Best use of events

Howard Lake | 24 May 2013 | Blogs

For the campaign that demonstrates the best use of event fundraising conducted by any charity or branch of a national charity or charities.

The shortlisted entries are:

• Macmillan Cancer Support, World’s Biggest Coffee Morning
• Outward Bound Trust, Descent of the Shard
• Shelter, Vertical Rush

Macmillan Cancer Support

The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning (WBCM) is now in its 21st year and 2012’s objectives were to retain 30,5000 supporters, acquire 25,000 and increase the existing supporter average gift from £240 to £250.

Macmillan undertook extensive research, surveys and focus groups to evaluate motivation and identify new audiences. It used the insight on cancer connection and personal motivation to create an integrated campaign focusing on the pleasure, companionship and support provided by a WBCM event, and the simple proposition ‘making time for what really matters’.

It retained and reactivated existing supporters through mail, TM, high value relationship building, digital and SMS, which gave a 16% increase in retention over the previous year. Acquisition was done primarily through DRTV for the first time, acquiring 50,000 hosts through this medium alone.

Actual results were 82,969 supporters acquired, 36,006 retained and a total income of £15,007,000. There were 118,000 registrations to hold a coffee morning and an estimated 5 million people attending them.

Outward Bound Trust

Only 40 places could be offered on this abseil event – one of which was taken by HRH The Duke of York. To maximise effectiveness, only very high value individuals were targeted via email and specialised marketing collateral. The Trust also worked with PR Agency Bell Pottinger on a prop bono basis to soft launch the campaign in high value and luxury press and media.

The initial target of £1m with a £100,000 budget was soon raised to £1.5m with a £150,000 budget, but the event actually achieved £2.8m with a total spend of £240k.

The partnership between Outward Bound Trust and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust, the Palace, the Sellar Property Group and Bell Pottinger worked so well that it seemed to galvanise the entire group into aiming far higher in terms of scale. This was a unique event for high value individuals, guided by a strategic partnership between charitable, public and corporate sectors.

Both sets of trustees played active roles and both Chief Executives were crucial in guiding both staffs and focusing them on the main goals.
 

Shelter

The Vertical Rush sold out in this fourth year, with 1,200 people taking part. People registered as individuals or in teams of five or relay teams of three.

Target audiences were reached through outdoor roadside ads in the City, email, Facebook and Twitter, DM to London health clubs and gyms, flyers distributed outside City tube stations and 10,000 residential properties in SW London, promotion to Shelter corporate partners and 27 pieces of national and local online and print coverage.

The event has achieved year on year growth and 2012 was a 41% increase on 2011, largely due to a better retention strategy. Teams from Shelter’s in-house design team, media, digital and data management and insight departments all worked together to ensure the success of the event.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.