And the Winners Are …

Each e-mail was written in the first person, and contained powerful stories and calls to action that were urgent and personal.

“Subject lines and opening sentences are important to e-mail campaigns. These guys nailed it,” he said, calling the campaign a great mix of activism and celebrity, “... because there’s a real, personal connection.”

--- Multichannel ---

We’re calling it a tie!

Robin Hood Foundation 2005 Holiday Card Appeal
Submitted by Big Duck

Our judges liked that this was a new twist on the traditional holiday-card appeal, and they were blown away by the more than $3,000 average gift and the cost-to-raise-a-dollar figure of a mere 10 cents.

Plan USA Cowpeas Campaign
Submitted by Newport Creative

This incredibly simple campaign earned kudos for just that — being incredibly simple and still delivering outstanding results: 9.4 percent response and a $69 average gift at 10 cents to raise a dollar

Greenpeace USA

Stop the Whaling Campaign
Submitted by Greenpeace

Our judges raved about this cool, “full-court press” campaign that epitomizes the spirit of multi-channel fundraising, combining it with a strong element of advocacy and pulling in $1,150,000 with a 4:1 ROI.

In opening the awards to multi-channel fundraising campaigns, we learned that when you say “multi-channel,” you open the door for efforts so wildly diverse that it’s nearly impossible to fairly compare one to the other.

The top three winners in this category scored so closely to each other and got such glowing reviews from our judges — for completely different elements — that we’re calling it a three-way tie.

WINNERS AT A GLANCE

--- Direct-mail Categories ---

PACKAGE OF THE YEAR

Winner: Food for the Hungry May 2005 Child Sponsor Celebration Appeal
Submitted by Merkle/Domain

First runner-up: Habitat for Humanity Measure of Compassion Acquisition Package
Submitted by Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co.