Inspiring a Local Community

Over £325,000 raised. Double normally generated from appeals.

Cherry Tiger were delighted to be appointed by The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire to work on an exciting appeal to buy Speechly’s Farm, as part of the visionary Peatlands Progress Project. Buying this key tract of land represented the vital next step to help The Wildlife Trust BCN deliver an exciting vision for the Great Fen, ultimately aiming to restore over 14 square miles of peatland.

We delivered a multi-channel appeal across print and digital to multiple audiences – from mid and high value donors, to members and supporters. As a land appeal, this brief immediately had powerful traction by being so tangible and we also worked with Wildlife BCN to be able to use matched funding to make the ask even more compelling. After raising an initial ‘10% deposit’ appeal supporters would be unlocking further funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund to complete the purchase of the farm.

We also wanted to inspire audiences with the huge ambition of the project. Buying Speechly’s Farm meant that, for the first time, two well-established and significant nature reserves could be connected, enabling wildlife to spread into new areas.

Even more significantly, the appeal set out to engage local communities with the project. By helping create a sustainable future for the Great Fen, supporters were also taking direct, local action to tackle climate change, and giving more people the chance to boost their wellbeing by connecting with the nature on their doorstep.

With such an impact, we felt this opportunity truly marked a Landmark moment for the Great Fen – and this formed the fulcrum of the campaign. We provided presentation materials for the AGM launch and face to face events, an depth brochure for high value audiences, as well as a magazine wrap which enabled us to reach members and supporters cost effectively. Follow up emails and social support were utilised with video support.

The appeal proved a huge success, raising more than double the income normally expected from an appeal. In total, over £326,000 was raised, and with additional sources, the ambitious target of £400,000 was reached and surpassed, helping to unlock a further £4 million to complete the land purchase.

We had a big fundraising challenge, it was our biggest ever appeal and we needed some help to elevate our campaign. The team at Cherry Tiger helped bring our ideas to life and create a professional looking campaign that included both on and off line activations and communicated the serious messages we had to deliver. It inspired hundreds of people to donate and it was exciting to see the totaliser moving up daily and hear all the positive messages from our supporters.

Nik Shelton, Head of Communications

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