Former pupils, aged over 55, were sent the Xerox iGen3-printed books, put together using the Dsicmm's Nexdox development platform. The items included the recipient’s name and their years at the school appeared as the title on the front cover in a bid to raise donations.
The direct mail giant also produced an accompanying leaflet appealing to alumni to leave the school money in their wills.
Andy Young, group managing director at Dsicmm, said: "Imagery throughout the book carries the recipient’s name in clever ways; an image of the school cricket jumper revealed the former pupil’s own name on the name-tag; in another picture, a typical school report cover has the recipient’s name on it."
"I am very pleased the publication was so well received. In financially pressured times, the Felsted School campaign is a remarkable achievement, proving that an inspired creative idea, coupled with high quality execution, can produce excellent results, in spite of the economic circumstances."
Richard Salmon, head of development at Felsted School, said: Like all institutions Felsted has moved with the times through ambitious initiatives including the introduction of the International Baccalaureate. The aim of the development office is to increase the school’s endowment to enhance facilities and to help support more children through the provision of bursaries.
"The campaign was immediately successful. Rather than just establishing a legacy clause in their wills, many alumni sent donations straight away. We received one donation, which alone covered all print, development, production and postage costs. The accompanying letter from this former pupil stated that he would rather give with a warm hand than a cold one."
The pledges received by Felsted School as a result of the campaign are said to have received a 2400% return on investment, so far.
Felsted School dates back to the sixteenth century and operates as an independent boarding and day school for children aged four to 18.
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