SaveKitty Foundation is a small but feisty group of volunteer animal rescuers who help all animals at risk but specialize in finding safe, loving homes for New York City's stray cats while also improving quality of life for the city's population of feral felines.

 

Challenge
SaveKitty had done relatively well drumming up small donations via sidewalk events, local press coverage and word-of-mouth pleas for community assistance. But, when the price of pet food began skyrocketing and the need for supplies mushroomed, the group recognized that relying on homespun funding would too soon come to mean providing services for a fast-shrinking percentage of ill, injured and at-risk animals. Faircom New York heard about the heightened need through local channels and was so impressed with the volunteers' can-do spirit that we offered our services pro bono.

 

Solution/Campaign
Faircom New York put together an initial direct-mail appeal reaching out to SaveKitty's existing donors, including those who had given time or materials instead of (or as well as) money. A plucky letter true to the founder's engaging speaking style – together with a reply card featuring the faces of appreciative animals – recounted recent daring rescues sure to inspire donors to identify with SaveKitty's valiant, street-smart heart and prompt a robust outpouring of support. We kept printing, production and mailing costs to a bare minimum so as to maximize cost-efficiency while also avoiding a slick presentation that would have contradicted the group's grassroots branding.