Anatomy of a Direct Mail Control: National Audubon Society

The carrier envelope is the key to the success of this bird conservation group’s direct mail membership campaign.

Mailer Name: National Audubon Society
Date Mailed: June 2013 to February 2017

The National Audubon Society was named after famed naturalist John James Audubon. After his death, groups dedicated to watching birds and saving them from destruction were formed.

The teaser is a powerful match for the photograph of a hovering hummingbird. “Small as a thumb and weighs as little as this penny” it says. It leads the prospective member to focus on two physical characteristics of the bird at a single glance.

The letter calls the birds “the smallest long distance-flyers in the world.” The first few paragraphs talk about how the “truly remarkable” birds travel thousands of miles.

Next, it introduces danger: The effects of climate change. Rapid shifts in when flowers bloom can deprive hummingbirds of the fuel they need to survive as they migrate. The letter runs through some of Audubon’s efforts to deal with these challenges, at both the individual and national level.

A folded insert in this direct mail package pictures and describes several hummingbird species, as well more about specific threats to their survival.

And helpful content appears on one side of a buckslip. Audubon gets the new member to take a more personal role in saving hummingbirds by listing 10 of their favorite plants.

You can get a free PDF of this direct mail package, as well as a more in-depth analysis, courtesy of Who’s Mailing What!

The Takeaway
A few, or even one image, can be powerful enough with the right copy to move donors to take action.