Fund for Animals Plans for Risk and Wins

By Lynn Edmonds

Mailings targeted two different groups, including age- and loyalty-appropriate donors, e.g., donors 65 and older who had contributed multiple gifts to FFA and self-identified donors who had checked off a box on the renewal program’s reply slips requesting additional information on planned giving.

Implementation: The latest iteration of FFA’s bequest mailing included the following components:

Executive-sized, closed-faced carrier with corner-card logo/address;

Offset letter signed by Probst, evoking the memory of FFA’s founder, Cleveland Amory, and stating the value of including the organization in one’s will;

Brochure branded with FFA’s “look,” including more detailed benefits of leaving a bequest, as well as contact information;

8-inch-by-11-inch reply slip, capturing name and address, phone number, best time to contact the donor, additional information about the donor, and confirmation that the donor has already made a provision for a bequest in his or her estate plan; and

Reply envelope addressed to Probst’s attention.

The gift annuity has similar components. It should be noted that, in 2004, the bequest and gift annuity offers were separate campaigns rather than a bundling of all the options in the campaign. This was to better distinguish the difference between offers and benefits.

Results: Over the past three years, FFA has received more than $10 million in bequests from a relatively small group of donors. By taking a risk within the direct marketing program, FFA has developed an additional revenue channel to support its mission.

Lynn Edmonds is president of L.W. Robbins, a Holliston, Mass.-based direct-response fundraising agency. She also is a member of the FundRaising Success Editorial Advisory Board. She can be reached via e-mail at ledmonds@lwra.com.