Cats Protection, the biggest cat welfare charity in the UK, wanted to develop one brand-wide regular giving product. The challenge was that many of their 30 semi-autonomous centres, were already running their own.
We established a steering committee consisting of, members of the various centres, marketing department and relevant partners. This enabled all interested parties to play a role in the shaping of the new product. And, through their involvement, generated support and traction for a project that was initially met with scepticism.
EACH CENTRE HAD A HIGH TURNOVER OF CATS
Consequently, regular giving couldn’t be built around relationships with a single cat. Instead,we asked people to sponsor a pen. In return they’d receive regular updates about their latest residents.
WE BROUGHT CAT LOVERS CLOSER TO THE CATS IN THEIR PENS
This created a highly personalised experience with tailored information clearly showing the difference their sponsorship was making. It brought cat lovers closer to the cats in the pens they sponsored enabling them to build connection and affection for them.
A CONSISTENT STORY ACROSS ALL CHANNELS
We worked with the charity’s various stakeholders and other agency partners to develop material that delivered a consistent narrative across offline, social, digital and face-to-face. And to ensure we remained relevant, annual surveys enabled supporters to refine and further improve their experience, which in turn further reduces attrition rates.
Cat Sponsorship has now grossed over £8 million since launch, recruiting over 76,000 sponsors with an average gift of £8. The programme achieved breakeven within 15 months and we were able to reduce face-to-face attrition by 30%.
