The campaign materials for Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte followed the story of Julia and Martyn Holmes and their twins Louie and Mia, a former Ronald McDonald family. Louie and Mia were delivered premature, and as the hospital was more than an hour away from the Holmes’ home, Julia and Martyn stayed at Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte for nearly three weeks until the twins grew strong enough to leave the NICU. More than just a place to sleep, Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte gave Julia and Martyn a comfortable environment with accommodating and caring staff that helped them through a difficult time in their new family’s life.
After interviewing Julia, Achieve wrote the direct mail letter and email series from Julia’s point of view. The campaign materials communicated to donors that their support allows families with sick children to stay together through the healing process, giving them a stress-free environment and a renewed sense of hope that they aren’t alone.
The direct mail solicitation created by Achieve performed better than the interactive concept, raising $34,000 versus $22,000. The overall number of donors for Ronald McDonald increased from 2014, as did the overall average response rate. Most notably, Ronald McDonald was able to raise nearly $20,000 more in 2015 than in 2014.
Ronald McDonald’s 2015 online campaign also performed much better than the national average: Its average email response rate was nearly four times that of the national average (0.23% vs. 0.06% nationally); its average online gift was also nearly four times that of the national average ($322.08 vs. $82 nationally); and its average email revenue per 1,000 emails delivered was more than 18 times than the national average ($740.78 vs. $40 nationally).
Based on the results and best practices the organization learned throughout their time as an Achieve client, Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte is now positioned to increase its fundraising effectiveness in future endeavors.