RAF Benevolent Fund's 1940 Chronicle
The welfare charity that supports members of the RAF wanted to attract a younger supporter base with the launch of an online campaign
The charity launched a social media campaign called 1940 Chronicle to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle Of Britain. The aim of the campaign was to reach out to a new generation of supporters and donors, because previous research had shown that 70 per cent of people in its supporter database were aged over 70.
The campaign featured the stories of five different characters who all played a part in the Battle of Britain. Their stories were told through blogs, Twitter and Facebook posts. In this way, the charity brought the Battle of Britain to life for a new and younger generation.
Traffic to the main RAF Benevolent Fund site doubled at the height of the campaign, as did online donations during the four months that the campaign ran.
The 1940 Chronicle received 53 pieces of media coverage, with an advertising value equivalent of more than £30,000, creating more than eight million opportunities to see.
This provided an excellent platform to talk about the RAF Benevolent Fund’s work with RAF personnel, past and present.
The charity followed up on the success of the campaign with a targeted e-newsletter, achieving an open rate of more than 50 per cent (the average industry open rate is 20-40 per cent).
"We engaged with a whole new generation of supporters and online donations doubled while our campaign was running," said Ann-Mari Freebairn, head of communications at the RAFBF.
