1. Direct Marketing Customer Stories
Case Studies
Direct Marketing Customer Stories

2. Case Studies in Direct Marketing
Not-for-Profit
Case Studies in Direct Marketing

3. Not-for-Profit
Slower to adoption of targeted marketing techniques due to
Cost-per-piece
ROI is not a measure for evaluating spend in non-profits
One-to-one marketing campaigns build loyalty – and increase the lifetime value of a donor - by making messages more relevant to recipients
The lifetime value of a donor is the greatest growth driver for non-profits: ongoing gifts of long-term members deliver consistent support while event-driven aid is more transitory.
Multiple-channels are key
Online fundraising is important, since giving online is growing fast, brings in younger, wealthier and higher-dollar givers, and is a top source of new donors.
Online donors are more loyal when they are cultivated through many channels - online and off

4. Animal Rescue League (ARL) Personalized Correspondence
Program objectives
Understand how customers were finding out the shelter
Received feedback regarding the animal adoption experience
Get opinions about the value of ARL services
Build an list
Target audience
Visitors to the animal shelter
People who adopted animals in the last two years
Pet owners
Key messages
Key message: “Thank you for adopting”
We want your feedback about our organization

5. Animal Rescue League (ARL) Personalized Correspondence
Implementation
The campaign included both online and print elements
Variable cat and dog imagery
Personalized web site
Posting of adoption success stories
Chance to win a $100 gift certificate
Personalization
Advertisements included variable data
Images personalized by animal type
Adoption cards personalized with name of owners
Personalized URL for each owner

6. Animal Rescue League (ARL) Personalized Correspondence
Results
The ARL post adoption follow-up correspondence was a success
11.4% of recipients completed the survey.
TV/Radio advertising budget cut due to lack of ROI
Mailing list was bolstered with over 300 new addresses

7. National WW II Museum Personalized Donor Campaign
Program objectives
Boost lagging direct-mail response rates for members and prospects,
Engage with new prospects and convert to members
Convert existing donors into monthly contributors
Raise capital to expand the museum campus
Target audience
Mailing list consisting of 130,000 donors and prospects
Key messages
You can help keep memories of WW II alive
Our members help expand our activities

8. National WW II Museum Personalized Donor Campaign
Implementation
The campaign included both online and print elements
Use personalized high-quality direct-mail pieces
Include pre-paid solicitation postcards
Conduct 15,000 unit test to measure effectiveness of personalization
Additional test of 5,000 personalized and 5,000 static newsletters
Personalization
Advertisements included variable data
Headline
Offer
Brick purchase

9. National WW II Museum Personalized Donor Campaign
Results
The personalized donor campaign was a success
30% increase in response rate for active members
25% increase in response rate for sustaining membership prospects
Increased average donation per person
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

10. Arizona’s Children Association
Arizona’s Children Organization (AzCA) is a non-profit agency offering foster care, adoption, and other child welfare services.
Situation and program objectives
AzCA wanted to increase its revenue from private donors, for their annual winter campaign
Increase total value of donations over the previous winter campaign
Increase the average donation over the previous winter campaign
Reactivate dormant donors
Target audience and list
AzCA used their database of 14,000 active and former donors
Key Messages and Segmentation
To solicit an emotional response, AzCA built the campaign around the theme “Time Flies”, and included assurance that donations would be kept in the donor’s local community
Recipients were segmented by donor status (dormant or active), donation history and location of residence
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

11. Arizona’s Children Association
PURL
Personalized
The fundraising approach included:
Versioned and personalized direct mail pieces s
Personalized URLs
Multiple response mechanisms (telephone, mail, web)
All printed pieces included a pre-populated donation form and a personalized message about the donor’s last contribution. (E.g., “Your gift of $50 in April personally impacted a family in a difficult situation.”)
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

12. Arizona’s Children Association
Donor status (active or dormant)
Former donors received a simple postcard and pURL
Active donors received an elaborate die-cut kit, with a personalized wallet calendar gift, a response mailer, and a pURL
The logic was that active donors were more likely to yield higher ROI
Donation history
All donors were categorized base on previous gift amounts: <$75, $76–$249, $250–$499, and $500+
Each category of donor received a different version of the mailer, encouraging them to “step up” one level of donation amount
Location of residence
Donors in the “southern” segment had a passion for specific type of community programs, and had local return address/phone number
Other segments were more generally focused
Pre-populated data
Personalized message
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

13. Arizona’s Children Association
Results
Largest revenue campaign in the history of the winter appeal.
Total value of donations was 270% of the previous year’s total
Number of individual donations increased to 160% of the previous total
Average donation grew to 168% of the previous year’s average donation
The campaign succeeded in reactivating numerous former donors
Consequently, AzCA plans on using personalized direct mail in their future marketing communications efforts.
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

14. VMI Foundation Situation and program objectives
The VMI Foundation is a private, non-profit corporation that annually raises millions of dollars in gifts and commitments from the Virginia Military Institute’s (VMI) alumni, parents, and friends.
Situation and program objectives
The objective was to gather information, update/expand the database, engage alumni in a new and relevant manner
Target audience and list
Approximately 9,400 VMI alumni, parents and friends - from the VMI database
Segmentation and key messages
“VMI Alumni. Don’t Do Ordinary.”
The messaging was meant to establish a connection with VMI alumni. Future campaigns will develop this relationship to encourage donations
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

15. VMI Foundation Offer of sticker Personalized PURL
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

16. VMI Foundation
An directed recipients to a pURL pURL contained a short video, after which the recipient was asked to complete an online survey Direct mail was sent to Alumni who did not have an address/did not respond to their
PURL
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

17. VMI Foundation Results
23.2% response rate (unique pURL visitors); 44.4% of visitors completed the survey
Results
34.3% of recipients visited their pURL
43.3% click through (% of pURL visitors who completed the survey)
Direct Mail Results* (timing was after the )
13.1% of recipients visited their PURL
47.6% click through ((% of pURL visitors who completed the survey)
Upon completion of the survey visitors were directed to a secondary website where they could view the video again, refer a friend, and donate to the VMI Foundation. This secondary site received over 1,200 visitors, from 19 different countries!
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

18. Girl Scouts of the USA Situation and Program Objectives
Girl Scouts of the USA was seeing a decline in donations
Key objective was to develop/broaden their network of donors
Target Audience and List
Target audience was Girl Scout Alunmna; a list of 3100 women was selected out of the Girl Scout database
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

19. Girl Scouts of the USA Key Messages and Segmentation
Target audience was segmented into four age groups, with a different message tailored for each age group:
The imagery has women with their everyday work with a sash on their clothes, to show how girl scouts have helped them get where they are today
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

20. Girl Scouts of the USA Campaign architecture
Personalized direct mail leveraging variable data
(initial and followup)
pURL sites - versioned by age group
Social media (Facebook cause page, Youtube)
Phone call follow-up for Donors
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

21. Girl Scouts of the USA Results
8.2% pURL visits; unique individual responses of 4.9% (some visited the pURL more than once)
31% of respondents made a donation
Increased average donation from $50 to $250
Source: PODi. For more info visit Not all PODi case studies were printed using HP Indigo technology

22. Thank you