News

Ego Creative Media has recently won the contract to run The Annual Alumni Gift Appeal for the University of Western Australia within the Office of Development. The University of Western Australia is renowned as one of the finest in the country, and Ego are proud to welcome them as a client.

Ego are responsible for overall project management, preparing the direct mail (DM) pieces, creative artwork, and helping to run a telephone campaign which follows the direct mail out to further encourage Alumni to donate to the university.

The Annual Alumni Gift Appeal has been in operation for a few years and Alumni, friends, parents and staff of UWA have contributed in excess of $1.5 million so far. When a person gives to the Annual Appeal, their gift is the difference that enables the University to achieve excellence in education and cultural heritage at the highest possible level. Interestingly, UWA’s main source of income – tuition fees and investment income– only provide 20% and 36% respectively, of the total cost of a UWA education, so fundraising outside this is crucial.

For example, sufficient funds have now been accumulated to provide financial aid for deserving students, by establishing ten Hackett Foundation Honours Scholarships which are awarded annually. Donors can also choose to have their funds directed towards the vital restoration of the University’s McGillivray Pipe Organ in Winthrop Hall. Alumni can also donate to the unrestricted gift fund, as the University can then be flexible and take advantage of unique opportunities as they arise.

The direct campaign will encompass a range of at least 10 different letters to different segments of the UWA database. For example, Bequestors & Major Donors will receive an entirely different letter, to those who have given to multiple Annual Gift Appeals. For the very first time, we are also targeting Alumni that are currently living in the USA.

In designing and writing the DM letters we are hoping to appeal to a range of different emotions a person has towards the university, and the experience and opportunities that UWA provided them. Research has shown that Alumni have different reasons for giving to this Appeal, such as gratitude for their education, fond memories, an interest in a particular cause, or for some it’s the tax incentives, so we must ensure the wording is complementary to these readings.

Another purpose of the project besides raising funds is to encourage Allumni to stay in touch with the university and participate in different events and activities that the university has on offer. The campaign via the telephone component will allow us to capture important information about the wants, needs and dreams of Alumni that can then be suited to tailor more services back to this group.

Ego are excited to be managing this project on behalf of UWA, and we’re sure the 2007 Annual Alumni Gift Appeal is going to be their best yet!