2019 DMFA Award Winners

Overall Winner—Renewal Appeal Category

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Package Creator(s): Lautman Maska Neill & Company
Package Name: PCRM Life in a Cage Appeal
Description: PCRM was working to shut down dog labs at
Wayne State University -and they needed a way to stand out. 27×27—that’s the size of a cage for dogs at Wayne State, and that’s the size of the insert PCRM included in the mailing. This huge white insert with the note “I spend most of my life at Wayne State University in a cage about this size. — Dog #8923” was the star of the mailing, which included an urgent letter and petition. The results were unbelievable – 164% more net than projected!

Runner Up—Renewal Appeal Category

Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Package Creator(s): Faircom New York Package Name: Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly
Description: November- December is the best fundraising time of year for Little Brothers, and their annual Christmas appeal is traditionally their highest grossing mail of their fiscal year. Our objectives were to improve on existing success by increasing overall response rate (RR), with particular aim on renewing as many 0-24 month donors as possible, reactivating 49+ month segments, and engaging donors who have requested to only be solicited once per year (1X responders).

Winner—Direct Mail Acquisition Category

NEAVS Package Creator(s): ABD DIrect Package Name: Kittens Acquisition Package
Description: NEAVS had never done DM acquisition in its 125-year history. While a leader in their space, they had low awareness and were entering a crowded market. The test had to engage donors, establish credibility and make the case for investment. The Kittens’ package enlisted almost 900 new donors on an incredible 1.62% response rate and revealed that NEAVS could build a national donor base.

Runner Up—Direct Mail Acquisition Category

ORBIS Package Creator(s): ORBIS Package Name: Orbis New Winter Art Label Package
Description: Featuring beautiful winter imagery, this art test beat our control with stellar results: lifted response 1.36% to 1.53%, raised AG, and increased net/donor by 16%.

Winner—Direct Mail Mid-Level

Friends of the Smithsonian Package Creator(s): Avalon Consulting Group Package Name: James Smithson and Castle Circle
Description: Smithsonian refreshed its lower-level Member upgrade by highlighting it’s broad scope and encouraging Friends of the Smithsonian to increase their support/join the elite Castle Circle ($1,000+) or James Smithson Society ($2,500+). The new package raised almost double the prior year’s revenue.

Runner Up—Direct Mail Mid-Level

ASPCA Package Creator(s): ASPCA Package Name: Founder’s Society Cultivation #1
Description: Trimming down our Annual Report to a smaller and more cost-effective cultivation tool saved money and did not negatively impact results, increasing our ROI.

Winner—EMAIL Category

National Audubon Society Package Creator(s): Stage Coach Digital Package Name: Year-Long Monthly Giving Email Conversion Campaign
Description: Audubon’s aggressive financial goals required us to grow single gift donations and add 3,500 monthly donors from email. We created a year-long campaign that included responsive monthly/one-time offers in email; dedicated monthly offers; and multiple upsell opportunities at the point of conversion. The result: an additional $1 million in yearly revenue from monthly donors converted through email.

Runner Up—EMAIL Category

MSPCA Package Creator(s): DaVinci DIrect Package Name: Giving Tuesday Matching Gift Challenge
Description: We produced one email for Giving Tuesday. We deployed the email in the morning and the same email with “ICYMI” again in the subject line. This campaign raised $46,411, which represents a 134% increase in revenue! We featured a Matching Gift Challenge, which was not part of the previous years’ Giving Tuesday email. Adding this technique, our creative, and copy produced a successful email campaign!

TIE: Winner—Multichannel

American Jewish World Services Package Creator(s): Tripi Consulting Package Name: AJWS 2019 Passover Multichannel
Description: Digital Passover efforts increased YOY results, increasing revenue 65% and total gifts 39%. In the mail, high-touch readings and Seder place cards lifted all metrics.

TIE: Winner - Multichannel

Appalachian Trail Conservancy Package Creator(s): ABD Direct Package Name: Wild East Appeal
Description: Wild East was a brand new campaign which we launched with a multi-channel January appeal which included a DM effort, 5 emails and a lightbox. For $100 dollar donation, donors received a commemorative Wild East poster. This results were off the charts. A record $192,600 was raised vs. a projected $67,500. We exceeded projections by 185%, and nearly 80% of donors gave above the $100 level.