Award-winning, interactive online fundraising campaign

Award-winning, interactive online campaign

Gut Aiderbichl is a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing animals and offering them a safe and loving home. As part of its ongoing mission to protect animals, Gut Aiderbichl faced a challenge common to many nonprofits: generating online donations and turning interested individuals into long-term donors. Online fundraising approaches (especially for regular giving) were proving inefficient, with high setup costs and lets say improvable conversion rates.

To address this issue, Gut Aiderbichl launched a unique digital campaign designed to engage new audiences and boost sponsorship. The innovative campaign, "Das Tier in Dir" (The Animal in You), combined humour and personalisation to transform potential leads into dedicated supporters.

‍Key challenge

The main challenge was to efficiently generate online regular donations. NGOs in general find it difficult to convert potential donors into committed sponsors due to the high costs associated with setting up complex online donation campaigns. 

Further challenges include:

• Difficulty in scaled personalising outreach to prospective donors
• Generating many leads and some donations but very few second donations or even regular giving
• Limited engagement with conventional online donation appeals
• High setup and maintenance costs for complex online campaigns
• Low ROI due to poor conversion rates from casual interest to lasting support

Solution: A horoscope campaign with a twist

To overcome these obstacles, Gut Aiderbichl launched a creative lead-generation & conversion campaign, which paired a 1:1 personalised horoscope with a call to action for sponsorship. This innovative approach aimed to engage individuals who typically ignore traditional donation appeals, guiding them humorously toward sponsorship of the sanctuary’s animals.

Campaign objectives

1. Increase the number of sponsorships (monthly or yearly sponsorships).
2. Reach new target audiences and build emotional connections.
3. Maximise personalisation for a stronger impact.
4. Ensure sustainable investment through reusability of campaign elements.

Campaign components

• META Ads: Humorously crafted ads on Facebook and Instagram during the New Year period to spark the curiosity to find the animal in you to attract leads and prompt animal sponsorships.
• Landing Page: A custom-designed landing page guiding users seamlessly to find out the animal in them and encouraging them to engage further.
• Horoscope: A playful feature that matched 365 animals from Gut Aiderbichl with 365 custom-generated horoscope texts based on sponsor’ birthdays, leading to a unique "birthday animal."
• Call to Action for Sponsorship: After discovering their "birthday animal," users were encouraged to share it with friends or close a sponsorship for the matched animal.

Results

The Das Tier in Dir campaign delivered impressive results:

• +83% increase in closing sponsorships: The campaign successfully converted a significant number of leads into long-term sponsors compared to a not personalised campaigns.
• High cost-efficiency: The campaign’s reusable elements, such as the horoscope and matching system, ensured that future campaigns could build on its success without additional development costs. The matched animal actually becomes the buddy of the donor for all of the donor communication.
• Emotional engagement: The personalised birthday animal served as a meaningful connection point and spokesperson fostering long-lasting relationships with sponsors.

How Oscar did it - The personalised animal as a long-term communication tool

Our Oscar co-pilot combined an AI-powered content tool with creative marketing (human and AI co-intelligence) to reach new audiences. The humorous and personalised horoscope approach sparked interest in ways traditional donation campaigns couldn’t, with the birthday animal acting as a personalised spokesperson. This feature became the foundation for long-term donor relationships, as sponsors received ongoing personalised updates from their animal, marking the beginning of a 1:1 communication strategy. The sponsored animal now plays a central role in all future donor interactions, reflecting Gut Aiderbichl’s commitment to personalised engagement.

The campaign leveraged targeted social media ads to reach specific user segments, while a custom-designed landing page ensured leads were captured efficiently and guided smoothly toward sponsorship. With 365 unique horoscopes, each linked to an animal at the sanctuary, sponsors formed a deeper, personalised connection, which significantly increased the likelihood of sponsorship by 80%+. A final call to action via email ensured continuity, helping secure long-term donor relationships.

Conclusion

Gut Aiderbichl's "Das Tier in Dir" campaign showcased the need and the success of an Online Agent (Oscar) how creative lead generation and personalised content can overcome the typical challenges of online fundraising. By tapping into humor, personalisation, and emotional connections, the campaign successfully increased sponsorships while maintaining cost-efficiency through reusable content. The introduction of the personalised animal as the voice of future communication highlights Gut Aiderbichl’s commitment to individualised engagement, setting the stage for long-term donor relationships and continued growth.