The Process

After six years of working with Royal Opera House to turn around their Individual Giving, our ground-breaking approach is still a banker.

Back in 2014, ROH was finding audience engagement with its fundraising asks were falling on stony ground. With one simple adjustment in perspective, seeing the Royal Ballet company from the real audience’s perspective, we delivered a powerful Pointe Shoes appeal, and laid the ground for future IG fundraising for the organisation.

We’d set ourselves the challenge, as a result, to make each new creative as fresh, moving and as beautiful as the performances the audience go to see.

The Result

For the 2018 Pointe Shoe appeal, we had carte blanche when it came to the content, and we chose to feature the wonderful and much loved Marianela Nuñez.

Marianela was celebrating 20 years with the company. So we told her story through her performances, her journey through the company and helped the audience travel 20 years in her pointe shoes.

It was yet another in a consistent portfolio of highly performing appeals for Royal Opera House. It translated exceptionally well to the live cinema broadcast ads and to media coverage which boosted the appeal, and Marianela herself let us know how much she’d enjoyed it – a relief, since she’s a very modest professional.

What we’re most proud of

We've continued a full and rewarding relationship with Royal Opera House, developing legacy, Patrons and Major Donors comms, all kinds of appeals covering ballet, opera and costume, as well as marketing materials.

By observing the audiences and being able to talk with them directly, we gather a deep understanding of what motivates them and how they view their relationship with the company members.

We’re enormously grateful too, because the ROH has recommended us to other arts and heritage clients, so we’ve been able to play a bigger part in keeping the arts alive.