The Difference​ Is Sheffield​

The Story: The University of Sheffield were looking to raise money for scholarships for undergraduate students from low-income backgrounds to help support them through 3 years of their studies. A lack of funds and high demand for scholarships meant that 6 out of 10 eligible students missed out on being awarded a scholarship by the University the previous year. The University’s aim was to raise enough to fund 200 scholarships for students starting in September 2022.

The Brief: We were asked us to produce a main and a reminder direct mail appeal, aimed at acquiring and retaining mid-value level cash gifts (£1-£10k) from a small audience (3,000 for main mailing and 2,250 for reminder mailing).​

The proposition for the mailing was ‘Invest in the Best’ which ties into the language of the University’s institutional campaign: ‘There’s no better investment’. The idea of ‘investing’ in a student’s future fits with the ask for higher, mid-value donations and the notion of the long-term benefit of investing in a talented student’s future.

Our Response: We created a very personalised pack with the ask strategy varying by audience, based on previous giving levels and attempting to uplift the donor’s last gift level.

With our ‘The Difference is…’ messaging, we wanted to inspire a sense of pride and nostalgia whilst creating a feeling of urgency to make a difference to future students and to the ongoing reputation and prestige of the University. This was brought to life with powerful student stories.

Results: The campaign secured £67,537 from a total of 136 gifts with an average value of £326 and a highest gift of nearly £11,000.