REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
Direct Mail, Digital Marketing, and Telemarketing Services
Issued by: Bread for the City
Issue Date: May 5, 2025
Proposal Deadline: May 20, 2025

1. Background
   Bread for the City is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization providing wraparound direct services—including food, clothing, medical care, legal and social services, and behavioral health—to residents living with low income. Grounded in dignity, equity, and community, our mission is to help Washington, DC residents living with low income to develop their power to determine the future of their own communities. We provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. We seek justice through community organizing and public advocacy. We work to uproot racism, a major cause of poverty. We are committed to treating our clients with the dignity and respect that all people deserve. To sustain and grow its donor base, Bread for the City seeks a strategic partner to manage and execute a comprehensive, integrated fundraising outreach program encompassing direct mail, digital marketing, and telemarketing, with an annual budget not to exceed $750,000. The selected vendor will apply marketing best practices and behavioral science-informed strategy to engage supporters across multiple channels and convert engagement into meaningful financial support.
2. Scope of Work
   The selected partner will be responsible for the end-to-end management and execution of an omnichannel fundraising program, including but not limited to:
   • Strategy and Program Management
     • Develop an annual fundraising and donor engagement calendar.
     • Coordinate campaigns across direct mail, email, SMS/texting, telemarketing, and digital ads.
     • Provide strategic segmentation based on donor behavior, giving history, and marketing
       approaches.
     • Develop donor journeys, including automations, that optimize retention, acquisition, and upgrade
       pathways.
     • Incorporate behavioral science techniques into message development, frequency, sequencing,
       and design.
   • Creative Development
     • Concept, copywriting, design, and production of all creative assets.
     • Tailoring content by segment and channel (e.g., digital-first donors, lapsed donors, major donor prospects, prospect types).
     • Testing creative, messaging, and design variations to optimize performance.
   • Execution and Fulfillment
     • Printing and mailing of direct mail packages, including acquisition, appeal/renewal, sustainer, and
       stewardship mailings.
     • Deployment of coordinated email and SMS/text campaigns.
     • Telemarketing scripting, training, and outreach execution (including pledge fulfillment).
     • Management of data files, suppression lists, and channel preferences.
   • List Management and Data Analytics
     • Acquisition and management of donor prospect lists.
     • Hygiene, NCOA, deduplication, and segmentation of Bread for the City’s donor files.
     • Performance analytics and reporting for each channel and campaign.
     • Provide recommendations for optimization based on analytics.
3. Budget
   • The total annual budget for this scope, including all services—strategy, management, copywriting, design, printing, postage, mailing, digital deployment, telemarketing, list buying, and reporting—must not exceed $750,000.
   • Vendors should provide a detailed cost breakdown by channel and service area.
4. Proposal Requirements
   • Interested vendors should submit a proposal that includes:
     • Agency Overview: Background, mission, core capabilities, and experience with nonprofit
       clients—especially those in social services.
     • Approach: Strategic vision for omnichannel donor engagement, including segmentation, donor
       journeys, and behavioral science integration.
     • Team: Bios of key team members and their roles in the account.
     • Work Samples: At least three samples of integrated fundraising campaigns (with permission).
     • References: Contact information for at least three nonprofit clients.
     • Budget: Line-item budget for the proposed services.
     • Timeline: Project milestones, onboarding schedule, and launch plan.
5.  Evaluation Criteria:
   • Proposals will be evaluated based on:
     • Strategic alignment with Bread for the City’s values and goals.
     • Demonstrated expertise in omnichannel fundraising.
     • Behavioral science and marketing best practice integration.
     • Creativity and strength of past campaigns.
     • Budget realism and value for investment.
     • Project management capabilities and team strength.
6.  Timeline
   

   Milestone	Date
   RFP Released	May 6, 2025
   Questions Due	May 12, 2025
   Proposals Due	May 20, 2025
   Vendor Selected	May 23, 2025
   Project Kickoff	June 1, 2025

Submission Instructions
Please email your proposal (in PDF format) and any questions to:
Ashley Domm
Head of Advancement & Chief Development Officer, Bread for the City
adomm@breadforthecity.org
Subject line: RFP Response – Integrated Fundraising Services

Bread for the City is an equal opportunity organization. We strongly encourage applications from organizations led by and serving historically marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+ communities, immigrants, and people with disabilities.