PLAN Canada was looking to offer donation options beyond monthly donations. They developed the Gifts of Hope program which packaged specific tangible aid items donors could relate to. Donors could choose the item and community they wanted to help. FSA Group created a database of images and texts to customize thank you cards for each donor and gift. The cards showed the item purchased and its impact. This personalized approach proved hugely successful, with the program having its best year. Customized thank you cards acknowledging donors' choices improved the donation experience.

1. dmn.ca ❯ Direct Marketing ❯ May 2010
Fundraising 7
Case study: PLAN Canada
Gift of Hope thank you card By Janice Dumphie, Account Director, FSA Group
The challenge FSA created a database of The result
Almost 4 years ago, PLAN Canada was variables - images and texts that would Turns out that giving people choice and
looking to offer donation options other accommodate any scenario for each letting them choose how they offer their
than their long standing monthly donation donor and for any gift donors (people who help is widely appealing. The Gift of Hope
program. donate as a gift to someone else). Each program has been hugely successful and
thank you card file has all of the required just came off its best year ever.
The solution variables coded to dynamically pull in When you “honour” that individual
They developed the GIFTS OF HOPE all of the applicable variables for each selection through relevant marketing you
program, which packaged a variety of customized thank you card. No two cards finish off the donation experience on a
specific tangible items that Canadian are alike – truly one-to-one marketing. high customer service note.
donors could relate to, therefore bridging Cards can either be mailed back to the
the gap between how these items would donor or addressed and mailed directly
be understood and the impact they would through Canada Post to the gift recipient
have locally where they are needed most. illustrating the gift purchased in their Gift of Hope donations
So, whether you have a preference for honour. 4Clean Water for a family-$50
who you want to help - women only or Printing on FSA’s HP Digital Variable 4Goat-$75
people in Darfur, India or Pakistan. Or Color Press insures PLAN CANADA a high 4Berkely-Darfur stove-$55
perhaps you have a strong affinity for how print quality with relevant messaging and 4Literacy training for 2
you help – a gift of literacy, clean water images. The FSA Group came up with women-$100
or a livelihood earned from a sewing a flexible, relevant, print-on-demand 4Classroom essentials in
machine. Or perhaps the ticket price for solution that prevents storage costs with Sierra Leone -$250 for an
each item is the driving factor – spending leftover, outdated inventory. The former entire classroom
$50, $100 or $10,000 – there is a Gift of two-step process of colour off-set print of 4Mosquito net, Africa-$30.00
Hope that will meet all your needs. the generic shell and black variable laser 4Girls only latrine-$100
PLAN CANADA worked with The FSA of the text, is now run in one personalized 4Library in a Box -$600 for
Group to create customized thank you pass, saving both time and money. The 10 kits
cards that not only thank donors for their ingenuity of the HP Indigo allows for 4Immunize against polio
donation, but also show the image of the multiple versions with minimal set up, -$175, Afghanistan, India,
item they selected and remind them of compared to traditional off-set set up. Nigeria, Pakistan
the great impact their donation will have The cards print weekly and are shipped
in the community. within 48 hours.