Overcoming the cost of living crisis for the RSPCA's Christmas Rescue

The RPSCA handles 1 million calls each year, leading to the investigation of 57,000 reports of animal cruelty. The cost of living crisis has seen a 24% increase in animal abandonments, placing an unprecedented demand on the RSPCA.

To overcome the cost of living crisis at a key fundraising time we overhauled the paid media strategy – moving away from Direct Response TV - to digital media to reach new audiences that can give regularly. AV remained at the heart of the campaign with an emotive creative asset, however we focused on integrating digital AV channels such as Netflix and Connected TV to find new audiences that would be able to support the RSPCA at a vital time. The earned media strategy focused on social channels such as TikTok alongside the tried-and-tested route of Meta platforms. Engagement rates were double the previous year’s activity. We exceeded our Regular Giving (RG) donation target. RG donors grew by 82% year-on-year, which would future-proof income, as 57% of these givers will still be contributing in three years’ time. Ultimately 77% of RG donations came from new rather than existing supporters proving that our digital strategy was successful in growing the pool of donors.