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Case study

RSPCA improves ROI from direct response TV campaigns

The brief:

RSPCA had observed a decline in telephone contact rates from their DRTV activity, and needed to improve their return on investment (ROI).

The challenge:

Previously, DRTV advertising was used with a keyword short code via Premium SMS (PSMS), and data was sent to a call centre to contact people to make a regular donation. However, with declining contact rates, telephone agencies could only speak with around 40 per cent of supporters to ask for a regular direct debit donation.


During review meetings, RSPCA outlined the challenges they were having, and we shared similar feedback regarding declining contact rates with other clients’ campaigns.

RSPCA DRTV tv and mobile screenshots

The solution:

We proposed RSPCA send a secondary message to supporters after they have made a PSMS donation asking if they wish to make a regular donation.


We developed a two-step proposition enabling charities to easily convert a single PSMS gift into a regular PSMS donation, with supporters able to reply ‘BEGIN’ to opt into a regular donation.


From there, we developed an upgrade proposition whereby a supporter giving £3 per month could increase their support to £5 per month, and worked with RSPCA to develop the messaging to broadcast to their £3 monthly supporters.

The outcome:

A secondary keyword – ‘BEGIN’ – was set up along with a regular giving campaign to enable the supporter to initiate a regular giving subscription. 


15 per cent of single donation supporters activated a regular giving subscription, and 22 per cent upgraded to £5 per month, with an ROI of 22:1.

“The Cymba team are always friendly and helpful with any requests thrown at them. They are excellent at using their experience to provide recommendations and enhance the experience from both the donors' and the charity's perspectives. The team has a wealth of knowledge and experience, which helps shape future activity.”


James, Mobile Giving Marketing Executive

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