Have your heard that direct mail is dead? Or dying? Well, hold on a minute.

Every spring, Impact partners with Howard University on their Howard University Alumni Association Emergency Scholarship Fund campaign. Each year, we interview a recent alumnus who received the scholarship, allowing them to graduate. The stories are heartwarming and powerful.

In response to this year’s alumni story, the direct mail campaign generated a $50,000 gift from a non-alumni donor! Click here to read a bit of the copy from this powerful and effective appeal:

            Graduation is an important moment in every student’s life. It signifies the blood, sweat and tears they endured in hope to one day hear their name called to walk across the stage and receive their diploma. And to think, I almost did not make it …

            Two weeks prior to graduation, to my dismay, I was informed I possessed an outstanding balance on my account and if I did not pay it in full, I would not be able to graduate.

           My joy was stolen and my heart, mind and soul were filled with angst. Paralyzed by the thought that my hard work and sacrifice would be in vain, I reached out to the Howard University Alumni Association. When they informed me they were going to pay my balance in full, an enormous burden was lifted off of my shoulders.