Celebrating our 2026 MAXI award winners
Thoughtful planned giving marketing can do more than inspire generosity. It can help organizations build deeper connections with donors, and we’re proud to see several of our recent projects honored for doing just that.
The MAXI Awards, presented by Direct Marketing Association of Washington, celebrate some of the most innovative and effective work in our field, recognizing campaigns that combine smart strategy and creative thinking with meaningful results.
We’re honored to be among the 2026 winners. It’s especially rewarding to receive this recognition alongside our clients, whose trust, collaboration and shared commitment to creating a better world drive everything we do.
I’m pleased to share this year’s award-winning campaigns and a little about what made each one stand out.
GOLD
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Fall Planned Giving Campaign Newsletter
For bird lovers, imagining a better future naturally starts with the birds they want to protect.
We built on that connection for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s multichannel campaign, bringing together an inspiring vision of a bird-friendly world and practical estate planning guidance. Stories, beautiful imagery and playful bird-themed language made a complex topic feel more approachable while reinforcing the Lab as a trusted resource for supporters planning for the future.
The result showed supporters how a legacy gift could help their vision for a bird-friendly future take flight.
GOLD
World Wildlife Fund: Fall Planned Giving Campaign
One of the strengths of this multichannel campaign was its timing: the reflective year-end season, when donors may already be thinking about the future.
Our team carried that spirit of reflection throughout WWF’s fall campaign, using compelling stories, striking visuals and practical guidance to make legacy giving feel personal and actionable.
Renee Durnin, principal client strategist, had this to say:
This is the second consecutive year that our work with WWF has earned MAXI recognition, and it motivates us to keep raising the bar. We’re always looking for ways to bring new thinking to our work together and create campaigns that both make an impact for WWF and stand out in our industry.
SILVER
World Wildlife Fund: Nurturing Nature Campaign
What if Mother’s and Father’s Day could celebrate more than just parenthood?
That idea inspired our team to create WWF’s multichannel Nurturing Nature campaign, which celebrates anyone who nurtures the world around them.
By connecting the instinct to care for others with the desire to protect animals and the planet, the campaign offered a fresh way to engage loyal donors and inspire deeper support.
BRONZE
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center: Legacy Match
A historic campaign to end cancer created a powerful opportunity to put legacy giving in the spotlight.
As part of the launch of UT MD Anderson Cancer Center’s $2.5 billion Only Possible Here campaign, we created a multichannel legacy match experience that inspired donors to unlock $1 million in immediate funds by making future commitments. Our creative reinforced the urgency, exclusivity and impact of the opportunity.
Kasi Birch, senior client strategist, shared:
We’re honored to win our first MAXI award with the UT MD Anderson team, and the legacy match was a fitting campaign for this recognition. The incredible response will help create new possibilities in cancer prevention, treatment and care—today and tomorrow.
FINALIST—TOP 3
Guide Dogs for the Blind: A Puppy’s Journey
If cuteness were an Olympic sport, puppies would win the gold every four years. And when you combine puppy cuteness with life-changing purpose, you embark on a journey worth celebrating (and supporting) every single day.
For our Puppy Journey direct mail campaign, we connected a puppy’s path to becoming a guide dog with another meaningful journey: a donor’s path to leaving a legacy.
That combination of heart and purpose earned our puppies a nomination for the prestigious Stamp of Excellence Award.
Beyond the Accolades
This industry recognition is especially meaningful because of the impact behind the work. Taken together, these projects inspired $77.2 million in new legacy gift intentions—an incredible reminder of what thoughtful planned giving marketing can make possible.
We’re grateful to our clients for trusting us to help bring their missions to life, and proud to create work that helps build a better future.
If you’re ready to see what’s possible for your planned giving program, please reach out. We’d love to help.