Back from the Brink | Digital Regular Giving Campaign
Background
ZSL (Zoological Society of London) is an international conservation charity working to restore wildlife and protect endangered species around the world.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the temporary closure of London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo prompted an emergency fundraising appeal that recruited more than 26,000 new donors. As the zoos reopened, the challenge shifted from emergency fundraising to supporter retention: how could ZSL turn those new donors into long-term regular givers before they disengaged?
The Challenge
ZSL invited us to develop and test a new digital regular giving product designed specifically for this recently acquired audience.
The objective was to create a compelling reason for supporters to continue giving, strengthen their connection with ZSL's conservation work and build a sustainable stream of regular income through digital channels.
The Creative Strategy
The project began with audience insight. We reviewed ZSL's existing donor research, supporter behaviour and acquisition data to identify the motivations most likely to drive ongoing support.
From that insight, we developed three different regular giving propositions and tested them through workshops and audience surveys. The winning idea became Back from the Brink.
The proposition invited supporters to become part of ZSL's conservation mission by receiving exclusive behind-the-scenes films, stories and updates showing how their monthly gift helps protect endangered wildlife across London Zoo, Whipsnade Zoo and conservation projects around the world.
Rather than relying on generic fundraising messages, the campaign focused on access, discovery and emotional connection, giving supporters a sense of being closer to the animals and conservation teams they were helping to protect.
We created the ongoing content programme in-house, producing monthly email communications, editing video content supplied by ZSL and developing engaging storytelling designed to strengthen supporter engagement over time.
For launch, we delivered a complete digital toolkit including website banners, email templates, promotional films, social media advertising and messaging guidelines, ensuring the campaign could be rolled out consistently across every channel.
Impact
Back from the Brink gave ZSL a new digital regular giving platform built around audience insight, exclusive content and long-term supporter engagement.
The proposition was tested, refined through live audience feedback and aligned with ZSL's evolving brand, creating a scalable fundraising product designed to improve donor retention, grow regular giving income and strengthen relationships with supporters beyond the initial emergency appeal.