This direct mail appeal was crafted to re-engage lapsed and loyal donors through a high-emotion patient story, paired with a tangible premium. The letter leads with Alexis’ photo and narrative, grounding the ask in a personal and urgent context, while bolded and underlined text highlights urgency, hope, and donor impact — all classic direct response techniques to drive skimming readers toward the call to action. The enclosed notepad served both as a token of gratitude and a physical reminder of the ongoing fight against pediatric cancer, reinforcing donor value beyond the immediate ask. My role spanned segmentation strategy (targeting donors most responsive to premiums and reactivation tactics), guiding ask string strategy for mid- and high-level givers, and collaborating with creative teams to ensure the copy direction balanced empathy with urgency. The result was a cohesive package designed to increase open, read, and response rates in a competitive year-end fundraising environment.