Cats Protection tests direct mail to online approach
Howard Lake | 28 July 2007 | News
Feline welfare charity Cats Protection is using its annual kitten-focused fundraising drive to test the use of direct mail that signposts supporters to a bespoke website where they can find further information and make a donation.
Working with direct marketing agency TDA, the charity has developed the campaign which will involve comparing the results of two case study-based direct mail packs.
The first takes a soft approach to the issues surrounding the charity’s influx of kittens during the summer and the second is more hard hitting, featuring a flea-ridden, emaciated kitten that could have died without Cats Protection’s help.
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A Vismail (video by email) teaser will also be emailed to Cats Protection’s email subscribers to raise awareness of the high number of kittens coming to the charity as well as testing any uplift in response.
The Kitten Aid website has been set up specifically for this appeal and includes a selection of stories about kittens that have come to the charity, downloadable wallpapers, information on the costs of caring for kittens and a donation page.
“Cats Protection is inundated with kittens over the summer,” said Janet Wickens, Head of Fundraising and Communications at Cats Protection. “As they cannot be re-homed until they are eight to ten weeks old, it puts real pressure on our resources. Kittens are cute but they are also high maintenance – for example, if they are orphaned they need to be fed by our staff every two to three hours.”
“The kitten fundraising drive plays an important role in Cats Protection’s calendar,” said Sarah Don-Bramah, Account Director at TDA. “Testing different approaches – whether it’s hard versus soft case studies or directing people online – ensures that we continue to deliver better insights on the charity’s supporters.”
The first wave of direct mail activity goes out in the middle of July, with follow up packs for people who have not responded mailing three weeks later. Donations can be made by post or online.
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.