A Look at DMFA Package of the Year: Fountain House Flying Cat Package

By Joe Boland

"In three years, we didn't just double the file size, we almost tripled it," Tripi says. "The premiums and the member artwork have become a real integral part of our direct-mail program since."

Through testing and tweaking, the Flying Cat Note Pads package was born and mailed to 10,392 renewal recipients in August 2010. Sent in an oversized outer envelope, this colorful mailer was impossible to ignore (see image).

"It is such a vibrant package. It's an oversized package so in the mailbox it is absolutely a piece that's going to stand out," Tripi says. "There's gold foil on it. There's this big flying cat across the back of it. It's definitely a package that's going to get noticed."

The outer also had the teaser "You matter to me," in cursive font, along with the callout to the premiums: "5 GIFTS FOR YOU by an artist who will surprise and move you."

Inside was an emotional, compelling letter, along with a calendar, bookmarks labels and note pads, all highlighting the beautiful artwork by Fountain Gallery artist Justine Hall.

"It had premiums inside that certainly had a lot of perceived value for the donor, but more than that I think the copy is very strong," Tripi says. "I think it clearly explains what it is Fountain House is doing and why the donors' support is important."

As you would expect, the campaign resonated well with donors and had excellent results. Overall, it generated $30,539 for the organization at just 26 cents to raise a dollar, with an 8.8 percent response rate and $33.41 average gift. Further, it was mailed in conjunction as an acquisition test sent against the control, and it is now the control package for the acquisition program as well.

"It's a very natural tie-in to bring this artwork from Fountain House member artists into our direct-mail program. It's a wonderful way to capture the attention of the donor or the prospect, and then it's a great entrée into talking about our other programs as well," Tripi says.