AWARD-WINNING COMPONENTS:
Direct-mail, video and interactive
To break through the clutter of holiday mail, the initial mailing was delivered in a 9 x 12 UPS envelope with a label reading “Time Sensitive Material.” The contents inside the UPS package showcased a high touch package with a great deal of personalization. A 4-color brochure used compelling copy and images to capture the desperation and need for God’s Word in Africa.
A personalized post-it note on an enclosed DVD asked donors to take a few minutes to watch the video or go to a microsite where they could watch and then share the video with a friend. The initial letter also included a P.S. letting donors know that their American Bible Society representative would be contacting them in the next few days to make sure they received this packet and to see if they had any questions.
The follow-up mailing confirmed that the donor had received the initial mailing, and asked for another gift or a first time gift toward the effort. A down-sized and more cost-effective carrier, letter and brochure were used in the follow-up mailing – but with an additional photo insert to emphasize the personal nature of the offer and enhance the donor’s involvement experience.
CASE STUDY
American Bible Society:
2009 Echo Award Winner – December 2008 “The Time Is Now” Campaign
CHALLENGE: Create a successful year-end revenue gap fundraising campaign to a 5,000-member upper donor file of this nearly 200 year-old client.
Since 1816, the American Bible Society has been making the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford. “The Time is Now” campaign shared a unique opportunity to share God’s Word and make an eternal and long-lasting impact on people in Africa.
SOLUTION: An integrated series of two direct mailings with a dedicated micro-site & inspirational telemarketing follow-up.
STRATMARK developed “The Time Is Now” campaign to engage upper donors in a project providing Bible stories and scriptures via multimedia and printed formats to 15 African nations. Both initial and follow-up mailings discussed the “spiritual famine” in Africa.
A clear-cut $5 offer demonstrated the impact a person can make with her gift of the scriptures. A microsite encouraged support through both gifts and prayer, and provided personal interaction with videos and materials – plus the opportunity to share the news of the project virally. The campaign also included a personal phone call from the American Bible Society encouraging involvement and immediate action. The campaign ran in December, when holiday and tax-incented giving is at their peak.
RESULTS: Significant response, income & targeted message select results
The campaign exceed expectations with an extremely high average gift – over $500 – a significant and surprising upgrade in donor value. The client is now also able to identify high-end donors attracted to and willing to respond to visionary-type offers outside the standard giving ask, an option (and a strategy) previously unavailable to them.
