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The Solution

A culture of collaboration

From the outset, IFCJ’s leadership, under U.S. CEO Robin Van Etten, set the tone for success. She fostered a culture of excellence—one that values fairness, diligence and outcomes while holding partners accountable with kindness and respect. 

This collaborative model extended beyond RKD. IFCJ worked with multiple agencies and vendors, each with clear swim lanes but a shared mission to inspire generosity and impact lives. Rather than competing, partners collaborated, bringing ideas forward for the good of the Fellowship and those they served. 

RKD’s role: Direct mail and email excellence 

RKD supported IFCJ in two key areas: direct mail and email appeals. These channels together served as a vital bridge between donors and the mission they cared about. 

• Direct mail growth: Since 2019, RKD has helped modernize IFCJ’s direct mail strategy—strengthening acquisition, cultivation and testing frameworks. This was accomplished through a “back-to-basics” approach that reintroduced best practices like match campaigns and new touchpoint strategies. 

• Email growth: After establishing a strong direct mail foundation, IFCJ and RKD began their appeal email program in 2022. Our strategy focused on relevance and segmentation and integrated into the organization’s broader vendor culture while leaning into a test-and-learn mindset and building appeals for crisis response. 

A “win and fail together” philosophy enabled us to work faster and more confidently when experimenting and optimizing these channels on behalf of IFCJ’s dedicated team. 

Adapting through change and crisis 

Together, RKD and IFCJ have navigated monumental challenges: the death of IFCJ’s founder, the global COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. Through each, IFCJ remained grounded in their mission, and RKD helped steward their communications strategy with sensitivity and speed. 

That trust was earned. When crises struck, IFCJ’s team was quick to convene all partners, share information, align messaging and ensure every channel reflected the organization’s heart for those in need. The result was not only continued donor engagement but sustained growth in times when other organizations struggled. 

Testing and curiosity 

A shared culture of curiosity and learning has fueled IFCJ’s growth. Winning strategies are rolled out organization-wide, compounding revenue gains across the program. Hundreds of small learnings that stacked up over time drove this sustainable growth. 

This mindset extended across channels. IFCJ’s priority for continuous improvement has allowed the organization to evolve rapidly—from adopting data-driven testing frameworks to exploring new frontiers like AI-assisted segmentation and creative optimization. 

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The Results

LCIF unlocked scalable, efficient growth and net-positive returns that surpassed all projections: 

IFCJ’s progress was outstanding. Over five years, they saw: 

• 105% growth in direct mail gross revenue, including sustainers 

• 307% increase in digital gross revenue, including sustainers 

• 113% lift in active donors 

IFCJ’s growth was no accident. It was the product of a leadership team with a five-year strategic vision that aligns every partner, channel and campaign around shared goals. Robin Van Etten’s philosophy of partnership has been foundational: 

“RKD is the gold standard of agency service,” Van Etten said. “RKD gets us. They deeply understand our mission, support our strategic imperatives and have a heart and unconditional love for those we serve.” 

We are a trusted partner who owns our lane and helps IFCJ deliver. This deliberate, sustained pattern of growth reflects strong performance and relationships. IFCJ’s structure, with clear channel ownership and open communication, creates space for every partner to thrive.