When it comes to direct mail in Ireland, not-for-profits are the masters at making the biggest impact with the smallest budgets. Every cent counts. That's why they've honed their fundraising skills and learned exactly what works and what doesn't. From getting the database right to the correct copy tone to knowing exactly how much to ask for.

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind: Scamp to Hero Campaign

Agency: Ask Direct 
The proposition was €1.50 per week ‘Sponsor a puppy’ , the low price point was essential to overcoming the affordability barrier and ensuring the largest possible number of sign-ups. The pack was designed to be vibrant, charming and cuddly, using a positive, upbeat tone, cute design and photos, with the concept of asking potential donors to “Help us turn this little scamp into a Hero”. The letter comes from the puppy himself, who asks the reader to help him become a guide dog hero like his uncle “Uri”. This is then linked to a case study letter about his uncle “Uri” and his visually impaired owner from Cork. The case study allowed IGDB to bring to life for donors the real life changing impact a Guide Dog can have for someone who is blind or vision impaired. The mailing had 4 streams: warm supporters already on the Guide Dogs database; cold records selected from known responsive lists; An Post Door Drops in selected areas of Dublin, Cork, and Galway; and newspaper inserts in two different national newspapers.The results exceeded their estimates. The number of responses to date is 20% above target, and the funds raised were 17% above target. The campaign also resulted in a solid donor database for future mailings, recruiting hundreds of direct debit donors; twice that number again in once-off gifts.

For further information on sponsoring a puppy please contact Catherine Quinlan on 021-487 8230 or cquinlan@guidedogs.ie 

Cork Simon Community: Your Cork Simon Update

Agency: Ask Direct
With 'Your Cork Simon Update', Cork Simon Community created a highly donor-centred newsletter which talked about the fantastic work the donors made possible, rather than describing the work and activities of the organisation. The newsletter provided essential feedback on the impact of donor's gifts, gave heartfelt thanks for their support and instilled a sense of pride in the hearts of donors about their achievements. The result was a massive increase in donations - from zero for the previous supporter newsletter to over €57,000 - and an increase in donor loyalty which translated into a 10% increase in net income and 21% more donations from supporters in 2011.

ActionAid Ireland: Free Your Tax Money

Agency: Acorn Marketing
The single most important campaign any charity will conduct during the year is its taxback campaign. This campaign is a taxback campaign conducted by ActionAid. The aim was to encourage their valued donors to return their tax forms to them so they can claim money back from the Revenue on their behalf. ActionAid conducts this on a yearly basis but this campaign was different. They sought to improve results and they did by a significant amount of change in tactics. This campaign highlights how you can drive higher response rates of up to 37% by devising different target strategies and implementing several ways to contact and follow up with customers. It also highlights the importance of segmenting your data and implementing a different contact strategy according to different target audiences. It achieved a return on investment of 15:1, an incredible success for ActionAid.

Women's Aid - Joanna

Agency: Ask Direct
This campaign employed a clever approach to make the best use of the door drop medium. It beat its acquisition target by 30% and produced a 67% uplift in average gift, resulting in a net cost per new donor of zero - exceptional in a charity direct marketing campaign. The pared back creative approach used simple type on the envelope to attract attention and encourage readers to open it. A long, five-page letter dramatised the importance of Women's Aid services using the shocking story of Joanna, a woman who had been horrifically abused by her partner before escaping with the help of Women's Aid.

Bóthar: Gifts that count

Agency: Spark Marketing Communications
2010 was a challenging year for Bóthar, who experienced an overall drop in income of 35%. When planning the annual Christmas Appeal, Bóthar focused on Retention strategies. It became apparent that in order to survive, the organisation needed to learn more about donor responsiveness and place an emphasis on retention. With this focus, advertising spend was reduced and this budget was redirected to database communications. The campaign tested successful acquisition channels that offered measurability (direct mail, press inserts and Publicity Post). Direct Mail communications were segmented into Active, Inactive and Acquisition List. A control pack was developed for each segment. Three tests were conducted: front loading with gift cards, offering alternative creative, and basing the donation amount solicited on previous giving patterns. Bóthar achieved a 275% return on investment, 70% of campaign responses came in via post. The donor behaviours recorded in the Christmas Appeal formed the basis for Bóthar's donor and prospecting strategy for 2011.