Good Shepherd
Allentown, PA

Client Challenge:
Good Shepherd—one of the most comprehensive rehabilitation institutes in the world— offers inpatient and outpatient services throughout Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.

After beginning a new direct mail program that started off strong, they began experiencing lackluster acquisition results due to limited list segmentation and graphic design that needed to be improved and resheshed. Good Shepherd was also spending too much money acquiring new donors and not recouping its investment in a timely manner.

Good Shepherd looked to S&W Direct to help reinvigorate its direct mail program.

Schultz & Williams Approach:
S&W Direct began its work by analyzing Good Shepherd’s existing direct mail program and identifying its strengths and weaknesses. Then we created and executed a number of strategic recommendations, which included:

• Increasing Good Shepherd’s list segmentation to better understand how each segment of the file was performing and to identify additional opportunities.
• Creating a fresh design for all of Good Shepherd’s direct mail which better reflected Good Shepherd’s brand.
• Changing package values to allow for more variation, including involvement devices, premiums and information cards.
• Developing a donor-focused newsletter that’s mailed three times per year.

Results:
Today Good Shepherd has significantly increased its revenue and multiple gifts. Our acquisition mailings have realized improved response rates and higher average gifts. And Good Shepherd’s donor appeal mailings are generating more income than ever before. Plus the newsletter has produced a new and promising revenue stream.

New strategies are continuing to evolve, such as creating a mid-level giving club, adding a renewal mailings and finding additional opportunities to cultivate donors.

Good Shepherd’s success exemplifies S&W Direct’s ability to take a mediocre direct mail program and turn it around.