Gold Awards: And the Winners Are ...

What a grand time. FundRaising Success ventured into the tricky awards arena for the first time this year. And even though it was all new to us, it was a terrific experience from start to finish. We had a better-than-expected showing — 33 packages in all, submitted by 10 agencies and two organizations — a small but enthusiastic group of judges and a lot of fun.

On a gorgeous summer day, with the sun streaming in the windows of the conference room in our new offices here in Philadelphia, Sue Seiter of the National Constitution Center, Martha Buccino from Philabundance, Tracy Gill from Inside Direct Mail and Paul Bobnak from the Who’s Mailing What! Archive took a magnifying glass to the entries, compared notes and picked their winners.

They were privy to the organizations represented, of course, and to the numbers associated with the packages (quantity mailed, total income generated, cost to raise a dollar, average gift, total out-of-pocket costs, response rate and cost per thousand mailed), but not to the submitting agencies.

Entries were broken into four categories: Acquisition (more than 50,000 pieces mailed), Acquisition (fewer than 50,000), Renewal (more than 50,000) and Renewal (fewer than 50,000). Each judge rated each package within the categories on a scale of 1 to 5 (lowest to highest) in four areas: Results, Revenue, Copywriting and Creative. Winners in each category were the packages with the highest combined scores.

The Package of the Year was the one with the highest overall score, and Grand Control of the Year was chosen from among 16 entries nominated subjectively by Bobnak, manager of the Who’s Mailing What! Archive, a property of our parent company, North American Publishing. Nominations were rated in the same way as the other categories, in the areas of Copywriting, Creative and Overall Effectiveness. In order to be considered a Grand Control, a package has to have been in the mail for at least three years.

There was one surprise, however, in that we had a number of outstanding entries that our judges decided were best classified as special appeals, which wasn’t a category this year. We separated them out of the pack and are giving the top points-earners special honorary awards. But you can be sure that Special Appeals will be its own category next year.

It was educational, to say the least, to be able to hold so many outstanding efforts in our hands and actually see the numbers that resulted from them.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s awards, which will be called the FS Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence, since we’ll be adding some new categories along with direct mail.

PACKAGE OF THE YEAR
And Winner, renewal (over 50,000 pieces)
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Spring All-Occasion Card Package

Submitted by: PEP Direct

Numbers:
Quantity Mailed: 470,413
Cost Per Thousand Mailed: $1,257.80
Response Rate: 26.18 percent
Average Gift: $14.36
Total Out-of-pocket Costs: $591,685
Total Income Generated: $1,769,274
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.3344

Our judges agreed that it’s hard not to be delighted by our Package of the Year winner, a hefty, colorful offering from Paralyzed Veterans of America. Sent in a 61⁄2-inch-by-9-inch outer with butterflies, flowers and yellow, orange and purple colors, this effort has spring written all over it. The outer features a window on the face and back, an orange dot-whack with copy that reads, “Your opinions are important to us. Please fill out the enclosed survey” and the teaser, “You’ve been exclusively selected for this elegant FREE card collection. Just for You!”

In addition to 10 spring-themed greeting cards, a sheet of gold-on-white address labels and stickers and a BRE, the effort includes a 51⁄2-inch-by-8-inch, four-page brochure on the story of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, a 51⁄2-inch-by-71⁄2-inch buck slip with PVA’s mission and goals, and a 31⁄2-inch-by-53⁄4-inch double-sided notecard with a message of hope that donors can sign and send to veterans.

But how do the beautiful cards and sunny feel of the renewal effort translate into funds donated? Pretty well, according to Jay Beausoleil, sales and marketing manager at New Hampshire-based direct-marketing firm PEP Direct, who submitted it. And the better than 26 percent response rate backs him up.

The package aligns itself wth Veterans Day, which is, of course, the organization’s most important holiday, and is in keeping with the flavor of PVA’s past premium offerings.

“Our goal was to continue to mail a successful, upscale, embellished card package to high-frequency, long-standing and loyal PVA donors using different art from year to year to keep the package fresh and attractive,” Beausoleil says. “We review the prior two years of packages along with their results, donor comment mail and survey information collected to formulate a basis for art selection.”

The survey information comes from the package’s rather unique 71⁄2-inch-by-14-inch letter/reply/survey all rolled into one, which you can’t beat for economy of elements.

Included in the survey are a number of questions specifically about the cards and labels: Is your name and address correct? Are these Elegant Cards a good size for you? Is there a theme you’d like to see? Was there a card that is a particular favorite?

“From this basis, hundreds of pieces of original art are reviewed and 15 to 20 images are selected,” Beausoleil explains. “These images are then scanned and developed into cards that include die cuts and embellishments. From these, a final selection of 10 cards is made. The team works very hard to strike a balance of winning thematic graphics from the years before with subtle differences to make the package unique each year.”

RENEWAL
Fewer Than 50,000 Pieces Mailed)
Basilica of the National Shrine
Christmas at Mary’s Shrine CD

Submitted by: SCA Direct

Numbers:
Quantity Mailed: 34,034
Cost Per Thousand Mailed: $2,427.54
Response Rate: 22.82 percent
Average Gift: $22.82
Total Out-of-pocket Costs: $82,619
Total Income Generated: $175,042
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.47

Our winner in this category offers what our judges called an “innovative premium that really makes a donor feel special” — a 12-song CD of inspirational music performed by the choir of Washington, D.C.’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The package exudes elegance from start (its shimmery silver-and-white envelope) to finish (its-soft-as-a-pillow ask.)

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.

“Donors to the National Shrine are loyal and faithful benefactors,” Oakes says. “Hence, the National Shrine wanted to say thank you in a meaningful, mission-oriented way without a hard ask for donations. But, of course, SCA Direct wanted the shrine to use this mailing as an opportunity to add to its bottom line. To achieve both objectives, we needed a thank-you gift of meaningand value that, when coupled with a soft ask, would move the donor to donate.”

Says Oakes, “[This package] had a 418 percent greater net than the control acknowledgement package and more than 350 percent increase in response rate.”

ACQUISITION
(Over 50,000 Pieces Mailed)
Help Hospitalized Veterans
Acquisition Pin/Checkbox Control

Submitted by: Creative Direct Response

Numbers:
Quantity Mailed: 164,384
Cost Per Thousand Mailed: $709.78
Response Rate: 8.87 percent
Average Gift: $9.70
Total Out-of-pocket Costs: $116,676.79
Total Income Generated: $139,911.45
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.83

Our winner in this category includes a mix of elements that were gleaned from two previously successful packages that were combined in an effort to stand out at a time when the market was flooded with asks from similarly missioned organizations: There’s a war on.

This half-inch thick, 41⁄2-inch-by-9-inch boxed acquisition effort by California-based Help Hospitalized Veterans has an American flag motif, and the outer spotlights a pin with stars and stripes in a round window, four-color photographs of veterans, and a teaser on the front: “Check enclosed,” and on the back: “They sacrificed for freedom. It leaves the cardboard shell that holds all the elements together bare, save an American flag above an image of a snow-covered mountain range on the back.

Other elements include a double-sided, 81⁄2-inch-by-11-inch letter, a BRE and a 71⁄2-inch-by-81⁄2-inch reply with detachable $2.50 check — a move our judges considered both interesting and risky. In the letter, HHV cuts right to the chase, explaining the purpose of the check with stark honesty: “The enclosed $2.50 check is real, but please don’t be mistaken. HHV cannot afford to hand out checks. We need every penny to help ease the pain and loneliness felt by America’s hospitalized and homebound disabled veterans. To be honest, I included a check just to get your attention.”

The package was submitted by Tim Youngbar, account executive at Maryland-based direct-mail agency Creative Direct Response, who estimates that only 1 percent of the checks actually were cashed and explains that the multiple-premium approach “was developed to outperform the competition.

The package also outperformed HHV’s previous controls, he adds.

ACQUISITION
(Under 50,000 Pieces Mailed)
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Pin/Pen Prospect Test

Submitted by:Adams Hussey & Assoc.

Numbers:
Quantity Mailed: 25,000
Cost Per Thousand Mailed: $897
Response Rate: 3.02 percent
Average Gift: $22.50
Total Out-of-pocket Costs: $22,425
Total Income Generated: $16,965
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $1.32

Donor Value Analysis has shown that for NARAL, reinstated members have a higher donor value over time than donors who become multiple-year donors without lapsing, according to Kim Cubine, principal and senior vice president at Adams Hussey & Assoc., the agency that submitted this entry.

“The Pin/Pen package was developed as an alternative-style involvement package to bring back extremely lapsed members,” she explains. “In early tests, each premium component was tested separately. The results were so strong we decided to combine the premiums as a test to determine if the additional ‘value added’ premium would lift response enough to offset the expense.”

“According to Cubine, the combined premium test performed at over 2 percent, with an average gift of over $22. “The overall investment in a reinstated donor with the test is $4.35. The investment per donor of the less expensive control package is just over $5,” she explains. “This is a 17.24 percent improvement in the net investment.”

This half-inch thick, 41⁄2-inch-by-9-inch box mailing is hard to miss. Maybe because it’s purple. Maybe because a window along the top displays a pen. Perhaps because it includes, all told, three windows on the outer. And likely because of the teaser copy on the face of the outer reading, “Petition Enclosed,” and its posterior reading, “ACT TODAY!”

The effort includes — in addition to the pen and silver NARAL pin freemiums — a 6-inch-by-81⁄2-inch reply device, or “Pro-Choice America Action Form,” a 3-inch-by-81⁄2-inch “Protect Reproductive Freedom” petition to President Bush, an 81⁄2-inch-by-11-inch, four-page letter and a BRE.

Of note is the piece of cardboard that slides out of the outer box and holds the mailing’s elements. In addition to displaying the pen and pin, a 2-inch-by-5-inch section of the holder is a perforated member card, labeled “2004 Member” that donors can fill out and keep. The back of the holder has an image of the United States with “87%” over top it in red and copy reading, “87% of all counties in the U.S. have no abortion provider.”

Grand Control of the Year
Ronald McDonald House New York

Archive meister Bobnak says that it’s easy to see why the inaugural Grand Control of the Year winner has been in the mail for five years.

“The letter, written in a first-person point of view, simply and effectively builds the case that the loving support of families is a key factor in the success of children in fighting cancer,” he explains. “The reader is not overwhelmed with a laundry list or statistics about specific services provided by the [organization] but, rather, is left with the powerful impression that families staying there have a basic need — a feeling of togetherness — that the house provides.”

Mailed in a No. 10 envelope, this effort includes a one-sided, 81⁄2-inch-by-11-inch reply device, a four-page, 81⁄2-inch-by-11-inch letter and a BRE. The mailing is simple but clear, including cut-out coupons below the perforated reply form that specify what each donation amount will do.

For example, the $20 coupon reads, “1 Night: I have enclosed $20, the cost of a one-night stay for a family at Ronald McDonald House.”

“The donor form reinforces the message of the letter,” Bobnak continues. “The five coupons for different donation amounts again drive home the point that a contribution equals support for families.”

At the top of the letter is a note addressed to the Ronald McDonald House from a family whose daughter is getting cancer treatment and needs a place to stay, printed overtop an illustration of a torn-out piece of ruled paper. The letter lays out the benefits of the services provided by Ronald McDonald House interspersed with underlined and bolded copy and testimonials.

Honorable Mentions
These packages were submitted as renewals. Our judges, however, felt that they were better classified as special appeals. Each was a high scorer in its category, so we want to acknowledge the excellence of the package with Special Honorable Mention Awards.

Civil War Preservation Trust
Chancellorsville Mullins Farm Appeal

Submitted by: Civil War Preservation Trust

Numbers:
Quantity Mailed: 71,379
Cost Per Thousand Mailed: $503.13
Response Rate: 9.44 percent (0-24 months)
Average Gift: $88.43
Total Out-of-pocket Costs: $35,913.09
Total Income Generated: $595,823.56
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.06

Sacred Heart Southern Missions
Food Bank ‘04

Submitted by: Creative Direct Response

Numbers:
Quantity Mailed: 135,019
Cost Per Thousand Mailed: $236.46
Response Rate: 10.54 percent
Average Gift: $21.85
Total Out-of-pocket Costs: $31,926.99
Total Income Generated: $310,019
Cost to Raise a Dollar: 10.02 percent / cost = 89.98 percent net

Young America’s Foundation
Remembering Ronald Reagan Memorial Appeal

Submitted by: SCA Direct

Numbers:
Quantity Mailed: 114,600
Cost Per Thousand Mailed: $666.72
Response Rate: 9.04 percent
Average Gift: $33.28
Total Out-of-pocket Costs: $76.406
Total Income Generated: $344,643
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $.022