"A history of late fall, incentive-based annual giving campaigns suggested a similar approach for 2022 to keep giving goals in pace throughout the year. Observing that a previous UChicago-themed jigsaw puzzle proved to be a popular a solicitation incentive, a new puzzle was proposed. The puzzle concept aligned with audiences spending more time at home and looking for activities to do and share (and timely, unique holiday gifts). Additionally, the options for giving encouraged donors to potentially collect previous years' puzzle editions as a set based on higher giving amounts.
The campaign was conducted via email (three emails that focused on the incentive—the first two defined premise/value proposition; the third reinforced deadline), with limited social media support on Facebook, and through volunteer communications. Print communications were also designed and deployed in the forms of both a die-cut self-mailer with tipped-in envelope, and also a simpler oversized postcard. These were mailed concurrently and used to gather cost benefit insights of the two print strategies. Effectiveness is measured by appeal codes and tracked links embedded in each deliverable or friendly URL.
The campaign did predictably well, exceeding the previous year in donors by a significant amount: $206,962 was raised from 1,751 donors. The puzzles were very popular and continue to be requested on occasion."
From the Judges
Annual giving can be puzzling, but UChicago brilliantly connected the pieces with timing, solicitation platforms, and careful tracking. This was a model of ingenuity, effectively executed. Now we all want puzzles!
