EOY Campaign Theme/narrative - NAAF

In your direct mail piece, I really liked that you are focusing on the role your donors play (i.e. You are making a difference; Your Investment...; etc). Focusing on what the donor can do (instead of what you can do) is very persuasive. Considering that a good percentage of your list is likely to be a person suffering from alopecia or the family member of someone with the disease, I also like that you intend to showcase some personal stories in your eAppeals. You can keep the focus on the donor by using content that reminds the donor of their personal connection with NAAF: "You may know someone like " or "You know how alopecia can impact..." Great strategy! You're really giving your campaign a personal feel.

Your mission is three-fold: research, support, education. While many donors are interested in ALL the work that your organization does, I'm guessing that each individual is touched by one part of your mission in particular. For my family (my sister has alopecia), support is the most compelling; for another person, research may be more interesting. Try this exercise to help you develop a cohesive email series that will be powerful to all your donors, regardless of their particular interest in your mission:

Have a look at the ways you hope to have impact in the coming year (from your planning doc). These are really great, mission-focused goals. Donors give from the heart AND the head. That is why it is important to not only tell your donor what you do but also why you do it. For each impact, come up with a sentence that describes the "why" and then match it with a personal story that shows the impact in real life, tying in your miracle theme and how your donors can help make miracles happen. You'll have a series of emails that that touches on each of the three "prongs" of NAAF's mission.

One thing to be cautious of is to make sure you don't focus too much on your work as it applies to this time of year. What I mean is that NAAF's work is 365 days a year, not just during the holidays. With your use of the terms "investment" and "hope" I'm getting the sense that my donation would have lasting impact. Unlike, say, Toys for Tots that focuses solely on the holiday season, be careful not to give the impression that a donor's gift is limited to Nov/Dec/Jan.

Fantastic work!

Rachael