Success Stories.

We think our work is only as good as the results it generates. And at BKV Non-profit, we get the job done — time after time. How? We think directly. And we analyze relentlessly. That's what allows us to increase response and generate more revenue — all at a lower cost per dollar raised.

Because, beyond everything else, we consider it a privilege to be the stewards of your donors' hard-earned and generously sacrificed money. That's why it's crucial to make your program effective. To achieve the best pricing while integrating your input along the way.

Contact us, and we'll see to it that you learn firsthand about other non-profits' experience with BKV. Or take a look at the work we've done. We're proud of it! Just click on any client with a hyperlink to view a case file.

Client Experience

• American Red Cross
• Christian Children's Fund
• Clemson University
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Client: Clemson University
Problem:
Clemson University's alumni had received communications mutliple times annually from the university since their graduation. At the fiscal year end, only those segments who had not responded throughout the year were targeted for one last attempt to give. It was these ardent non-responders, 62% of whom had NEVER made a gift to Clemson, who were given to BKV either to re-activate or activate for the first time.
Solution:
For many in the target audience, the bond between Clemson and the alumnus had broken down. Prior communications from the university were stark, impersonal packages that focused on what the university needed — and not what the alumnus gained by giving. BKV tested four different creative approaches, including this one: "Solid Orange."
Our goal was to remind the target audience about the feeling of pride that accompanied their graduation from Clemson, and to give them a reason to rebuild the relationship.
The Outer Envelope: Previous efforts by the university were mailed in white #10 envelopes. BKV chose to break through the mailbox clutter with a color sure to be noticed, especially by the target audience: Clemson Orange. The carrier was full bleed orange with the familiar tiger paw print and a teaser: "Solid Orange ID Card Enclosed."
The Letter/Reply: Short paragraphs, quick-moving copy and a fighting spirit characterized the letter, which encouraged alumni to "become SOLID ORANGE" and support The Clemson Fund. Benefits of being a supporter were highlighted early on in the letter and a personalized Solid Orange ID card was included. Donors were also given the opportunity to designate where their gift would be put to use on the reply device.
Results:
Solid Orange had solid results that beat the previous year's package by more than 260% with a healthy average gift of just over $45! Of the four packages tested, a second package, "We're Number 7," which focused on Clemson's standing among other schools in their league in fundraising, achieved similar results as Solid Orange. The campaign worked so well that they were no longer "#7"! The university moved up within their own league. They now have one ongoing and one backup package.
The Direct Marketing Association
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Client: Direct Marketing Association
Background:
Each year, the Direct Marketing Association hosts the International ECHO Awards Competition to honor the world's best direct marketing campaigns. To enhance ECHO entry participation, the DMA selects an agency to create a concept surrounding the need to go online to enter — a Call for Entries campaign. The agency is then charged with creating collateral, e-mail and other marketing materials (all with a new look and feel from year to year) to help drive to Web to enter their best work.
Problem:
The biggest problem facing the ECHO Committee from year to year is the need to create a brand new campaign (or concept), and to integrate it into a Web site that communicates the heritage and prestige associated with the awards.
Solution:
The ECHO Committee turned to BKV, who in turn partnered with an eclectic assortment of agencies to create the ECHO Call for Entry Web site. BKV has a long history of building sites that bring together a deep understanding of creative Web design, while also providing online direct response know-how. And BKV does so while encompassing the look and feel of the other agencies' campaign concepts. Each year, the site serves as an area for the over 1,000 awards contestants across the world to gain valuable information about the awards and to submit top-notch entries.
Results:
BKV's success can be measured by our successful collaboration with other agencies in creating in-depth Web sites that feature true DR techniques. As a result, the DMA has relied on BKV to design, develop, and host the ECHO Call for Entry site for the past 10 years.
In fact, in 2007, BKV was asked to complete a more permanent stand-alone site to represent the prestige and magnitude of the ECHO Award. Not only does this site contain a section dedicated to entry participation, but it also serves as a place for marketers around the world to gain valuable industry information and inspiration.
The Fleet Science Center
Foundation Fighting Blindness
Habitat for Humanity International
Helen Keller International
ING Run for Something Better
Knox Area Rescue Ministries
Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
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Client: Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America
Problem:
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® routinely includes the story of child's wish in direct mail appeals to their donor base. However, there was no way for a donor to "experience" the joy of personally granting a wish of a child, making it a challenge to cultivate high dollar donors.
Solution:
After learning that Make-A-Wish granted one young boy's wish to be a country music singer by recording one of his own songs, BKV developed a strategy of sharing his song with the donor audience.
BKV created a self-mailer package, which included a limited edition CD with a version of Frankie's first song, "Eva" — plus a blank fan letter template on which donors could share their words of encouragement and support to the budding new country star.
Results:
Overall, the innovative format created quite a reaction, doubling the response among the $500+ donor segment. In addition, the campaign generated over a thousand pieces of fan mail for Frankie, — helping to fulfill his wish to become a country music star.
March of Dimes
The Mariner's Museum
National Wildlife Federation
North Shore Animal League America
Prison Fellowship
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Client: Prison Fellowship
Problem:
October through December is the busiest fundraising time for non-profit organizations. Charities flood mailboxes and inboxes with asks, all trying to get noticed amongst all the holiday clutter. On top of this, in previous years, Prison Fellowship offered donors a matching grant that would double the donor's gift to the organization's Angel Tree program — a special Christmas giving endeavor that provides gifts and fellowship to children of prison inmates. Typically, including matching grants can significantly increase response. Unfortunately, Prison Fellowship was unable to secure a match for these emails.
Solution:
BKV's strategy included a mix of drop strategy and message testing.
• The first email deployed November 20, arriving in inboxes sooner and helping offset any cannibalization of future email results. A postcard version also was tested to see how a shorter email affects results.
• The second wave of emails consisted of a drop date test in which the test half the file received the email several days before the control half. In doing so, we shortened the timeframe of deployment between mailings #1 and #2, and created some extra breathing room from #2 to #3 — thereby helping to offset the cannibalization of Angel Tree #3 results.
• The third wave dropped December 18 and included a subject line test.
Results:
All three emails, both individually and collectively, outperformed the prior two years' response revenue. And the total raised was 51% over 2007!
• Wave #1: Average gift increased 8.3%, and donations were up 27%.
• Wave #2: By improving the timing, the second-ask giving increased 64% over the prior year.
• Wave #3: Again, by spacing the drops more effectively, we increased donations by 59% over the prior year.
Project HOPE
The Salvation Army
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Client: The Salvation Army
Background:
When you think of The Salvation Army, you may first think of "kettle" donations. For 137 years, The Salvation Army has provided disaster relief, fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless, cared for the abused and worked around the clock on countless humanitarian efforts — helping millions of individuals yearly. The Salvation Army is currently hard at work in 108 countries using more than 175 languages all around the world.
Problem:
The Salvation Army wanted to generate qualified leads within the Southern Territory, especially among non-Salvation Army donors, for their Charitable Gift Annuity Program, while also increasing awareness and favorable attitudes toward The Salvation Army. BKV was given the challenge to find the appropriate campaign and medium to accomplish this goal.
Solution:
BKV had demonstrated extensive success with non-profits and DRTV when the giving amount was either consistent (as in a monthly pledge program) or sufficiently high to offset production and broadcast costs. Since The Salvation Army enjoys widespread recognition among the general public, and the entry level gift for a Charitable Gift Annuity is $5,000, BKV recommended testing 60-second DRTV spots. The low cost per point for DRTV and the ability to target both regionally and to the audience made it a cost efficient buy. Targeting seniors with the means to donate $5,000 or more called for a campaign sensitive to the target audience, and one that communicated feelings of security, warmth and trust. It was critical to find a highly respected individual well-known in the South to explain the program.
BKV suggested Dixie Carter and several other celebrities as a spokesperson; BKV and one of our LA partners were instrumental in obtaining her agreement to appear. Ms. Carter's support of The Salvation Army because of the aide they gave her father during World War II, along with her age, credibility, persuasive personality, and popularity in the South made her the perfect spokeswoman for the Charitable Gift Annuity program. Scripting and staging was done to take advantage of Ms. Carter's personality and Southern background.
Creative centered on Dixie Carter and her personal experience with The Salvation Army and that she considered the Salvation Army her "favorite charity." Copy emphasized the good work of the Army and how a charitable gift annuity was met with a gift in exchange from the Army in the form of lifetime guaranteed interest on the annuity.
Interested donors were directed to an 800 number and a Web site for further information. BKV set up the backend processes with a call center that had experience with high-touch type phone calls. Unique 800 numbers were assigned by market and station where the spot ran, which allowed BKV to track and monitor responses by market and make adjustments to the media schedule based on the returns to maximize leads and cost efficiencies.
BKV also designed a campaign landing page that provided more information about the CGA program, a rate of return chart, a special message from Ms. Carter and an online request form to capture the lead. The landing page also included a "refer a friend" button to forward the landing page to someone else who might be interested.
Results:
The campaign was very successful and exceeded its goals with an ROI of 15 to 1. The landing page received 33% of the overall leads in the program. Based on the success of the test, the Salvation Army rolled out the campaign in the Southeast.
Save The Children
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Client: Save The Children
Problem:
When 50% of the new television-acquired sponsors lapsed in their pledge payments within the first six months, Save the Children turned to BKV to develop a strategy to minimize the attrition. CRM became critical in this process.
Solution:
BKV sought to understand all facets of the new sponsor behavior patterns, and employed a number of primary research methods to delve into the sponsor psyche, including:
• Personal interviews
• Focus groups
• Mail surveys
• Listen-ins on customer service calls
Using their findings, BKV developed a comprehensive CRM campaign, including:
• A Personalized Welcome Kit - with a photo and case history of a sponsored child
• A Letter Writing Kit - with stationary and sponsored child address labels.
• A Field Office Welcome Letter - from a sponsored child's country director
• A Video - featuring the country where a sponsored child lives
• Child Communication - from a sponsored child
• A "How's it going" survey - to solicit donor feedback on how donors feel about their sponsorship
Results:
By and large the campaign was a complete success. This effort decreased attrition by 25% among the target audience! Elements of the program were also used to target other vulnerable lifecycle events, helping to decrease overall attrition.
United Spinal Association
WHRO
World Relief
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Client: World Relief
Background:
Since 1944, World Relief has been helping churches help suffering people worldwide in the name of Jesus. As the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), World Relief equips evangelical churches to minister to hurting people's physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Their innovative ministries focus on church-centered healthcare, income generation, agricultural assistance, refugee care and emergency relief.
Problem:
Many of World Relief's donors gave substantial amounts over the past year, but the organization still needed funding from a key audience — World Relief's Major Donors. BKV needed to craft an appeal that stood out from other mailings they'd received, provided a meaningful reason to give again, and created a deeper understanding and bond with these major donors.
Solution:
The project selected was Agricultural Ministries in Nicaragua. This is a country that has been ravaged by deforestation and natural disasters, which ultimately affects the survival of the people of Nicaragua. We needed to educate and persuade this audience to once again donate to World Relief with a package that literally communicated the very nature of the project.
To do so, BKV created a 3-dimensional mailing that highlighted one of the nation's best "cash crops" — coffee. In order to connect the World Relief-funded project with something tangible for the donor, BKV recommended sending the major donors a sample of coffee grown as a result of a World Relief project. This gave something back to the donor and represented the "fruits of the ministry's labor."
The package utilized a corrugated cardboard box with a mailing label, an emotional letter from the President (with reply device), a letter addressed from World Relief's Country Director for Nicaragua, a very informative insert with the organization's Goals, Programming, Needs/Challenges, and Results, and a 4oz. sample of coffee in a burlap bag.
In order to ensure the authenticity of the package, BKV worked directly with the Nicaragua field office. This helped us capture the reality of the need as well as to procure actual coffee from the fields in which World Relief conducts its work and ministry. The process required BKV to coordinate with multiple vendors to make sure the package was "authentic." All package components were integrated by use of natural-toned paper and color schemes. We gave the mailing a very "earthy" feel, which tied perfectly to the subject of agriculture.
Results:
The major donors are a small, but very vocal group of individuals with whom World Relief is developing a personal relationship. The idea of using a tangible item, coffee from a World Relief project, was the best-received mailing from Major Donors the client can remember. Not only has World Relief received sizable donations, but the "buzz" created by the package has helped facilitate deeper relationships and conversations with this important group of donors to support other endeavors.
World Society for the Protection of Animals

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Non-Profit Review
Olivia K. Smith, C.D.M.
Bennett Kuhn Varner, Inc.
2964 Peachtree Road, Suite 700
Atlanta, Georgia 30305