I work for a small english charity that sells aids and adaptations to blind/partially sighted people – I am their fundraiser. We currently knock out the gear from 3 geographically separate offices – sight centres. These need to stay, because it is important that clients get to try equipment before they pay, but attendance is very poor and sales low. V. expensive.
I want to put together a pamphlet/catalogue that highlights the service and lists the stuff we sell and send it out to a cold list of appropriate people in our area – not just to sell the kit, but to promote the charity and encourage donations from people not blind/part sighted but who may sympathise and thereby increase our donors list.
Its expensive and my budget isn’t up to it – what’s the best way to make a case for this so my budget is upped next year?
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Jay’s Answer: The success of your advertising is based on many variables: your copy, your target market, the quality of your targeted list, etc.
Instead of trying to start with a big campaign, start with a smaller test case (and work to improve the ROI of the campaign over time). As you figure out what message works, then grow the test cases into larger areas (bootstrapping yourself as necessary).
Also, instead of sending out catalogs, you might consider sending out stories. Don’t forget that some great recent stories may make great PR for your local media (and a no cost to your organization). At Xmas, tell stories about Xmas. At Fathers’/Mothers’ Day, tell stories about fathers and mothers, etc.