The Heritage Foundation | The National World War II Memorial
The Heritage Foundation
Goal:
Continue a Three Decade Partnership to Develop Citizen Support
Challenge:
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy institution in Washington, D.C., has been a client of Odell, Simms & Associates, Inc.’s direct mail division, SWA Direct for 30 years. The Heritage Foundation’s mission is to reach out to millions of Americans, acquire and educate members and raise funds to support their research. As packages are usually based on current issues, new packages must be constantly developed and tested on an ongoing basis. An additional challenge has been to develop market penetration and fundraising success in new areas.
Solution:
Working closely with the development department as well as the political and strategic thinkers at The Heritage Foundation, SWA Direct has developed over 300,000 active and highly profitable donors on issues such as tax reform, Congressional reform, immigration, national defense, government spending and more.
In addition to the ongoing direct mail for prospecting and housefile donors, SWA Direct has created a very profitable monthly giving program and high-dollar clubs, helped Heritage develop a new web site for members and consulted on email fundraising and talk radio advertising campaigns.
Result:
Since 1977, SWA Direct has raised more than $220 million in net income for The Heritage Foundation, and developed a broad-based program which upon which they can rely for many years to come. With 30 years of working together, SWA Direct and The Heritage Foundation have a relationship unusual in the direct mail field for its mutual understanding and appreciation.
The National World War II Memorial
Goal:
Fulfill the Greatest Generation's Last Challenge - Building the National World War II Memorial
Challenge:
In 1993, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) was charged by the U.S. Congress to design and build a National World War II Memorial located on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The ABMC chose Odell, Simms & Associates’ direct mail division SWA Direct to lead the grassroots fundraising effort. With a goal of raising $12-$15 million from direct marketing towards the overall $100 million campaign goal, it was clear that SWA Direct would need to seek donations from the WWII generation. However, by the late 1990s, many veterans had either passed away or were living on retirement or fixed funds. Moreover, there was no official roster of World War II veterans available.
Solution:
To achieve the direct marketing fundraising goal, SWA Direct worked with the ABMC to develop outreach initiatives, explain why this long overdue Memorial was finally being built, involve the Greatest Generation in the project and gain their financial support. Strategies included building comprehensive lists; recruiting Senator Bob Dole to sign fundraising letters; developing the “WWII Registry of Remembrances” database; and creating a series of tiered membership benefits to encourage larger gifts. SWA Direct also assisted the ABMC with development of the Memorial website to coordinate the mail appeal with the Internet, provide additional information and encourage donations.
Result:
The donor acquisition campaign was launched with a goal of acquiring 120,000 donors with an average gift of $25 by year’s end. Within 12 months, SWA Direct had generated 136,000 donors with an average gift of $35 – plus nearly $1.2 million in net income. Overall, the direct mail program generated over 650,000 donors and $43,000,000 with an additional $10,000,000 generated via the website. Four of the packages developed by SWA Direct for the campaign won MAXI Awards for industry excellence in creativity and response.
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