2026 DMFA Award Winners

Runner Up—Direct Mail Acquistion

USA for UNFPA Package Creator(s): Fuse Fundraising Package Name: Digital Kit April Acquisition
Description: Our April Acquisition mailing shattered our targets beyond expectation. We more than doubled our revenue goal, raising nearly $80,000, and brought in 1,500 donors, twice as many as projected.

Winner—Digital Paid Media & Outreach Acquisition

Share Our Strength / No Kid Hungry Package Creator(s): Further Package Name: From Shutdown to Support: Feeding Children When SNAP Was at Risk
Description: When the federal government shut down in October 2025, there was growing uncertainty around funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Anticipating this moment, we prepared a rapid-response fundraising campaign that could launch as soon as the crisis escalated.As a result, the campaign generated over $500k in revenue for children facing food insecurity, with a 21.5% conversion rate from 338 high-value donors.

Runner Up—Digital Paid Media & Outreach Acquisition

USA For UNFPA Package Creator(s): Authentic Package Name: Gaza Dignity Kit Influencer Campaign
Description: This campaign required us to reassess our resources and try something new: harnessing the power of influencer voices to meet one of the most urgent humanitarian crises of our time. The campaign raised nearly $120,000, more than three times our goal, and brought in over 3,600 donors, more than twenty times our target. At just $4 per donor acquired, it stands as one of our most cost-efficient campaigns to date.

Winner—Digital Appeal/ Renewal

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Package Creator(s): Concord Direct Package Name: FY25 Spring Membership Drive
Description: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Spring Member Drive was critical to expanding the org’s member file and strengthening the base that powers its conservation impact. Email, web, and the Lab’s proprietary Bird ID app Merlin worked together to not only meet expectations—but soar far past them.

Runner Up—Digital Appeal/Renewal

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF USA) Package Creator(s): C+K, MissionWired, and Blue State Package Name: Now More Than Ever
Description: This entry stood out for its thoughtful, strategic approach to digital acquisition -- guiding audiences from awareness to action with compelling storytelling, smart media choices, and a seamless user experience.

Winner—Direct Mail Appeal/Renewal

International Rescue Committee Package Creator(s): The Harrington Agency Package Name: IRC DAF Appeal
Description: IRC reimagined its DAF package- from targeting mid-level donors to low$ donors and pushing donors not to sit on their DAF $. This was DAF focused “ask” to show the need for the donor’s DAF gift NOW to help IRC provide urgently needed critical humanitarian support.

Runner Up—Direct Mail Appeal/Renewal

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF USA) Package Creator(s): Lautman Maska Neill & Company Package Name: Year In Review
Description: To improve performance, we tested adding more “year-end” language at a time when many donors make their annual gift, and we added an insert to better highlight the match offer. Both tests won and the overall campaign was a huge success, raising just under $5 million in revenue – nearly 4% more than the previous year despite being mailed to 28K fewer donors

Winner—Direct Mail Mid-Level Appeal/Renewal

World Wildlife Fund Package Creator(s): Newport ONE Package Name: Red Pandas & the Eastern Himalayas Appea
Description: To inspire renewed giving from WWF’s Partners in Conservation ($1K+ donors), we developed an immersive appeal using the spirit of travel & adventure that brought the Eastern Himalayas and its urgent conservation needs to life.

Runner Up -Direct Mail Mid-Level Appeal/Renewal

Planned Parenthood Federation of America Package Creator(s): Mission Wired Package Name: September DAF Survey
Description: Our Sept. campaign was intentionally designed to deepen engagement with DAF donors by meeting them where they are—encouraging increased contributions and additional gifts through their DAFs.

Winner- Stewardship

UT- MD Anderson Cancer Center Package Creator(s): Mission Wired Package Name: Who Will You End Cancer For?
Description: UT MD Anderson Cancer Center’s “Who Will You End Cancer For?” campaign was a powerful stewardship effort that transformed their broad and high-reaching mission – to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation, and the world through their programs and education – into a deeply personal experience.

Runner Up -Stewardship

CARE Package Creator(s): CARE Package Name: With Gratitude, from Deepmala
Description: To attract donors during a slower fundraising time of year, Baylor College of Medicine focusd on stewardship. By spotlighting physician-scientists and cute kids, the Ask Me About My Research stewardship campaign achieved a 52% video engagement rate. Despite having no fundraising ask, the campaign inspired a $1,000 and converted a current donor into a monthly sustainer.

Winner - Multichannel

International Rescue Committee Package Creator(s): Faircom New York Package Name: Funding Crisis Appeal
Description: This campaign succeeded because it told the truth — urgently, specifically, and across every channel at once. When USAID was terminated in early 2025, the IRC faced an existential funding gap. Rather than down playing that reality, we underscored it, calling the campaign: Funding Crisis Appeal.

Runner Up—Mutlichannel

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Package Creator(s): MKDM Package Name: Planned Parenthood Mar Monte DEFUNDED
Description: The emergency DEFUNDED campaign was rapidly launched to help health centers stay open for a little longer, ensuring as many people as possible could access the care they needed. The response was humbling

Winner—Sustainer Fundraising

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF USA) Package Creator(s): C+K Package Name: Compassion Has No Borders T-Shirt Premium
Description: We partnered with Palestinian freelance designer Omar Sommad—whose family was displaced from Gaza—to create an exclusive hand-drawn “”Compassion Has No Borders”” design, which we placed on a t-shirt and offered as a thank you for starting a monthly gift.

Runner Up—Sustainer Fundraising

The Human Rights Campaign Package Creator(s): Lautman Maska Neill & Company Package Name: Gear Up for Pride Sustainer Drive
Description: HRC needed a strategy that would convert camaraderie and energy around Pride season into consistent financial support. To meet this moment, HRC launched a standout multi-channel monthly donor drive to inspire the file to help LGBTQ+ people in these challenging times.