This month’s case study is all about lotteries, prompted by the recent growth of more and more clients focusing on extra number campaigns.
It’s no surprise really – of course everyone loves a lottery! For the supporter, a feel-good, low cost contribution is often preferable to the commitment of a larger monthly gift. And it’s the opportunity to have loyalty rewarded with the chance of winning a cash prize! For the charity, it provides a regular often long-term income stream, along with great potential for donor acquisition, plus the chance to be a little more flexible and creative with fundraising.
And incredibly, lotteries now form the gambling industry’s second most valuable sector, close behind slot and gaming machines, and lottery sales in the charity sector are estimated to reach more than £9.4bn by 2024.
So when it comes to promoting extra numbers, here at QTS we know a thing or two. And we thought it would it be super-nice of us to share those experiences with you! MD Ben Suffell explains:
“The first way we approach an extra number campaign – is that it’s not an extra number campaign! We focus on engaging with supporters and promoting the cause itself – the opportunity to purchase an extra number is a fun way to help achieve the charity’s goals.
“Secondly, we hardly ever ask for more than one extra number. As tempting as it is to ask supporters to buy two or more, it rarely works as well and also carries a higher long term risk – because if supporters do need to cancel at some stage, the impact of losing 5 numbers is much worse than 2 or 3. Plus we have seen supporters are less likely to cancel when they have a lower investment.
“Thirdly, we don’t rush these campaigns. We have learnt from experience that there needs be sufficient breathing space between a supporter buying into the lottery, and then asking them to increase their commitment. 18 months is ideal – 12 months can work – but if you try after 6 months, the results just won’t be as good. ”
As a result of our tried and tested approach, we are seeing campaigns with a success rate of 30-40%! We chatted to Ross Wiggan, UK Lottery Manager at Sue Ryder about his experience of extra number campaigns:
“We ran a one month campaign just recently with QTS, and we considered it a really important way of connecting with existing supporters at the end of what has been a rather strange and difficult year. We listened to some great conversations between fundraisers and supporters – with some particularly generous supporters even pledging additional donations as a result.
“The outcomes were way beyond our expectations – over 500 supporters wanted to upgrade by at least one extra number. And while the value of that campaign is huge in the first year alone – it has the potential to generate over £130k in lifetime revenue, which is just incredible.”
This is a fantastic example of incentivised giving – without a doubt, Sue Ryder has a truly loyal and supportive community of donors but it’s following our tried, tested and refined approach to the campaign which certainly contributes to the success rate.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can support you with an extra number campaign, do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
