Guide Dogs launches warm donor appeal

Howard Lake | 2 October 2006 | Newswire

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is targeting a warm audience with a case study based campaign this Autumn.
TDA devised the campaign which uses the experiences of Nikki Watson, who is partially sighted, to demonstrate how a partnership with a guide dog can be life saving as well as life changing.
The case study explains how Nikki’s guide dog Annie refused to let her cross the road when she thought the way was clear. Annie had seen an oncoming vehicle without its lights on speeding in their direction. The case study also touches on the two-way relationship between a person and their guide dog, highlighting that it takes time for the life changing bond to develop – but that Guide Dogs is always there to help with the transition period as they get to know each other.
We have found that our donors respond well to the heroic and sometimes amusing tales from guide dog owners,” said Trevor Hickman, Marketing Manager at Guide Dogs. This is a particularly emotive case study involving real drama and humour – Nikki’s stories will strike a chord with recipients of all ages, particularly relevant as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of guide dogs in the UK.”
This is a high impact campaign that we believe will prompt supporters to give an extra cash donation,” said Jamie Taylor, Account Director at TDA. It works on multiple levels to reinforce the benefits of guide dogs and explains that the charity urgently needs funds to help more visually impaired people enjoy better mobility and independence.”

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.