The National Trust and Practical Action have both launched new recruitment campaigns to attract fresh and lapsed donors to their causes.

The National Trust direct mail push, created by DMS and launched on 14 July, aims to raise funds for the creation of an interactive trail at the Fen. Targeted locally to engage Fen enthusiasts, the campaign is also targeting lapsed donors in the Wicken Fen area.

The campaign will attempt to engage locals, offering them the opportunity to suggest landmarks along the way that should feature on the tour. It will be headed by an appeal from the charity to "please help us to bring Wicken Fen’s hidden history alive".

Creative director at DMS, Shawn Crawford, said: “National Trust has a wealth of history and folklore from the early 1900s on Wicken Fen; we wanted to use this history creatively to get local people involved and inspired to make a donation to support new initiatives.”

Meanwhile, development charity Practical Action is testing a variety of fundraising propositions in its own direct marketing campaign, to run from the end of July  through until September.

TDA has created two inserts to run in the national press which are designed to raise awareness and recruit donors by showing the positive changes supporters can make. Hoping to generate an average gift value of £35 from the campaign, it is the start of an ongoing programme to recruit long-term supporters.

The campaign will focus on demonstrating examples of simple technology, which can help a single family or a whole community. The theme centres on a demonstration of value to prospective donors, through life-changing stories and how their own personal investment can make a difference.

“This campaign is not about pushing emotional buttons,” said Emmeline Kite, account director at TDA. “But about one simple theme – the tangible outcome of their investment.” 

See examples of the creative in both campaigns below.