The Capuchin Soup Kitchen Finds Success by Stretching its Fundraising Efforts Beyond its Traditional Donor Base

By Jim Dickman

Split mailings
After initial copy was developed, there were split mailings comparing the response generated by a four-page, straight mission appeal with a 7-inch reply, with one that simply described the services offered by soup kitchens and the staggering need for them, and those that included additional incentives or information. Tests included the insertion of a prayer card to known Catholic files, which boosted response compared to a straight mission control letter, and the use of free mailing labels in both Catholic and socially active files, which proved to be less cost-efficient.