About Variety – The Children’s Charity
Variety – The Children’s Charity supports children and their families who are facing challenges through sickness, disadvantage or disability.
As part of their ongoing Tax Appeal, Variety VIC has run a successful radiothon called Variety Bikes for Kids for over a decade. The campaign gives donors the opportunity to impact a child’s life by providing them with a new bike and helmet. Throughout the life of the campaign, $2.5m had been raised and 10,000 bikes had been distributed.
The Challenge
In 2018, the Variety team wanted to take the campaign to the next level by enhancing the message and extending the role of digital in its execution. The campaign objectives were to:
- Increase revenue by 10% to provide 275 bikes to children in need
- Maintain high donation value of $200 for the campaign
- Increase the donor base by 10%
- Increase past donor conversion
What we did
Working with the Variety team, we reviewed the previous campaign identifying the opportunities for improvement at every stage. We made our focus the role of direct mail and how it could extend into a digital experience for new, current and lapsed donors.
We elevated the campaign message to ‘the magical experience’ of owning a first bike for a child in need. To deepen emotional connection, we chose a more contemporary story told through 6-year-old Hollie’s first bike experience. As part of the campaign message, we recommended the highest giving handle be raised from $200 to $218.
We worked with Leafcutter to extend this experience online through an effective EDM strategy that told Hollie’s story from a 360-degree point of view over several weeks of the campaign.
The Results
The results far exceeded the campaign objectives:
- Revenue increased by 21%
- Donation value went up to $216.32
- Donor base increased by 33%
- Past donor conversion was up 29% on the previous campaign
One donor’s feedback says it all,
There’s nothing better than seeing a child’s face literally light up with a smile that stretches from ear to ear.
Wrapping up
We too were smiling from ear to ear at the Variety Bikes for Kids campaign results :).
In reviewing the campaign, we felt there were a number of things that led to its success but only ONE thing that made all the difference. We call it the Power of One.
Hollie’s Story.
Rather than make the hero message about the 275 kids that Variety could help, we made the focus of the campaign on the power of one story. It connected the donors to one child and through her to all the other children that were in need of a bike.
We believe the power of storytelling can help unlock your next campaign, maybe even the power of one story. If you’re thinking the same, what are you waiting for? Talk to us.