Another 2026 MAXI Award for Concord Direct and No Kid Hungry! This time, it’s a silver for our 2025 Lapsed Reactivation campaign. We’re especially proud of this campaign because it tackled a challenge familiar to just about every fundraiser: getting donors to give again after a long time gone.
In this case, a new format and straightforward message gave those donors a fresh reason to respond, bringing them back at a cost of just over $7 per reactivated donor.
Giving Lapsed Donors a Reason to Return
No Kid Hungry’s direct mail program was performing well, but a closer look at the file revealed a growing group of supporters who hadn’t made a gift in 25 months or more. These donors had already chosen to help end childhood hunger. We wanted to reconnect them with the work they had supported and give them a clear reason to renew that commitment.
Previously, lapsed donors had received a mix of longer, story-driven appeals and acquisition offers. For this campaign, we developed a package specifically for them, with a shorter message and a more compact format.
A Shorter Letter With a Direct Message
To keep the urgent need for support front and center, we developed a straightforward double buckslip letter and reply package. As hunger increasingly made headlines due to pending SNAP cuts, the brief message focused on rising hunger rates and the need for donors to help No Kid Hungry respond.
Without room for a story or long narrative, we had to make the ask quickly and concisely, leaving no room for the donor to wonder what we were asking them to do. The format also gave donors something different from the appeals they had been receiving, while reminding them why they had supported the mission in the first place.
Results Worth Celebrating
The campaign brought donors back at a cost of just over $7 per reactivated donor, with an average gift of $55. For an audience that had gone more than two years without giving, those are results we’re very happy to celebrate.
There was also an opportunity beyond that first renewed gift. These supporters have now been welcomed back, thanked, and cultivated toward their next gift. That follow-through matters as we work to create a healthier donor file over time.
We’re grateful to the No Kid Hungry team for the partnership and the opportunity to support their work to end childhood hunger. Congratulations to everyone who helped bring this campaign to life, and thank you to the donors who chose to give again.
