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Driving Engagement with The Children's Society's London Marathon Team

Case Study Featured ImageTCS

Industry

Children's Charities

Challenge

The Children's Society faced low engagement from their London Marathon runners, with email communications failing to generate adequate supporter interaction. With significant fundraising targets for their 2024 team, they needed a more effective way to connect with and motivate their runners.

Results

The initiative led to the 2024 London Marathon event raising £70k over budget, driven by higher average fundraising per runner and a 95% fundraising rate. 101 runners started the marathon, with only 2% not completing, a notable improvement from the previous year. Message read rates averaged 82% and 65% of WhatsApp journey participants actively engaged with responses.

Key Product

WhatsApp Stewardship Journey

www.childrenssociety.org.uk/
£70k
Over target
98%
Completed the Marathon
82%
Read Rate

"Our supporters loved the WhatsApp journey and it was definitely their favourite way to receive comms from us. It allowed us to directly share a mix of personalised content that made them feel more connected and motivated which resulted in higher levels of fundraising and stronger relationships"

Sebastian

The Children’s Society

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About your Customer

The Children’s Society is a national charity working to transform the hopes and happiness of young people facing abuse, exploitation and neglect. They support them through their most serious life challenges and they campaign tirelessly for the big social changes that will improve the lives of those who need hope most. They've been doing this for 140 years and we won't stop until they've built a society where hope is alive in every child.

The Challenge

The Children's Society, a national charity supporting vulnerable young people, struggled with low engagement from their London Marathon runners. Traditional email communications were failing to spark adequate interaction, leaving runners feeling disconnected and demotivated. With post-COVID ambitious fundraising targets for 2024, there was an urgent need for a more impactful way to connect with and inspire their marathon team.

The Solution

Seeking to create a more engaging and supportive experience, The Children's Society partnered with Social Sync to implement a WhatsApp-driven stewardship journey. The decision was fueled by the need for a modern, interactive communication channel that could foster community and motivate fundraisers. According to Sebastian from The Children's Society: "Our supporters loved the WhatsApp journey and it was definitely their favourite way to receive comms from us. It allowed us to directly share a mix of personalised content that made them feel more connected and motivated which resulted in higher levels of fundraising and stronger relationships."

Runners received timely, personalised messages, encouragement, and fundraising tips, making the entire experience more interactive and supportive.

The Results

The results of this new approach were remarkable. The 2024 London Marathon event raised £70k over budget, with a 98% runner completion rate (up from 94% in 2023) and a 95% fundraising rate. Average message read rates soared to 82%, and 65% of supporters actively engaged with replies, questions, and emojis. One runner reflected: "I liked the WhatsApp addition this year. Good communication throughout, via phone, WhatsApp and email. Running the London Marathon for the Children's Society has been an absolute honour and privilege. I have felt so supported every step of the way."

These metrics and testimonials highlight the power of personalised, real-time supporter engagement in driving better fundraising and deeper relationships.

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