Using email to ensure the success of local, Armed Forces fundraising events
National military charity SSAFA used precise targeting, strategic timing, and relevant content.
National military charity SSAFA used precise targeting, strategic timing and relevant content to help the push for their fundraising tea parties.
Company name: SSAFA (formerly the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmens Families Association)
Designed and developed by: Lydia Horstman
Website: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/
Campaign details
Subject line: Big Brew Up 2014 | One Week To Go!
Open: 47%
Click: 22% of opened
Context
What data was used?
The campaign was targeted at SSAFA subscribers who had registered their interest in hosting a fundraising event for the charity.
Objective
- Give fundraiser hosts support to help make their tea parties a success
- Convert interest into fundraising events
What makes this a performing campaign?
The Big Brew Up is the SSAFA’s biggest fundraising event of the year, hosted by their supporters around the UK. It entails volunteers organizing their own tea parties, to raise money that will make a difference to the lives of people in the Armed Forces and veteran community, and their families.
This email campaign was sent one week before the event, in order to give volunteers last-minute ideas and remind them of the support on offer. To communicate this, SSAFA used:
- Relevant and appealing content
- Straightforward and visually-appealing email design
SSAFA clearly communicated their support to hosts by placing it on the right side, above-the-fold. This included the phone number, email link and social media links contact information.
For ideas, they offered downloadable branded resources organized around the 3 stages necessary to make a successful event:
- Invitations
- Decorations
- Fundraising activities
The results
Precise targeting, strategic timing and a clear subject line helped SSAFA achieve a fantastic 47% open rate. Even though a similar targeting approach had worked for them in the past, small changes in the design of the email played an important part in converting subscribers.
The new layout focused on structuring the campaign around the 3 stages of a successful event, in a simple and visual way. And the Heatmap Report in Adestra’s platform showed that the branded resources attracted the most clicks.
