With 30% of annual giving taking place in December, it’s no secret that the festive season is a crucial part of the charity sector’s fundraising calendar. But with traditional incentive-led fundraising seeing declining returns, doing the same thing as before is a risk in itself.
As our co-Founder Ian Boardman highlights, innovating at Christmas often feels like a “double-edged sword.” The intense pressure to deliver a large chunk of annual income can leave very little room to try new things when all eyes are on your campaign.
To help you find smart, risk-averse ways to stand out in a crowded market, our panel of experts from Crisis, the British Red Cross, and The Kite Factory share their proven strategies for modernising your winter campaigns.
Watch the masterclass to discover
Want your Christmas campaign to succeed? Test throughout the year
Why you should test AI tools like Meta’s Advantage+ and Google Performance Max throughout the year, rather than launching them for the first time during the festive peak.
Rethinking giving for squeezed donors
How Crisis successfully offered accessible giving options during a challenging economic climate by introducing a £5 “Christmas Stocking” and testing the option to split a standard £30 ask into three manageable £10 monthly instalments.
Building agility into your winter planning
How the British Red Cross intentionally shortens their copy and print deadlines to remain flexible, and how Crisis launched a top-performing reactive ad within 24 hours of a political moment.
The unpolished truth about TikTok
Why you should leave your polished Meta and Google ads off TikTok, and why natively filmed, unrefined content is the key to driving true authenticity.
Key chapter timings
- 00:00 – Welcome & The Evolution of Christmas Appeals
- 15:00 – The Innovation Dilemma & Pre-testing Digital Tools
- 28:00 – The Unpolished Truth About TikTok
- 33:00 – Building Agility into Winter Planning & Future Predictions
- 45:00 – Audience Q&A
Full transcript can be found here
Panel speakers
Tom Travell, Formerly Head of New Supporter Development at British Red Cross
While at British Red Cross Tom led on innovating fundraising appeals, driving the shift away from traditional incentive-led campaigns towards strategies focused on building genuine emotional connection and long-term loyalty. During this masterclass, he shares his expertise on cross-channel integration across digital, TV, and print, as well as explaining who the British Red Cross built agility into their direct mail by shortening print deadlines to react to real-world events.
Charlotte Moyles, Digital Fundraising Manager at Crisis
Charlotte specializes in digital product innovation, audience diversification, and testing new ways to give at Crisis. In this webinar, she shares how Crisis successfully evolved their traditional “reserve a place” ask into a wider “Life Beyond Homelessness” proposition. She also shares highly actionable insights on attracting squeezed donors through lower entry price points, such as their £5 “Christmas Stocking”, and successfully leveraging native, unpolished content on TikTok.
Megan Ashdown, Senior Digital Account Director at The Kite Factory
Megan is a digital media expert who helps charities maximise their returns and navigate a rapidly evolving landscape. Her insights during this webinar cover the vital role of econometric modelling to prove the real value of different media channels. She also provides critical advice on how to safely pre-test AI and machine learning tools, like Meta’s Advantage+ and Google Performance Max.
Ian Boardman, Co-founder and Partner, Consider
Ian’s strategic thinking continues to transform how charities communicate. Understanding that innovating at Christmas is “something of a double-edged sword”, he knows better than most the pressure fundraising teams face to hit targets and that this sometimes leaves little room for innovation. This is why he invited Tom, Charlotte, and Megan to join this masterclass and share their insights into Xmas Appeal fundraising.
Further reading
