For the past few months, one of my projects as part of
the fundraising team has been working on developing new print for our annual
giving programme. I’ve researched other giving print, collated ideas, helped
decide on our message, developed the copy, worked with a new designer, our
printers and the marketing team to create something that hopefully stands out
and will encourage more people to give to Britten Sinfonia.
I know what some of you might be thinking: ‘in a world of
digital marketing and social media campaigns, what’s the point in print? We’ve
all seen the hugely successful selfie campaign and ice bucket challenge…’ But even
though digital campaigns are important drivers of both marketing and
fundraising we don’t want our print to get left behind because it’s important,
too. You’re right that much of the information we print is available in some
form online, but if you’re anything like me however much you might walk around
with an iPhone glued to your hand there’s still nothing better than sitting
down (or snuggling into bed in your pyjamas) with a magazine or a good book;
turning the pages, feeling the weight of it (or lack of, depending on whether
you’re reading Eleanor Catton’s The
Luminaries or Ernest Hemingway’s The
Old Man and the Sea) enjoying the experience of holding an actual book with
a lovely cover and beautifully printed pages... And, let’s face it, we get much
more excited to receive post through the letter box than an email in our
overflowing inboxes.
We decided to update the annual giving print for a number
of reasons. The text was out of date (highlighting Britten Sinfonia’s 20th
birthday while we’re now approaching our 25th) the cover image was
dark and dated, and since it was produced over two years ago it feels like every
orchestra has chosen to entice potential donors to ‘play your part’, and
Britten Sinfonia is no ordinary orchestra. It was time for a change and for
something a bit different.
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| Our previous annual giving print |
After a lot of research and thought we came up with a few
things that we wanted to achieve: something different, bold and eye-catching
yet simple, concise and tidy. With our ideas settled we left the final design
in capable hands and continued to work on our overall message and how we were
going to communicate it.
Although our previous ‘play your part’ stance was, and
still is, relevant, we think there’s much more to your ownership of the
orchestra than that. There’s more to being a supporter of Britten Sinfonia than
sending a cheque or setting up a direct debit and playing a part in financing
our concerts. Everyone who is a regular concert-attender and even those who
only come along occasionally should feel that the orchestra they have invested
even a little bit of their time and/ or money in is truly theirs for the
taking.
Instead of highlighting funding cuts and the need for
more gifts from individuals, we have chosen to emphasise the positives: in spite
of everything, Britten Sinfonia is growing and achieving more than ever before
and it’s thanks to our current partners, donors and everyone who has ever
purchased a single ticket. All of you have contributed to our successes and so
each concert and project belongs to you. And giving, whether it’s your time in
a concert hall or your hard-earned cash, is all about you and your relationship
to us. You’re not just playing your part; we’re here because of you, so Britten
Sinfonia is your orchestra.
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| Our exciting shiny new annual giving print |
Nothing beats a good book, and (at least at Britten
Sinfonia) it’s always exciting to receive a pallet-load of new print. I think
everyone in the office could do without the smell of ink that lingers for
weeks, but it’s great to write letters, stuff envelopes and post out our latest
leaflet or brochure to our donors and audiences, because there’s definitely
something about print.
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