This month’s inspiring campaign comes from Bristol-based homeless charity, Caring in Bristol. The festive red envelope with photo of smiling faces of this door drop campaign immediately drew me in………
Arriving on door mats in mid-November, the timing of this campaign was spot on; early enough to beat other Christmas campaigns but not too early to annoy those not yet ready to utter the ‘C’ word.
The big impact envelope – why this works
Caring in Bristol has gone ‘all out’ on the envelope design, creating a bold, eye-catching design that demands to be opened.
The splash of the Christmas red immediately catches the attention – as do the photographs of the people smiling and enjoying food.
Next our eyes are naturally drawn to ‘Bristol’s Big Christmas Dinner’ message, which personally sparks my curiosity – ‘something is happening in my city, I wonder what it is….’
Then finally, the ‘No one should be left out in the cold this Christmas’ message and large charity logo placement tells us that this is a fundraising appeal. But a different one at that.
This campaign appears to share a happy and uplifting message and story, inviting us to join the Christmas cheer; a rarity in a sea of fundraising appeal stories designed to shock us into giving.
Caring in Bristol’s appeal tugs at the heartstrings in a more gentle and empowering way,
So, what was inside?
Inside the envelope there are the standard elements of a fundraising appeal:
- Persuasive cover letter from the charity’s director, linking the appeal’s focus with what they’re trying to achieve – the inclusion of additional positive photographs, showing behind the scenes of a Christmas Day lunch, with the ‘thank you’ splash at the end of the letter, are really lovely
- Personal story from a beneficiary demonstrating the impact of the charity and how it has helped them
- Suggested donation amounts menu showcasing how different monetary donations can specifically help – good to see very specific monetary amounts with rounding to 50p on some, which makes them seem more real
- Donation form
- Stamp addressed envelope
Learnable moment
How can you bring a wow factor to a direct mail or email campaign so that it demands to be opened?
Looking for an extra pair of experienced hands in 2023?
If you have plans to grow your team in the new year and want to work with an experienced marketing and comms freelancer, I might be able to help. Get in touch by emailing me at ali@alisonhadley.co.uk.
