Fundraising from the kitchen: report from the workshop at EDC Expert

On November 27, 2025, fundraising workshops were held at the EDC headquarters, attended by representatives of foundations and partners cooperating with the NGO sector, including Robert Kawałko from the Polish Fundraising Association and representatives of Axcelo and CAF CALL.

The goal of the workshop was to discuss solutions that realistically affect the effectiveness of fundraising campaigns — from the form of the mail, through the creation, to the donor’s experience.

Invitation as an example of effective direct mailing

The workshop was preceded by sending out invitations prepared in the form of a practical case study. Each participant received a package using techniques that increase the likelihood of opening and engagement:

• kraft bubble wrap made of paper,
• Greenpack’s parchment adhesive instead of a traditional address label,
• the 3D element in the middle was a sock rolled into a sushi shape; the other one was to be picked up during the workshop.

Direct mail influences the recipient’s response.

This direct mail toolkit resulted in nearly 100% open rates and high response rates, despite the winter weather. This is a practical example of how a well-thought-out direct mail can influence the recipient’s response.

Visiting EDC production processes

At EDC, we believe that direct mail must be seen to be truly understood. Therefore, we started the workshop by going through the entire production process: printing house → bookbinding → packaging → distribution. Participants were able to observe working machines, quality control processes, and personalization mechanisms that determine the cost and effectiveness of campaigns.

Substantive part – what works today in fundraising

In the substantive part, we talked about what works best on the market today:

• which packaging maximizes the opening rate,
• when to choose a self-mailer and when to choose a courier or bubble envelope,
• how to use non-standard formats to avoid exceeding the limits of Polish Post,
• and why 3D elements remain one of the strongest behavioral triggers in fundraising.

We also showed several examples of real campaigns and fundraising tools, including our fundraising boards, which more and more organizations are incorporating into their donor acquisition strategies.

The day culminated in a workshop session. Foundation representatives worked on their current fundraising challenges. Brainstorming, analysis of examples, and immediate application of theory to practice yielded concrete solutions that participants took with them to implement.

Conclusions and outlook

The workshop lasted three intense hours and was very well received by the participants. They showed that the greatest value comes from combining practical examples, technical knowledge, and analysis of real fundraising materials.

Marcin Góral, Marketing Director at EDC Expert
“Direct mailing works when it combines creativity with substance and experience. These workshops showed that NGOs respond well to specifics, prototypes, and real-life examples. We have a great potential for development of this channel in Poland, despite the backlog in relation to Western markets. Our task as EDC Expert is to systematically reduce this gap.”

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