Major-donor mailing Dutch Parkinson Fund
The challenge
Every donor database contains a group of supporters who give too much to be treated as part of a one-size-fits-all fundraising programme, but not enough to qualify for personal stewardship by a major gifts fundraiser. We call this group the missing middle.
That’s a missed opportunity. These loyal donors often have the capacity—and willingness—to give more than they currently do.
ParkinsonFonds asked Mindwize to inspire this group of committed supporters to make a larger contribution, helping to fund more brain research and accelerate the search for breakthroughs.
Our strategy
We started by identifying the right donors through a targeted selection based on RFM and Lifetime Value (LTV).
Next, we developed a highly personalised fundraising proposition. The mailing presented the research from different perspectives and clearly positioned the appeal as a special fundraising initiative, separate from the charity’s regular donation requests.
Campaigns like this demonstrate the unique power of direct mail.
We designed a premium direct mail package that stands out in the mailbox and feels genuinely personal. Every element was carefully crafted to strengthen the donor experience.
Each donor received:
- an A4 envelope with real postage stamps
- a personalised A4 letter featuring handwritten notes
- a personalised project folder and proposal explaining both the challenge and the solution
- a response card
- an involvement device to encourage engagement
To make campaigns like this truly memorable, we always look for a distinctive element that brings donors closer to the cause. In this case, we included a brain scan of someone living with Parkinson’s disease, creating a tangible connection with the impact of the research.
The results
The campaign exceeded expectations. The average donation was three times higher than the average gift generated by ParkinsonFonds’ regular fundraising campaigns.
Next steps
Some time later, the campaign was followed by a reminder mailing. In campaigns like these, it’s common for a follow-up mailing to generate around half the response of the initial appeal, making it an important part of maximising overall campaign performance.
About Stichting ParkinsonFonds and Mindwize
Stichting ParkinsonFonds and Mindwize have been collaborating successfully for over 20 years. Mindwize conducts cross-media fundraisers to enable fundamental research aimed at Parkinson’s disease.
In the past 20 years, the donor list has grown to around 95,000 active donors thanks to direct mail, telemarketing, door-to-door fundraising, online ads and stopper ads for Stichting ParkinsonFonds.
Stichting ParkinsonFonds also uses Mindwize’s CRM system, which makes it possible for charities to easily set up and monitor fundraising campaigns.
