking for a new life off the streets. And it was all made possible, of course, through the support of URM donors.

But it’s not just the story that made this a winner in the multichannel category. URM really nailed the whole multichannel approach with this campaign, weaving Pops’ story — part of the Stories from Skid Row series — throughout e-mail, direct-mail letters, a newsletter, the website and social media such as YouTube. The cohesiveness of the campaign and the consistency of the imagery and messaging across all channels — even down to a video featuring Pops and his story embedded right onto the donation page — really impressed the judges. And there’s no arguing with the results.