And the Winners Are … the 2014 FundRaising Success Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence

Gere is the organization’s board chairman, and messaging for this campaign emphasizes that Gere himself is the person matching the gifts. No nameless, faceless foundation or mystery benefactor — but Richard freakin’ Gere. The campaign elements kept the star at the forefront of the messaging, and recipients received emails from him, followed by reminder emails from the organization’s interim president. It was a simple campaign that took full advantage of its star power, which made an even greater impact because it clearly conveyed Gere’s personal and deep commitment to the cause.