Gold Awards Flashback: Habitat for Humanity International

By Joe Boland

With the 2013 FundRaising Success Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence submission period in full swing, take a look back at the 2008 Package of the Year winner, Habitat for Humanity International's “Habitat Challenge” special development appeal, submitted by Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co.

From judge Margaret Guellich, then-director of major gifts and planned giving at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen (New Jersey): "This package contains great elements — passion, urgency, storytelling. The letter is short and to the point. Backup [and] the case for support is laid out extremely well. You couldn’t say no. I’d mail this package to my major donors!”

Read more here.

But then, get hopping. Gold Awards time is not only here, but the deadline is darn close! Deadline for getting in your entries for FundRaising Success' eighth annual Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence is Aug. 26 — please note, that's the delivery cutoff, not postmark.

You can check out all of last year's winners here.

The awards change a little each year based on observations made the previous year, so our categories look a little different for 2013. They are:

Direct Mail
Organization's Annual Operating Budget $10 million or Over
Organization's Annual Operating Budget Under $10 million

Multichannel
Organization's Annual Operating Budget $10 million or Over
Organization's Annual Operating Budget Under $10 million

E-mail
Organization's Annual Operating Budget $10 million or Over
Organization's Annual Operating Budget Under $10 million

Special Events
Organization's Annual Operating Budget $10 million or Over
Organization's Annual Operating Budget Under $10 million

Telemarketing
Organization's Annual Operating Budget $10 million or Over
Organization's Annual Operating Budget Under $10 million

Social-Media Mastery
Does your organization have a stellar social-media strategy that paves the way for the deep donor engagement that eventually fuels fundraising? Have you pulled off a masterful campaign on social media?

Website
What makes your organization’s website a fundraising powerhouse?

On the Edge
Any campaign that pushes the envelope (and/or the bounds of reason). If it was daring overall or even just for your organization, we want to hear about it!

Click here for the entry form, tracking sheet and additional information, then get moving! We look forward to seeing your entries!