Huntingdon Valley Library 2021 Annual Appeal
Design: Print Design, Web Design, & Illustration
The Huntingdon Valley Library is a small public library in Montgomery County, PA. Most of the library’s frequent patrons consist of parents interested in books and reading programs for their children, older adults looking for bestsellers, teens looking for a quiet place to complete their homework, and college students from nearby Bryn Athyn College.
Huntingdon Valley Library is an older library looking to increase funds through their Annual Appeal fundraiser to help renovate and transform the space for the patrons who rely on it most.
We knew we would need to expand the current pool of donors by increasing both the number of large-sum donors and micro-donors.
Campaign Letter
We reached out to current donors through a mail campaign. Redesigning HVL’s envelope made it more enticing for recipients to open it than their previous white envelope.
The donor letter is a hybrid design combining traditional and modern annual appeal donor practices. We wanted to make sure that all donor segments were being reached out to appropriately.
Donor Reply
Each mailing package came with a donor reply card for donors to mail back their donations if they chose to do so. They are also given the information to donate online as well if they felt more secure that way.
During our research phase we discovered that most current donors used to be frequent users, and were heavily involved in library programming and planning.
To help create content for future campaigns, we asked donors to write and submit a memorable story about a time the library was important to them.
The library received lots of wonderful stories from donors who had fond memories of bringing their children to the library and watching them have fun amongst the stacks of books.
Donation Microsite
To increase the spread of the campaign and increase micro-donations we created a donation micro-site. This site consists of only three pages; the homepage that details the campaign, the stories page that shares stories of multiple patrons whose lives have significantly been impacted by the library, and the page where donors can submit their donations.
This microsite was critical throughout this campaign because it allowed donors to share it with their social networks, which increased the number of donations.
Digital Interactions
The microsite encouraged donors to interact with the library in ways the library’s current website didn’t allow for.
This site allowed donors to make a donation, and sign up for recurring donations, and allowed donors to share their story about the library.
Mobile Site
Research showed that most micro-donors donate through their phone. We ensured the site was mobile-optimized to increase the potential for all donations.
Bespoke Illustrations
Although photography was essential throughout this campaign, the client wanted to include a few illustrations.
We created these illustrations to be used as adornments throughout the mobile site, social media, and email campaigns.