RSPB

Big Garden Birdwatch

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch survey has been going for twenty years. It’s the chance for ordinary people all over the UK to look at the birds in their back gardens and help the RSPB build a picture of birdlife in the UK.

Every year around 400,000 people take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, around 60% of them non-members. In 2009, over half a million people took part. It’s a great opportunity to engage with potential members in a climate where recruiting new members and supporters is harder than ever.

Every year the RSPB writes to people who have taken part to ask them to become a member. In late 2007 we began working with the RSPB to develop a more complex recruitment structure across different channels to try and increase conversion to membership.

The thinking
Time was of the essence. So we reached participants early with a ‘thank you’ message to keep the survey was still front of mind. Then we used multiple touch points to give more opportunities to join.

User journeys were carefully mapped out according to which contact details we had for each prospect (email, phone, mail address), where data protection opt in allowed; and non-responders were contacted again.
So a typical participant might get a ‘thank-you’ email followed up with a phone call, or a results mailing followed up with a membership ask.

What’s good about it?

In 2008, 651 new members were recruited against a target of 448 (the previous year’s total was 461).

As the campaign did so well the same strategy was followed in 2009, with the results continuing to climb – this year 1,742 new members were recruited against a target of 710.

All of which means a successful new recruitment channel for RSPB. And more members means more chance to protect nature.