Some of the data provided is ‘estimated’ as company-specific data cannot be provided due to confidentiality reasons. Make any realistic assumptions you have to, but do not forget to specify your
assumptions in writing. No associated company should be contacted regarding this case. Background
The Donkey &Shetland Pony Sanctuary is an animal charity set in 50 acres of farmland, south of London (40 mins by train from London),It was set up by former farmer Peter Ritchie, who donated the
land to create a unique haven dedicated to looking after donkeys and Shetland ponies that have been abandoned, mistreated, or beyond their working life. The Sanctuary has been going for over 15
years and has become something of a local institution, but they also have a national reputation with visitors coming from all over the UK.
The Sanctuary provides veterinary treatment, rehabilitation, and lifelong care, whilst campaigning for fair treatment of these animals in the UK. They currently have c. 300 donkeys and Shetland
ponies in their care.
The Shetland pony is a breed of pony originating in the Shetland Isles. Shetlands range in size from a minimum height of approximately 28 inches (71 cm) to an official maximum height of 42 inches
(107 cm). They have heavy coats, short legs, and are considered quite intelligent. Donkeys are slightly larger, approximately 31 -63 inches depending on breed, and are more stubborn than the
ponies, and more likely to have been working animals.
A visit to the Sanctuary is a popular trip for families with young children, and provides expert advice on looking after the breed. The Sanctuary run lots of shows each year, which attract Shetland
owners, horse riders, and the public—partly as fundraising events, but also to broaden knowledge about the breed.
They have recruited supporters (often older people more interested in animal welfare) at these events. They are open at weekends and every day during the school holidays (only closed Christmas Day,
Boxing Day and New Year’s Day). They have around 40,000 visitors per year. There is a minimal visitor’s fee of £5 per person (children and adults), or £15 for a family ticket (2 adults plus 2
children). Children under the age of three are free.

The annual cost of running the Sanctuary and looking after the animals is £950,000. They do not receive any government grants so they have to be entirely self-funding.
The table below shows how the funding streams contributed to the total in the last financial year (April—March).
Visitor revenue -£200,000 Grants from private trusts and legacies -£200,000 Fundraising events -£200,000 Donations -£300,000 Giftaid (on visitor revenue/donations) -£50,000* Total -£950,000
*Giftaid is claimed at 20% of visitor revenue and donations. 50% of donors currently have currently signed up to allow the Sanctuary to claim it on their behalf.
Having built their reputation over the years, they receive quite a lot of grants from private trusts and also legacies from the supporters of the Sanctuary at its inception. However, the amount has
been declining in recent years and they wish to build a more sustainable donor fundraising programme, by establishing a regular individual giving programme (i.e. through direct debit).
They have a database of around 50,000 past and present donors, which include those who have visited the Sanctuary in the past and supporters who have heard of the good work they do and have sent
donations via cheques following receipt of the appeal campaign mailing. Basic name and address details including email address are taken at the point of registration/visit. Around 15% of visitors
made additional donations over and above their entrance fee.
Donor value and frequency
The Sanctuary invites gifts with suggested donation amounts of £20, £35and £50.
-The average donation amount is £20
1. Visitors give at an average of £30
It
#With an average frequency of 1.5 per year
2.Supporters (non-visitors) give at an average of £20 #With an average frequency of twice per year
Marketing activity
The Sanctuary has a basic website which talks about the work they do, however it is now looking out-dated, and they wish to re-launch it in the next three months, with a focus on increasing online
donations. A local website business has offered to do this at no cost.
An intern has recently set up a Facebook page and Twitter, but as they have now returned to University, they are looking for advice as to how to set up a social media strategy. Currently,
engagement is low especially with Twitter.
They send out an annual newsletter and three appeal campaign mailings a year, either using direct mail or email to all supporters and previous visitors. The average response/donation rate is 3%
with the average donation value of £25.
Task
Peter Ritchie, the founder of the Sanctuary recently died and left £45,000 to the Sanctuary in his will. The Trustees want this money to be invested in creating a sustainable future revenue stream
for the sanctuary, which will enable the improvement of facilities and an increase in reserves.
To achieve this, they have committed the full £45,000 to a campaign to generate regular donations. They have proposed that the Sanctuary launch an ‘Adopt a Donkey/Shetland. Pony programme, at £3
per month direct debit (or £40 annual one-off donation). The proposed targets are to acquirel ,250 annual memberships.

Note: the animals can have multiple sponsors. Looking at other ‘adoption programmes’ the average lifetime is approximately 3 years and they are looking to break-even by the end of Year 1.
You are the Marketing Manager and the trustees have asked you to present recommendations for developing and implementing the new sponsorship (Adopt a Donkey/ Shetland Pony) programme.
Your marketing plan should include: 1An analysis of the business situation, key issues and SMART campaign Objectives (15 marks) 2.Targeting, messaging and channel strategies to cover identification
of target market/s and development of audience personas, key proposition/s and channel preferences(30marks) 3.A digital marketing media plan, to include: channel details, examples of how they will
be used, integration, testing and timing. (40 marks) 4.A budget allocation that demonstrates how your plan will deliver against your campaign objectives, showing performance by channel, average
donation Value and ROI (15marks)