Guide Dogs launches Spring cash appeal
Howard Lake | 18 March 2007 | News
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is approaching warm donors this month with a case study-based direct marketing campaign.
Devised by agency TDA, the charity’s appeal spotlights the new partnership between 17 year old Lora, who has a degenerative eye condition, and her first guide dog, two year old Libby. The direct mail pack includes a photo diary capturing early moments of Lora and Libby’s time together.
“Lora’s story encapsulates what Guide Dogs is all about,” says Trevor Hickman, Marketing Manager at The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. “Libby is a lively, fun young dog – the perfect match for a 17 year old with a growing need for autonomy and self sufficiency.
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“As a young woman studying A-Levels and planning to attend university, Lora needs to know that she can count on the charity to keep providing specially trained dogs for the rest of her life. However, with each partnership costing approximately £35,000 and a guide dog’s working life limited to around seven years, we urgently need funds to enable us to help more people.”
“This campaign satisfies the emotional and rational needs of Guide Dogs’ donors, said Sarah Don-Bramah, Account Director at TDA. “We know that the charity’s supporters tend to be dog owners themselves – they love to hear about the remarkable partnerships between partially-sighted or blind people and their guide dogs, but a solid case is required to prompt them to give an extra cash donation. Lora’s positive attitude and plans for her future will resonate well with the target audience.”
The mail pack will be sent to existing supporters only and includes a ‘thank you’ gift of a bookmark featuring photos of Lora and Libby.
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.