Fund for a Free South Africa: high value mailing

Looking good and working very hard: high dollar direct mail from a great cause.

• The main letter (5 pages).
• The insert, front and back.

Related exhibits:

How often in life do you have total satisfaction?
 

This case study appears in these showcases

• Major donor fundraising

• Direct mail showcase

More case studies from ANC

• ANC – emergency pre-election fundraising, from 1992

SOFII's view

Medium of communication:

Type of charity:

Target audience:

Country of origin:

Creator/originator:

Mal Warwick Associates. Copy by Bill Rehm.

Name of exhibitor:

Date of first appearance:

Summary/objectives:

Securing large gifts by mail.

Background:

The Fund for a Free South Africa was the principal vehicle in the United States to raise money for the ANC’s campaign against apartheid in South Africa. In taking on the challenge to raise money for this high-profile cause, Mal Warwick Associates turned to the technique it had successfully employed for more than a decade in its work for peace, environmental, and human rights causes: ‘high-dollar direct mail’. Using beautifully designed, high-quality packs featuring multiple personalisation and directed at highly selective lists of prospective donors, these high-dollar appeals frequently secured gifts of $1,000 or more, often from first-time donors.

Special Characteristics:

Superior production values.

Merits:

This was one of the first, perhaps the very first, fundraising letters to be signed by Nelson Mandela following his release from prison in 1990. It sparked a successful ongoing campaign that mobilised significant donor support within the United States for the historic anti-apartheid campaign.