# Brooke changes its approach to mid-value supporters

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/09/14/brooke-changes-approach-mid-value-supporters/
- Published: 2017-09-14T12:10:22+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**International animal welfare charity Brooke has introduced a new approach to inspiring
and retaining its mid-value audience of supporters. Until recently it had experienced
declining response rates from this group of supporters, sometimes down by a half.**

The charity asked [GOOD Agency](http://www.goodagency.co.uk) to help improve its
approach to engaging with this audience.

GOOD’s research found that many of these supporters did not like:

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 * to feel that they were “ringfenced” into a club together with people they didn’t
   know
 * to be given a label
 * to be given particularly special treatment

Instead, they said that they wanted:

 * the opportunity to feel part of something where they could make a significant
   difference to the suffering animals they cared passionately about.
 * direct communications that made them feel closer to the work in the field, and
   closer to the team
 * and to feel part of a collective endeavour. 

## Tribe funding campaign

Based on this research GOOD and Brooke have introduced a ‘tribe funding’ initiative
that invited mid-value supporters and prospects to choose which of three Brooke 
projects they wanted to fund.

![Brooke's mid value donor campaign with GOOD Agency](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2017/09/brooke-good-agency-mid-value-campaign-2.jpg)

_Brooke invited donors to choose a project to support_

This had the added benefit of driving more donors online, a secondary objective 
of Brooke’s brief to GOOD.

The first of the new communications was a teaser email, sent in April 2017. This
was followed by a pack that invited supporters to pick from three projects to support
from three different countries. In each of these the case for support was made by
the key members of the team who could make change happen for the animals if they
joined them: owners, local vets, community champions and Brooke staff.

Supporters were then directed online to the tribe funding pages for more project
content and a running total of the project funding. Finally, a reminder mailing 
included photographs with handwritten notes from Brooke staff in the field to bring
supporters even closer to the cause.

Annie Moreton, Senior Fundraising Planner at GOOD, said: “With tangible objectives
and items their donations could fund, supporters could make an informed decision
in addition to those which struck a chord with them emotionally.”

Jane Bond, Direct Marketing Manager at [Brooke](https://www.thebrooke.org/), said:“
This project is all about providing supporters with updates on the work in action,
and connecting them directly to the impact that their support will make and the 
people that will make it happen. We are thrilled with how it has been received. 
It has been our most successful appeal in the past two years; receiving an average
response rate of **over 9%** for the main pack and is on track to double the target
by campaign close; raising **over £130,000**.”

The charity is planning to run a similar campaign in 2018. Meanwhile, existing donors
are continuing to receive tailored email updates on the projects that they fund.

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