How I helped a charity find focus in their marketing

Source: Whirlow Hall Farm Trust

This case study explores key growth drivers, donation behaviours, and motivations within the charity sector, focusing on leveraging insights to enhance fundraising strategies. It also focuses on how I used SOSTAC as a marketing framework to create an actionable plan.

This blog explores my 'mini work experience' with Whirlow Hall Farm Trust (WHFT), a Sheffield-based charity, and how I created a plan to align with their objective and help them overcome branding and communication challenges to focus their resources and marketing strategy effectively.

WHFT business's objective

Aim to increase revenue by 15% in the next 12 months.

Using the SOSTAC and RACE framework, I identified key opportunities, streamlined their efforts, and set them on a path to greater success. In a world where charities face increasing competition for attention and donations, creating a cohesive marketing plan can make all the difference.

Understanding Whirlow Hall Farm Trust

Whirlow Hall Farm Trust operates in Sheffield, providing educational opportunities in outdoor settings, particularly for individuals who struggle in mainstream educational environments.

WHFT faces several challenges:

Funding Structure

WHFT relies on a mix of commercial activities, charitable initiatives, and donations or legacies. They need to raise £1.5 million a year.

Limited Marketing Resources

Their part-time marketing manager has less than a day per week for promotional activities, with a working budget of just £5,000 a year.

Fragmented Branding

Multiple websites and ad-hoc social media posts lead to inconsistent messaging and confusion among supporters.

The SOSTAC Model: A Strategic Framework

The SOSTAC model, developed by PR Smith, is a comprehensive marketing planning framework comprising six stages.

1. Situation Analysis

2. Objectives

3. Strategy

4. Tactics

5. Action

6. Control

It's particularly effective for charities like WHFT that operate with constrained budgets and resources. By following this structured approach, we could pinpoint areas for improvement and create a strategy for improvement.

Situation Analysis

Research and Insights into the Charity Sector

Research into the charity sector revealed critical insights that shaped WHFT's strategy. According to Blackbaud's 2023 fundraising report, two strategies contribute significantly to income growth:

1. Securing Exceptional Gifts

Building strong relationships with major donors and corporations can lead to legacy donations and other substantial contributions.

2. Innovative Fundraising Activities

New and creative approaches accounted for 37% of income growth among charities.

We also emphasised the importance of technology in fundraising. Charities using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems report better donor retention and higher satisfaction, freeing time to focus on charity work.

Analysing the Competition

To better understand Whirlow Hall Farm Trust's position in the market, we conducted a competitive analysis, benchmarking their digital presence against similar organisations like Heeley City Farm, Cannon Hall Farm, and Jamie's Farm.

Although these aren't direct competitors, they share a similar audience, making their strategies valuable for comparison and a great benchmark. Key takeaways included:

Digital Presence

WHFT's natural search performance lagged behind Cannon Hall Farm, indicating a need to improve backlink quality and content for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Social Media Engagement

Cannon Hall Farm's regular, engaging content, such as a weekly cookery show, outperformed WHFT's ad-hoc posting.

User Experience

Jamie's Farm had best practices with a visually appealing website, clear messaging that captured attention within seconds, and a dedicated donation page on their platform.

Other actionable insights include improving WHFT's website content, setting up a donation page, claiming their Google My Business listing, and adopting more consistent and engaging social media strategies.

Objectives

Marketing Objective 1

Enhance social media engagement by 20% in the next 12 months to drive awareness of Whirlow to hit cafe sales targets.

Marketing Objective 2

Increase website traffic by 60% within six months through on-page technical SEO optimisation (website optimisation), an introduction of a CRM system, and targeted content strategies.

Strategy and Tactics

Strategy to Achieve Marketing Objective 1

Strategies to achieve goal

Long-term content creation strategy	Develop valuable blog content for the website and repurpose this content on social media channels to maintain consistency and engagement.
Regular Review and Data Analysis	Every 90 days, revisit the RACE framework to analyse new data captured by GA4 and Meta suite insights, adjusting strategies as needed. Implement GA4 (Currently not set up) effectively to enhance data capture, focusing on accurate target audience analysis.
Personnel and Training	Hire a digital content marketer to oversee and execute the content strategy, ensuring alignment with the overall marketing objectives. Train on basic GA4 data analysis for Target Audience Analysis to inform future content.
Tools and Resources	Integrated a Customer Management System. Provide company phones for employees to capture real-time activities on the farm for social media content without direct social media access to maintain control over posting.

Increase ACT for Marketing Objective 2

Strategies to achieve goal

New content management system	Enhance website functionality and set up a new content management system on WordPress. Multiple logins for managers across the business to use. Hire a website designer to move content across and improve design.
Improve Data collection	Correct the GA4 tag implementation for accurate data tracking and resolve on-page SEO issues like keyword cannibalisation to improve search engine rankings and clarify engagement metrics.
Keyword Targeting	Sign up for a free month on SEMrush and perform a content audit to start fixing on-page technical SEO issues to try and improve ranking. SEMRush will tell you which links are broken, how to fix them, and which pages are targeting the same keywords.
Content Creation Schedule	Introduce team. Create two value filled blogs a month aimed at customer personas created. Spend an hour after posting to social media engaging with other accounts.

Strategy

Addressing WHFT's Core Challenges

Website

The organisation operated three websites for different activities, run by separate people who belonged to the organisation. This not only confused donors but also diluted the impact of their messaging.

I proposed consolidating their digital presence into one unified website to address this.

This would:

1. Strengthen their brand identity by providing a cohesive narrative.

2. Simplify the user's journey, improving the customer journey.

3. Reduce administrative overhead by streamlining backend management.

Brand Voice

WHFT's brand had inconsistent messaging. Different parts of the organisation, such as the café, farm shop, and charity initiatives, often conveyed conflicting messages. I developed a structured 90-day content plan to standardise their storytelling and align their digital communications with their mission.

Lack of time and Inefficient business processes

Another significant challenge was the lack of time for marketing. As a priority, I recommended funding to hire an additional marketer focused on content marketing in a full-time capacity. I recommend implementing a Customer Relationship Management System to help automate key tasks and develop donator relationships.

Engaging Donors Through Segmentation

A helpful strategy involved tailoring communication to specific donor personas. Based on research, we developed profiles for two key segments.

WHFT could then develop insights and deliver more personalised and relevant messaging by segmenting its audience. This can strengthen donor relationships, laying the groundwork for sustained support.

(Both target customers are based on Blackbaud’s research into Donor Behaviour Insights 2023)

Creating a Unified Brand Identity

For WHFT, establishing a strong brand identity was essential to stand out in a crowded charity sector. A unified brand builds trust and strengthens the emotional connection with donors.

Defining Core Values

Emphasising WHFT's mission to support vulnerable children through outdoor learning.

“Support builds stronger futures for Sheffield's most vulnerable children. Be part of positive change in your community.”

Streamlining Messaging

Ensuring all platforms, from the website to social media, convey consistent narratives.

Create a Storytelling Culture

Encouraging staff to share weekly success stories during meetings, which could be repurposed for social media and newsletters.

The result would be a more transparent, compelling brand that resonates with WHFT's audience. Fostering a storytelling culture could enable the organisation to communicate its impact better and connect emotionally with donors.

Actions and control

Actions are the detailed plans for implementing tactics, while control is the process of monitoring and adjusting the plan to ensure objectives are met.

	Actions	Control
Engagement Monitoring	Track engagement rates and compare them to baseline and competitor benchmarks.	Set up CRM integrations like Blackbaud. Measure progress using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Website Traffic	Monitor website visits to evaluate the effectiveness of social media strategies in driving traffic.	Conduct reviews to ensure website functionality supports traffic and engagement goals.
Branding	Use Canva for content creation and brand governance.	Check on content from the last 90 days aligns with brand governance.
Website Functionality	Track relevant GA4 tag corrections and evaluate data. Track page load times. Track conversion rates.	After 90 days, define new KPIs.
Content Audit	Use SEMrush free trial to conduct a content audit. Correct broken links.	Run analysis report.

Sources

1. Blackbaud: Blackbaud's 2023 fundraising report

2. SmartInsights: SOSTAC Framework