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Christmas newsletter direct mail for the Child-Help Foundation
Nearly 100-year-old donor donates €50,000
The elderly are the most important target group for fundraisers. It pays to build and maintain a good relationship with your donors. Sometimes, this leads to unexpectedly large donations. A nearly 100-year-old donor donated €50,000 to the Child-Help Foundation.
Christmas promotion: a new House of Hope
In its newsletter, the Child-Help Foundation asks for donations to fund the purchase of a House of Hope (similar to a Ronald McDonald house) for children and their mothers in Zambia. The children and mothers are being forced to leave their current accommodations because the landlord has terminated their lease. Where are they supposed to go now?
In the newsletter, Child-Help also mentions other projects that donors contributed to in the past. How are things going now, has the goal been reached, what results have been achieved? In fundraising, it is important to not only ask for donations, but also thank donors and give updates on the status of projects.
Personal greeting
The mailing pack also includes a Christmas card with a personal and warm greeting from Pierre, the Child-Help Foundation’s director.
And a phone call
A fantastic way to thank donors personally is by giving them a call. Among others, Pierre called the nearly 100-year-old donor. This turned into a wonderful conversation.
This donor was recruited when he was 95. His first donation was €25. Year after year, this donor would increase his donation. During his phone conversation with Pierre, this donor confirmed his incredible gift of €50,000. This goes to show that no one is ever too old to become a donor!
This unexpectedly huge gift made an enormous contribution to the House of Hope that the children so desperately need.
Contents of mailing pack
The Christmas newsletter consisted of:
- An envelope
- A Christmas card with a personal greeting from Pierre (director)
- The newsletter
This newsletter is an annually recurring campaign and forms part of the annual plan of Child-Help.
Child-Help’s annual plan
- Regular donors receive 7 mailings at home and 3 newsletters
- 1 middle-donor / middle-donor campaign.
- Thank you: we thank all donors with an automated thank-you journey
- 2 prospect mailings
- 1 insert campaign
Results of the Christmas mailing
The ROI of the Christmas mailing is 5.73 and the mailing is currently ongoing. If we leave out the €50,000 donation, the ROI is over 2.
Additionally, we recruited 5,575 new donors for Child-Help in 2024 with a prospect mailing and inserts, with an ROI over 1.
About the Child-Help Foundation and Mindwize
Child-Help and Mindwize have been working together to recruit donors since the launch of Child-Help Netherlands in 2014. The number of donors has since grown from 0 to 20,000 (by late 2020). Of this total, 2,000 donors donate via direct debit.
Mindwize regularly accompanies representatives of Child-Help on their project visits to gather the best stories for our clients. In Tanzania, our colleague Liselotte van der Zwet spoke to doctors, interviewed mothers of children with disabilities and took pictures of e.g. a brain surgery.
About the Child-Help Foundation
The Child-Help Foundation provides aid to children with disabilities in developing countries, particularly children suffering from spina bifida and hydrocephalus. If they undergo surgery in a timely manner, these children have a chance to live a full life. After their surgery, Child-Help provides shelter for these children and their parents in Houses of Hope, where they receive aftercare, physical therapy and safe accommodations. Child-Help also provides medical materials where necessary. Together with local partners, Child-Help is building a programme to assist these children and their families throughout their lives.
Has direct mail peaked?
Exactly how relevant is direct mail in an increasingly digital world?
Research shows that direct mail does, in fact, have added value alongside digital communication.
We at Mindwize love direct mail. Not only because it remains highly effective in attracting donations and retaining donors, but it’s also a great medium where sight, touch and interaction can be used to convey emotion and urgency.
We can tell you all about the benefits of direct mail. But perhaps, its best to let our research speak for itself.
Download the whitepaper and discover the 5 reasons why direct mail is still relevant!
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