Gold Awards: And the Winners Are ...

The four-panel renewal, sent in a glossy, 51⁄2-inch-by-71⁄2-inch outer, features a 7-inch-by-14-inch combined perforated reply form and one-sided letter, a BRE and a 5-inch-by-7-inch, six-panel insert on glossy card stock.

The cover and first panel of the insert show an illustration of the shrine and a four-color photograph of its poinsettia- and garland-covered altar. The insert holds the free “Christmas at Mary’s Shrine” CD and includes a list of the names of the songs on the disc. According to Katie Oakes, vice president of Virginia-based direct-marketing firm SCA Direct, the ask is nearly non-existent. It includes three check boxes, the first of which simply reads, “Monsignor Bransfield, thank you for giving me the beautiful recordings of ‘Christmas at Mary’s Shrine.’” The second checkbox is for recipients who have listed personal prayer intentions in the space provided on the back of the reply. It isn’t until the third checkbox that recipients are given the option to donate, and space is provided for them to write in the amount they’re giving.