Literally Every Penny Counts
Pennies 4 Lincoln Fundraising Campaign for the Delaware County Historical Society
Concept Development
Copywriting
Design
Pennies 4 Lincoln
Challenge
Since 1895 Delaware County Historical Society has worked to collect, protect, and preserve the area’s culture, traditions, and history.
DCHS is home to the original 1860 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Campaign Banner. The 75 foot by 64 foot banner features a rare depiction of the 16th president as clean shaven without his iconic beard and was used for presidential campaign parades in Delaware County both in 1860 and in 1864.
Even with careful care, the banner had deteriorated over the years. At the onset of an effort to salvage it, DCHS sought the expertise of appraisers Frisk and Borodin, who confirmed it as a rare and important part of history that needed preserving.
The goal was to raise enough funding through donations to cover the restoration and preservation of the banner, as well as the costs of the fundraising campaign.
Solution
Launched on Lincoln’s birthday. DCHS embarked on the Pennies4Lincoln campaign, calling on all Delaware County residents to give what they can to help restore and preserve the precious artifact of the county’s and nation’s history.
We developed and mailed a series of postcards to over 100,000 Delaware County residents asking for “spare change” in an effort to achieve the goal. Posters and donation boxes were also displayed in local businesses.
Result
The campaign was wildly successful and ended with a standing room-only discussion by a renowned Lincoln historian. The original estimate for restoration was $15,100. The campaign earned $205,618.
