Our Winter Appeal for Shelter has picked up Bronze awards at both the DMA Awards (UK) and the Echo Awards (US) — a double win for a campaign that smashed its targets during one of the toughest fundraising periods in recent years.
Running from October to December 2024, the appeal landed at a time when many charities were seeing falling average gifts and growing pressure on supporter income. Shelter set an ambitious goal: raise £421k in attributable income, while protecting gift value and engagement across direct mail, email and SMS. The campaign didn’t just meet that challenge — it blew past it.
Instead of treating direct mail as a one-off, the appeal was built as a joined-up supporter journey. Creative from Shelter’s Christmas broadcast activity was reworked for warm channels, so supporters experienced a single, consistent story across formats — not competing messages fighting for attention.
At the heart of the campaign was one resolved family story, showing the real impact of temporary accommodation on children. Emotional storytelling was carefully balanced with systemic context, helping supporters understand both the human reality and the scale of the issue — and, crucially, how their donation could help change it.
Audience insight shaped every decision. Tone, depth and pacing were tailored by channel and supporter group, with a strong focus on mid-value and repeat donors. Email and SMS were sequenced to support and amplify the direct mail pack, reinforcing key moments in the story and prompting timely responses without repetition.
The results spoke for themselves. Total income exceeded target by over 50%, with the main direct mail pack delivering nearly 150% of its goal and achieving a record average gift. Email delivered a strong attributed ROI, while SMS emerged as a growing income driver, increasing year-on-year and generating repeat donations.
Judges praised the campaign for its strategic integration, audience-led thinking and effective use of direct mail as part of a broader, connected supporter experience — proof that when channels work together, fundraising works harder.
