Jessica Harrington

St. Vincent Meals on Wheels in Los Angeles is the largest privately funded Meals on Wheels program in the United States, serving more than 3,000 hot meals a day to home bound seniors in Los Angeles County. In the last 20 years, SVMOW has grown its low-dollar individual-giving program dramatically, starting with just a few hundred donors to more than 50,000 people who regularly contribute to and support the organization. Over the years, SVMOW has enjoyed increased revenue from its donor base through strong renewal rates, increased frequency and upgraded gifts. However, as the program matured, the organization was faced with the same questions

In fall 2002, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, which each year sees 1.4 million visitors pass through its gates and mails close to a million direct-mail appeals, felt the need for a direct-mail face lift.

The membership appeal the zoo had been mailing was a two-color effort, with a photo on the carrier of a little girl giggling as a chimpanzee looks back at her through a window.