Case Study: Minnesota Animal Humane Society's Year-End Fundraising Campaign

Following the story, it reads, "Animal Humane Society urgently needs your support of our Holiday Fund Drive so we can save more animals like Esmeralda."

It's a really strong, short letter, that includes the goal to raise $50,000 by Dec. 31, and then describing to donors that, "You can make a difference with your generous gift today." It then tells you specifically what your gift can do, i.e., "$50 can help an animal receive emergency surgery."

The letter, signed by President and CEO Janelle Dixon, thanks donors and includes a postscript again urging donors to send their gifts, a callout to a campaign URL (animalhumanesociety.org/believe) and a note on the personalized labels enclosed.

The remainder of the contents are the reply device, which includes information on the AHS legacy circle for planned giving, a return envelope and the address labels premium.

The gift certificates mailer is slightly different, using a different color scheme on the outer envelope, slightly different font and no "Look Inside!" text. The reverse also replaces the tagline with, "Your personalized lifesaving Gift Certificates are enclosed!" It also has the callout to "Open Immediately" at the bottom.

The letter again features the same creative up top, but it is a two-page letter with slightly different copy. It still relays the story of Esmeralda, but is longer and a little more detailed. The rest of the components are pretty much the same, though the address labels are replaced with the gift certificates, which describe how the certificates work and what the donor's generosity helps AHS achieve.

The rest
The remainder of the creative comprises condensed, tweaked versions of the direct mailers. A space ad in black-and-white has the bare essentials to respond. The online banner ads simply have the image of Esmeralda with the tagline and a button to "Make a gift," as well as the AHS logo. The billboard ad is pretty much the same, with the URL and "Donate Today" accompanying the image of the dog and the tagline.