Gold Awards Flashback: Canine Companions for Independence (2013 Email Campaign of the Year)

As FundRaising Success gears up for the ninth annual Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence, take a look back at last year's Email Campaign of the Year for organizations with annual operating budgets of $10 million or more from Canine Companions for Independence and Merkle.

From the write-up: Great results are great results, and this campaign certainly has them. However, in one important way, the submitters admit, this super-cute campaign underperformed. But first, let’s look at the campaign itself. It’s a series of emails centered around a tongue-in-cheek theme: an Initial Puppy Offering or IPO, mirroring the Initial Public Offering process in the finance world. Recipients were asked to buy IPO shares by making a donation. Its goals were multifaceted: to raise money, of course, increase awareness of the organization and its mission, and build awareness of Canine Companions’ corporate partner (a dog-food company), etc.

Read more about the 2013 Email Campaign of the Year ($10 million and up) here.

Then, get your submissions ready for the 2014 Gold Awards. The deadline is fast-approaching — Aug. 22. For an entry to be eligible, the campaign must have taken place sometime between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2013.

Download the entry form here. There is a $125 entry fee for the first entry from a company and/or nonprofit organization, and each additional entry costs $75 apiece.

Each entry must be submitted individually and be accompanied by its own entry form, tracking sheet and check. Please submit two copies of each entry.

Entries should be mailed to:

FundRaising Success Gold Awards
1500 Spring Garden St., 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Attn: Joe Boland

You can get an entry form, tracking sheet and additional information here, then get moving! We look forward to reviewing your entries and engrossing ourselves in these wonderful campaigns.