By Helen Barrett, Third Sector, 11 April 2007
Krumbs Café's direct mail campaign targeted local supporters and contacts to raise money to install an electronic system that uses pictures instead of words to place orders.
Organisation: United Response
Campaign: Krumbs' Christmas Appeal
Agency: Giles Meyer & Associates and Neil Clarke Graphic Design

Krumbs Café in York, run by learning disability charity United Response, offers work experience for people with learning disabilities. Its direct mail campaign targeted local supporters and contacts to raise money to install an electronic system that uses pictures instead of words to place orders.
The campaign, which was launched in November and ran over the Christmas period, has raised more than £7,400 of its £7,800 target.

Many people with learning disabilities struggle with writing and find taking orders from customers difficult.
The café launched the campaign to raise the cash to install an electronic point-of-sale system to make taking orders easier. The system uses pictures of all the items on the menu and allows orders to be placed by pressing the corresponding button. Buying the system would mean more students with learning disabilities could gain experience in serving customers as they study for NVQs.

United Response sent letters and leaflets to a cold list of 7,000 houses in Yorkshire, as well as a further 100 people who had attended its Christmas carol service.
The campaign suggested a £30 donation as a Christmas present to the cafe. It also sent targeted applications to local trusts.
The appeal was backed by a press campaign involving local newspapers and radio. United Response ran a competition to find Yorkshire's favourite Christmas recipe as a way of generating interest, and offered free lunches at Krumbs as prizes. Each pack cost 44p to produce and send out, adding up to £3,100.

The campaign raised more than £7,400. Local trusts stumped up £4,000 of that - the other £3,400 came from responses to the direct mailout.
Many individual donors and one of the local trusts were prompted to respond by the press campaign. Members of one local group clubbed together and donated the money they would have spent on Christmas cards.
Diane Lightfoot, director of communications and fundraising at United Response, said: "We targeted the appeal at people who lived in York and who would feel a connection with Krumbs Café. This made them feel that they were helping their local community."

First, there's a great opening line to the letter: "This Christmas, will you send £30 to support Krumbs Café in York and give people with learning disabilities the help they need?"

It gets straight to the point and highlights its greatest virtue - this is a local appeal for local support. Just 260 York residents giving £30 each would offer opportunities for dozens of their neighbours with learning disabilities to improve their skills.

Second, the whole thing talks of a simple low-cost idea to transform local lives. There's even an incentive - a free mince pie, which you can claim only when you visit the café.

Interestingly, United Response didn't get the support it needed from the local residents - at least, not from the cold mailshot. Most of the money raised was from local trusts.

The mailshot only broke even, despite the appeal in local press and radio, a well-crafted mailing piece, a great incentive and a locally targeted campaign. There weren't even any pack creation costs in the calculation. That shows how tough it is for charities supporting people with learning disabilities to raise money in the cold market. Pity, because it was a great mailpack.

Case study provided by Third Sector