Fundraising

Good Things Come in Small Packages

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In fundraising pieces, that is. A unique and effective mailing program I created for a humane society, was much smaller than our previous mailings. Laid out flat, it looked like this:

The tri-fold piece folded down to just 6.5″ x 5.25″, and inside the mailing envelope was a BRE. The front of the piece featured a beautiful, healthy dog – Ringo – with an inset of how he looked when he arrived at the humane society. The back showed two Scottish Highland cows, Sadie and Evie, a mother and daughter, accepted into our wildlife sanctuary, Popcorn Park Refuge.

To the left was a coupon, whose reverse side offered donation options, plus basic information about the organization.

The text side was the actual appeal, as this was the organizations annual spring fundraising appeal.

Also included in the mailing was a bookmark featuring a shelter pup and cat on one side, and one of the sanctuary’s resident tigers on the reverse, 6″ x 2″.

With this mailing, I tried something new, and that was to send an envelope with no return address on the front and very subtly and small on the back flap, so the recipient would be encouraged to follow their curiosity and open the envelope. It was a risk, but as it went to our own donor list, it was a calculated risk. We also lost the opportunity of having the undeliverable pieces returned for address correction, but that was a small loss, as our bi-monthly magazine already took care of that. What we gained? A great savings in the cost of the components and postage, even factoring in the bookmark.

The result? The piece not only did well, but literally doubled the income from the previous year – earned $60,000 more than the year before. Was it the intrigue of a small, unmarked envelope? The inclusion of a bookmark? There’s no way of knowing for sure, but trying new ideas is worthwhile. In this case, it demonstrated that good things can come in small packages.

Fundraising – Premiums

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Fundraising is a critical part of any non-profit’s functioning. Without it, all the dedication and inspiration in the world can come to naught if the funds to back your efforts are not there.

One tool in the fundraiser’s toolbox is premiums. They can be included in a donor or cold mailing, or a simple mailing can be designed around them.

Pictured is a fridge magnet I created for a humane organization I worked for, included in both a donor and cold mailing. While pet parents likely have this information in their phones, others such as pet sitters, firefighters, and neighbors may not. In case of emergency, having this information easily accessible could save a pet’s life.

A magnet is just one possibility for a premium; other possibilities include bookmarks, seed packets, key chains, etc. What are your fundraising needs? As a graphic designer who has fund-raised in the non-profit field for 30+ years, I’d be happy to help you come up with premiums or entire programs to support your wonderful efforts.

Questions? Please contact me.

Direct Mail Campaigns

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One of the advantages of direct mail is that you can land something absolutely stunning right into someone’s hands, tailored to their interests. That someone can then take their time, look over the piece, and feel the impact.

Direct mail is alive and well, contrary to the assertions of some digitally-oriented naysayers. Its success depends on at least two things – one, know the audience you need to reach to insure a positive response, and two, send an attention-getting package that matches up with the recipients’ interests.

Featured here are the components of a fundraising package I created (wrote and designed from start to finish) for a humane society I worked with for 30+ years. This organization is dedicated to taking in the animals that society has discarded and giving them a bright, loving future. I’d say their donor base falls in between the hard left humane organizations which show you the most brutal images of animal cruelty and the soft right which focuses more on cute puppies and kittens.

The pieces I created for them had to be honest, but not so raw that people wanted to throw the piece away without really looking at it. If you don’t get the recipient to open the envelope, you’ve lost the donation. This particular package was mailed to their regular donor list. With minor adjustments, it could be easily used in a cold mailing.

There are 5 components:  a 4-color, 5″x 7″ card with photos and an appeal letter written up inside which tells the story of these two animals, an outer envelope, a BRE, a response document, and a premium. For the second year in a row, we featured a custom-designed flower seed packet, based on positive donor response from the year before. The packet (below) is glue-tipped to the back of the card so it shows through a window on the back of the outer envelope.

The theme of the piece is “UNWANTED”, and tells the story of an abandoned, horribly neglected senior dog, and a 5-month-old kitten, put out on the fire escape in the dead of winter as punishment by her owner. The outer envelope and card front show how the two looked when they arrived at the humane society. The interior of the card (above) details all that the humane society did for these two, including finding them loving  homes. The back of the card shows the dog’s happy adoption day photo.The packet of Zinnia seeds encourages the donor to enjoy planting and  growing them as they can help the organization grow and help more animals like these. The response document and BRE, continue the theme.

This is just one of an endless variety of possibilities and formats in fundraising campaigns. This piece and format were highly successful; they showed the outstanding work of the organization, and the presentation, written from a heartfelt perspective in a visually attractive package told the animals’ stories well. I also work with great professionals in printing and mailing to make sure your appeal hits home.

Can I bring my talents to your organization and help you make a difference? I’d be happy to, so feel free to contact me with any questions.

p.s. And just to add a little happy ending for you graphics readers, here is a photo of that sweet senior dog, Emily, after the humane society restored her to the best health she had probably known in years.

 

 

 

How A Newsletter Works for You

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It’s a new year and a new opportunity to reach your audience, be they fans, donors, colleagues, or others who have an interest in you. A newsletter can be a great way to let “your people” know what’s going on with you and/or your business.  Depending on your needs, a newsletter can be sent snail mail, digitally, posted on your website and social media for download, or all of the above to meet your recipients and followers’ preferences.

But here’s the thing –  no matter your delivery system, the newsletter still has to be designed, written, and produced. Of course, that’s where I come in! The newsletter you see here is one I created for Popcorn Park, an animal refuge in New Jersey. ZoonooZ  is the official publication of their Zoological Society.

One of the things that I do for the ZoonooZ (and could do for you) is use my excellent writing skills to write the entire publication from start to finish. After I write it, the ZoonooZ then goes to Popcorn Park’s director for proofing and any corrections in content. Or I can design a beautiful newsletter for you; you can send me all the content; and I can do the layout and prep for e or standard mailing. Or I can re-design that tired newsletter you already have that needs a facelift!

This is a simple 4-pager, and it’s gone through some re-designs over the years since its inception 23 years ago. Personally, I would prefer more white space, but because there is always so much content to squeeze in, it presents a challenge. Your newsletter, however, will have a unique look all its own that represents you and/or your organization.

Who do you want to reach? What do you want to tell them about what’s new with your organization or cause? And if you’re a charity, remember — a newsletter keeps your donors in touch with you and serves as a fundraising piece. Can I help you with your newsletter? Just contact me and let me know.

See more samples of newsletters and other graphic projects.