Kranz On Copy: Insights and answers on copywriting and writing copy

I'm not an expert on non-profit fundraising, but I'm fascinated by the subject and, as a volunteer for the Notre Dame High School in Lawrence, have a real interest in learning what works.

I recently tackled the subject on a Daily Fix post and participated in a panel discussion at the recent NEDMA conference that touched on the topic. The big issue seems to concern engaging a new generation of givers, particularly among the Baby Boomers, a group that doesn't have the same kind of charitable impulse as the "Greatest Generation" that preceded them. They'll give -- but they want to give on their own terms.

So it's in that context that I found a letter from Zoo New England very interesting. Zoo New England is the umbrella organization of two zoos in or near Boston. It's always struggling for money. I'm a loyal member and get their mail regularly.

This one came in an invitation-sized envelope. Inside was a single fold announcement -- and this was the clever part: they packaged a request for money around a "baby shower" theme built around the birth of two jaguar cubs. Smart! First, they gave me news I was likely to be interested in; second, they used it in an unobtrusive way to hit me up for more money.

What have you seen that was clever and effective?