An integrated 200-year anniversary mailing delivered results to celebrate

Background

The spring of 2024 presented a unique moment for the RNLI as the charity prepared to mark 200 years of saving lives at sea on 4 March. This milestone was a chance to commemorate the sacrifice and achievements of lifesavers throughout the charity’s history, celebrate the modern lifesaving service of today, and inspire more support by boosting funds and awareness.

In previous years, the RNLI’s Spring direct marketing activity tended to be a variety of separate mailings: a fundraising appeal letter, a legacy pack encouraging people to pledge a gift in their Will, a retail catalogue selling RNLI shop gifts, and marketing materials encouraging people to sign up as members. But this was no ordinary year, and with the 200-year anniversary on the horizon, the RNLI saw the opportunity to do something different—and seized it.

Solution

The RNLI’s fundraising and marketing teams recognised this milestone as the perfect opportunity to unify their efforts and calls to action, all tied to the charity's historic 200th anniversary. The result was an integrated pack that, for the first time, allowed supporters to contribute in multiple ways within a single mailing. This special pack offered options to donate, buy from the shop, begin the legacy giving journey, and join as a member.

The pack would go to all warm supporters in the UK and Ireland, from donors and members to legacy pledgers – that’s more than 800,000 people.

The challenge was clear: how could RNLI create a pack that would resonate with such a diverse group of supporters, while combining multiple calls to action? The solution was a carefully crafted booklet, designed around four distinct sections that appealed to both the heart and the head and reflected the different ‘asks’.

It began with the RNLI’s story of kindness – a true tale of generosity that can’t continue without more support. Starting with an appeal to the nation from the RNLI’s founder and featuring historic milestones along the way, including the world’s first charity street collection (held in Manchester in aid of the RNLI following the loss of two lifeboat crews) and the charity’s first commemorative souvenirs sold to raise lifesaving funds. 

Having taken the reader on an emotional, fascinating journey, the rest of the booklet needed to feature three ways for the reader to continue the story of kindness today: buy from the RNLI shop, join as a member, add a gift to your will. These three opportunities aligned with the key topics for the RNLI’s 200th anniversary activity: commemorate (…the lifesaving heritage with a souvenir), celebrate (... today’s lifesavers by joining as a member and powering them) and inspire (... new generations with a gift in your will that protects future crew members). Propositions, copy and layout worked hard to make each offer equally distinct and engaging ensuring that every supporter found a way to connect with the RNLI’s mission.

Eye-catching design, crisp typography and images ranging from old pictures from the archive to modern, hi-res photography brought the booklet to life. The photography included a full-bleed front page image showing RNLI fundraisers and lifesavers in Leicester Square, London in 1932 – an image that was recreated for the back outer page with modern volunteers, in exactly the same spot.

To ensure each section of the booklet stood out and allowed readers to navigate easily, the creative team needed a print solution that gave equal prominence to each call-to-action without overwhelming the audience. Working in collaboration with the printers, the RNLI decided on using stepped pages to divide the booklet, creating clear sections for each call-to-action and ensuring a seamless reading experience. In addition, the retail section used a fold-out to provide the space to showcase the variety of products available.

While the booklet catered for three of the four asks, the accompanying letter and form would appeal for a one-off cash donation. This followed the well-honed approach for emotional individual giving campaigns: a letter from a volunteer representing the lifesavers you could help.

The booklet’s impact had to be reflected in its material, with a carefully chosen paper stock and weight that matched the significance of the mailing. This wasn’t just a flimsy fundraising leaflet or a glossy shop catalogue - this was a keepsake, a souvenir marking 200 years of kindness. It was designed to be cherished, revisited, and reflected upon.

Beyond personalising each recipient's name on the mailing, the donation form had to be tailored 18 different ways to meet the needs of diverse audiences—whether they were existing members, legacy pledgers, non-members, UK gift aiders, or Irish supporters and more. Each version was thoughtfully crafted to ensure every supporter felt acknowledged and valued. In addition, a ‘cold’ version of the pack was even created, this was handed out at RNLI events and venues – delighting RNLI’s community teams and volunteers. 

People who usually received the RNLI’s quarterly Lifeboat magazine were in for a treat. Alongside their magazine, they got the booklet and letter in the same pack. Additionally, the magazine itself became a part of the celebration, with a special 200th-anniversary edition filled with content and design worthy of such a significant milestone. This meant two version of the envelope for the birthday mailing were needed– one that solely showcased the souvenir booklet, another that also showcased the anniversary edition of Lifeboat.

To give Lifeboat a more premium feel worthy of this special edition, the weight of the stock on the cover was increased and a roll fold was added to create space for a striking cover illustration featuring key faces and scenes from over the years.

The teams collaborated closely to enhance the visual impact of the Lifeboat, testing and incorporating the use of gold throughout its pages for a touch of elegance. With several darker images featured inside, they also tested and added a protective seal to keep the magazine in pristine condition when it reached supporters’ hands. 
Every detail was meticulously crafted – for instance the front cover had a few millimetres of the second page visible due to the roll fold being slightly in-stepped. To ensure this looked intentional, the visible section’s colour was matched to the cover to the cover, preventing any hint of imperfection.

Finally, the RNLI determined that the best way to fulfil this before their birthday on 4 March was to send three waves in February, with the third wave combining the birthday campaign with the quarterly Lifeboat magazine mailing

Results

RNLI’s integrated mailing to celebrate their momentous birthday delivered momentous results that smashed targets, ensuring the charity could go on saving lives at sea.

CASH DONATIONS

Target: £650,0000

Actual income: £1,022,654 

RETAIL

Target: £150,000

Actual income: £884,000

LEGACY

Target: 800 responses

Actual: 954 - equates to a predicted £8.6M

MEMBERSHIP

No target - this was brand new activity

New memberships secured: 1,636 (equates to £163K over next year)

Another demonstration of the pack’s impact came in the form of heartfelt words as well as kind donations. People who chose to give online after receiving the pack were given the opportunity to leave a birthday message to the RNLI and its lifesavers on a special dedication page.

Source: SMP Awards 2024