Client: ShelterBox
Product: ShelterBox Book Club
Title: No ordinary book club
Media: Digital, Product
Country: United Kingdom
Date Of Campaign: 14th November 2018 - present

Background: ShelterBox is a small, effective charity that supports disaster-hit families around the world. They need to grow sustainable income from supporters to make sure they’re ready to act when disaster strikes. The audience was younger than traditional charity donors, with a global mindset but unresponsive to the usual charity appeals. The challenge was to create a product they’d love and engage with long term. Our target was to acquire 476 members, with a cost per acquisition (CPA) of £90.

Idea: ShelterBox Book Club is a new way to raise long-term funds. Supporters give £10 a month and receive curated works of contemporary fiction, beautifully packaged in the mail. Each one is linked to the places and people ShelterBox works with – great fiction, real lives. Supporters vote on the books they read together and discuss them on a dedicated Facebook page. They can also give Book Club membership as a gift. As far as we’re aware, it’s the world’s first book club that saves lives.

Results: Book Club launched with a bang. The initial campaign acquired 1,146 members (target: 476). Members love the books, the discussion and the messages from ShelterBox’s Head Bookworm. Retention is 96%, almost unheard of in the sector. With a CPA of £36.11, it already has a positive yr1 ROI (charity direct debits rarely breakeven before yr3.) No wonder it’s the envy of the fundraising world.