Caroline Blakely, CEO of Brain Research UK, shares her experience of running the charity’s first external face-to-face campaign for many years
QUICK FACTS
Client: Brain Research UK
Campaign type: Test campaign to recruit 1,000 new regular givers at private sites
Objective: to grow the pool of regular supporters
Duration: 3 months
When we first started talking to Gather Campaigns, it had been almost a decade since we’d done any face-to-face fundraising.
We had good supporter retention but were aware we needed to focus on acquisition. It doesn’t matter how good your retention is, your supporter numbers will eventually erode. We needed to bring in new donors and enlisted the help of fundraising consultant, Grahame Darnell from Darnell Consulting. Grahame strongly recommended we do a trial face-to-face campaign, as he believed it would be the most cost and time effective way to achieve our objective of increasing our number of regular givers.
Our Board was healthily cautious but was convinced by the case made. We considered and made enquiries with various suppliers, and were impressed with how supportive and obliging Gather Campaigns was at providing all the information and analysis requested, even at pitch stage.
It was vital to us that we undertook thorough due diligence, so we could be confident when it came to quality assurance. We wanted to know that fundraisers would be positive ambassadors – that they would represent us well and be fully compliant with fundraising best practice and rules. Gather Campaigns provided everything we asked for, from information on subcontracting to data protection and clear policies. We went through all documentation with a fine-toothed comb and were satisfied that we were partnering with the right people.
A genuine partnership We ran a process examining different offers in the market and the enthusiasm and professionalism we saw from the whole Gather Campaigns team really stood out. It was more than just a supplier/client relationship – it was a genuine partnership. The people we were dealing with were genuinely excited to be working with Brain Research UK and believed fully in our proposition. We did some private mystery shopping in week two of the campaign and were impressed with the fundraisers, who were engaging and professional.
The calm, methodical approach Gather Campaigns took, together with their meticulous organisation and planning, gave us reassurance. They hand-held us through the entire process, via a very thorough onboarding and project management process, which is exactly what we were looking for. Our in-house team’s approach was to form a productive partnership and once we’d decided to commit to the campaign, the two organisations worked seamlessly together.
RESULTS
New regular giver signups: exceeded target by almost 25%
Average supporter age: 46
Email Opt-in rate: 92%
Gift Aid target: exceeded
Gift value: higher than average
Attrition: as predicted
Complaints: 0
What’s next for Brain Research UK?
When we presented the results to the Board, they were encouraged; as such, we were then successful in securing their support for a second face-to-face campaign. We’ll be running the next campaign in mid to late summer 2024 when we’ll be doubling the volumes.
Caroline’s advice for other charities thinking of trying face-to-face
Be brave, undertake good, thorough market analysis in advance and look at the outcomes. Some people consider face-to-face to be intrusive. This is not necessarily the case provided the charity works with the right partner. When done professionally, in the right way with the right agency, the experience for the charity and the public can be extremely positive.
I’d say to anyone in the sector that as long as realistic expectations are set (it could be two years before a face-to-face campaign reaches breakeven point), most campaigns will see their investment double within five years.
Grahame Darnell from Darnell Consulting says:
“I recommended Gather Campaigns because I wanted to make sure Brain Research UK received a good quality and value for money solution. Quality was so important for this client as the charity was rightly cautious beforehand. If there’d been a lot of complaints at the start, they would have become nervous. I also wanted a partner with integrity; it wasn’t just about getting a good result – it was about a supplier who was experienced and would support the client through the campaign at every step. Gather Campaigns didn’t let me down. Their account team — Simon, Kay, Aimee and Idil — were brilliant.
Kay Fellows, business development manager at Gather Campaigns, says:
“The team at Brain Research UK were super-efficient, highly responsive and very engaged. They’re a lean and united organisation, who make the process of decision-making smooth and agile. Theirs is a very positive culture and they were a joy to work with.”
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