Ontario SPCA – Spring House Mailing

Being responsive with direct mail

As is typically the case in direct mail, this package was well underway weeks before it was slated to drop. Then, just a month before our drop date, the world went into lockdown.

We had to re-group. Could we raise money for animal welfare in the middle of a global pandemic? Should we even try? What did this mean for our mailing? We had to start by taking a step back and, together with the Ontario SPCA evaluate our strategy.

Once we were firm on the decision to move forward – after all, the animals still needed help! – Good Works reviewed the package and made tweaks to better reflect the new world we found ourselves in.

In this case, the letter had already been printed. So we created a small, cost-effective buckslip used to inform the donor that the mailing was prepared prior to lockdown, thank them for whatever support they were able to provide, and send well wishes. Short and heartfelt, the buckslip helped anchor the package in the current climate, while also driving home the ongoing and urgent need for donations.

The buckslip smoothed out the bump in this communications touchpoint, making it feel more human, and enabling us to better incorporate COVID messaging in future mailings.