Nonprofit Testimonials
Five Maples is collaborative, attentive, and delivers results that pay off.
But don’t just take our word for it.
I really enjoy working with the people at Five Maples, and I rely on their knowledge for all things “mail.” Whether I’m brainstorming a potential new project or the design of a new remit, or have a last-minute mailing, they help me troubleshoot, suggest creative alternatives to make printing more efficient, and help keep my costs under control. In a lot of ways, I feel like they are an extension of our own staff because of the care and attention to detail they have for every aspect of our mailing.
— Kimberly LeRoy Philbrook, Development Program Coordinator, Smith College Alumnae Fond
We don’t consider [Five Maples] a vendor, but a member of our team, an integral part of our organization. They think through our strategic objectives with us and work to find the most effective and least expensive way to achieve them. We feel fortunate to have them as a resource.
— Maria Basescu Trustee, Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association
I wanted to share with you some news we are celebrating. In the last week since we received the first gift, our spring direct mail piece has raised just over $100,000! That’s such an incredible feat in one week and would NEVER have been possible without your partnership. Thank you so much. I’m so grateful to have our long relationship with Five Maples during these difficult days.
— Alexa Drolette, Assistant Director of Development, Individual Giving,
Project Bread / The Walk for Hunger
Five Maples offers honest, straight-forward service. Thanks to their team, Norwich has increased donor engagement and direct mail response rate. Five Maples is committed to producing the best product within our budget. I am grateful for their entire team and highly recommend Five Maples to anyone looking to optimize their mailing results.
— Reed Curry, Director of Class Giving, Norwich University
We chose Five Maples after years of inadequate service by other companies and have been extremely happy with the great work they do for us. From the beginning, they worked with us to find out what our needs were, how to avoid the problems we had previously experienced, and how to do the job in the most economical way possible. Everyone on the staff I’ve dealt with has been wonderful – courteous, knowledgeable, and prompt problem solvers.
— Ellen Weeks, Administrative Assistant UMass Extension,
Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program
We are thrilled with the results we’re getting with the help of Five Maples. With a varied donor pool at The Putney School we sometimes segment our mailings into more than 20 different groups. The Five Maples production team does an amazing job of helping us keep it all straight and delivers it when and how we need it. I’m always impressed with the care and attention to detail they give to every step in the process.
— Carlotta Cuerdon, Annual Giving Manager, The Putney School
Five Maples has a wonderful team with the ability to handle any level of segmentation and personalization. They are incredibly accurate and detail orientated and are great at keeping deadlines. Their data analysis work for us has been incredibly insightful and helped us determine the best solicitation amounts for our donors.
— Nikki Lother, Annual Giving Program Manager, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
I have worked with Five Maples for over 10 years. When I started working with Spring Lake Ranch I quickly shifted from doing projects in-house to working with Gary and everyone at Five Maples. I always have complete confidence that the work will be top-notch, timely and reasonably priced….you can actually have all three with Five Maples!
— Heather Pinieri, Director of Development, Spring Lake Ranch (VT)
Five Maples has been an integral part of Copley Hospital’s successful development program. We began working together shortly before the hospital launched the largest capital campaign in its history. They were involved in every phase of the campaign, contributing knowledge and strategy, while also maintaining great attention to detail and respecting our budget. We exceeded our $3.2 million goal early. Five Maples has enabled our two-person marketing and development team to further grow our philanthropic program, working together to develop a planned giving program as well as a more sophisticated new mover program. I highly recommend Five Maples.
— Leah Hollenburger, VP Marketing, Development, and Community Relations, Copley Hospital Foundation
I highly recommend working with Five Maples as a development communications partner, especially if you’re a small shop. I’ve worked with Gary and his team for more than five years now and have been deeply grateful to have their support. They are a cost-effective, friendly, and efficient print shop, but more importantly, they know development and have great advice about how to improve your program and get better results. Whether you want a data-driven analysis of your overall fundraising program, a development writer for your annual appeals, or just someone to bounce ideas off of, Five Maples is a great choice.
— Patty McIlvaine, Director of Development and Communications, Thetford Academy
I have worked with Five Maples for five years through two different nonprofit organizations, and I’ve seen the tremendous impact that they have on growing and deepening a donor base. Through their expert advice and research, they provide us with the latest information on best practices for direct mail fundraising, and their mail house staff does an excellent job executing our mailings in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. Having them as a partner in our development effort is a critical element of our success.
— Corey Kurtz, Director of Development, Connecticut River Conservancy
Grace Cottage Hospital has been a Five Maples client for over twelve years, and we’ve never once been disappointed in their expert service, professionalism, and rapid response time. We’ve always been treated as if we’re their only customer! They bend over backwards to get the job done, and to get it done correctly and fast. Everyone at Five Maples knows the business, and they know it well.
— Andrea E. Seaton, VP, Planning & Development, Grace Cottage Hospital
We are seeing significant returns from all segments, and the non-donor segments is performing particularly well (about a third of the overall total). The messaging is resonating incredibly well, for which we are grateful to you and your team.
— Signe Lindberg, Major Gifts Officer, Handel & Haydn Society
Five Maples’ multi-faceted expertise and coaching has allowed us to increase our fundraising and communications, while freeing up our team to focus time and energy on other high priorities. We know our communications are well-attended to, as their guidance goes beyond direct mail—writing, quality control, design, schedule management—Five Maples helps us fill the gaps in our capacity and then some.
— Cary Ridgway & Alan Stearns, Royal River Conservation Trust
Five Maples provided great support when doing the graphic design for our annual appeal layout. Everyone loved the fresh new look and it yielded record results. We also took advantage of their variable ask string table which provided us with an easy way to make increased asks of previous donors. Throughout the entire process, the 5M team was nimble and responsive giving us great peace of mind.
— Frances MacAllister, Director of Development, The Chill Foundation
For the past five years, Five Maples has provided outstanding service and support to our organization. Their timeliness and accuracy is unparalleled. They have met with us onsite to review best practices and provide additional insight. They take the time to ask questions and understand what our goals are and who our target audience is so that the finished product is as successful as can be. Their advice and professional guidance has been instrumental for us.
— Laura Gingras, VP Advancement, Monadnock Community Hospital
Terrific job! Hat’s off for a great design.
— Thomas Thompson, Development Operations Associate, Maine Seacoast Mission
With Five Maples on our team, we were prepared when the crisis arrived. I am grateful that I had help in being strategic and sensitive during a complicated time. We are so far ahead of last year!
— Laura Gillespie, Director of Development & Communications, Upper Valley Haven
This year’s appeal has done notably better than our mailing last year. We increased by a third the number of people we asked and experienced a 155% increase in giving.
— Sally Ann Lee, Development Associate + Valentine H. Zahn, Community Gallery Manager, Middlesex Health
The direct mail package looks fantastic. I can't thank you enough for being my partner in the process. You were supportive, efficient and generous with your suggestions.!
— Laurie Danforth, President, Board of Directors, The Nature Museum
Our Annual Spring appeal has been performing incredibly well….to date, we've tripled our response rate and more than doubled our donations.
— Melissa Howard, Director of Donor Relations, Concord Regional VNA
For us, mailing now has been beneficial—a big win. Our donors feel this is important. They recognize the need.
— Teresa Arnold, Development Associate Institutional Advancement,
CT State Community College Manchester