A Smarter Path to Acquisition: How City of Hope Elevated Response, Revenue, and Long-Term Value

City of Hope is one of the nation’s leading cancer and diabetes research and treatment centers. Founded in 1913, its mission is to transform hope into reality for patients and families impacted by life-threatening diseases. Donations make it possible to fund this critical research, treatment, and care.  

City of Hope set an ambitious goal for its October 2024 direct mail acquisition campaign to increase response rate and average gift, something not often achieved in acquisition fundraising. Through a smart testing strategy, revitalized list modeling, and a compelling multicomponent direct mail package, City of Hope exceeded expectations. The campaign didn’t just improve metrics — it established a high-performing evergreen control and earned a 2025 GOLD MAXI Award for Direct Mail Campaign Excellence. 

The Situation

City of Hope had not updated its acquisition list strategy or modeling in several years. The organization needed to:

• Acquire new donors
• Reactivate deeply lapsed supporters
• Improve response rate and revenue
• Identify a sustainable evergreen control package

The Work

AGP launched a multi-faceted test with two primary goals:

• Improve list quality through refined modeling and smarter selections.
• Test the impact of a backend premium offer (a City of Hope mug) requiring a minimum $15 donation.

We tested a relatively new FY24 control package, with and without the backend premium, to determine which would perform better. The test package included a vibrant outer envelope, a compelling, full-color personalized letter signed by the Senior Director of Annual Giving, a colorful reply card with the message “5x My Gift to Fight Cancer,” beautiful label and notebook premiums, and a dedicated insert highlighting the mug offer.

In addition, we overhauled our data approach by introducing new cooperative databases, rebuilding outdated models, and renting fresh prospect lists. These changes aimed to improve targeting precision and expand the pool of likely responders.

The campaign mailed 384,678 pieces to prospects and lapsed donors:

• Prospects from cooperative databases and rented lists
• Lapsed donors: Those who had not given in 13–60 months
• House file (non–annual giving): Past event, tribute, or walk participants without a philanthropic gift history

The Results

• 70% lift in year-over-year response rate
• 7% increase in average gift size ($44.31)
• 73% increase in gross revenue – $4142,979 up from $82,503 in 2023

The backend mugoffer was the clear winner, lifting both response and average gift. Donor volume and donor quality improved, supporting long-term revenue and a projected 3–4 year payback.

Ultimately, the campaign helped City of Hope establish a new evergreen acquisition control while modernizing City of Hope’s entire acquisition approach. This campaign not only grew the file — it elevated the strategy behind it.