How Pancreatic Cancer UK raised over £140,000 with a Facebook Cycling Challenge
How did Pancreatic Cancer UK harness the power of Facebook to raise £146,905 and create a community of 1,500 members?
Key results
Driving impact, making a difference
Like many other charities, Pancreatic Cancer UK relies on income from in-person events to fund vital research and provide support services. Therefore, when the UK went into national lockdown and all in-person fundraising events were canceled, we had to go back to the drawing board.
Set the scene
Who is Pancreatic Cancer UK?
Pancreatic Cancer UK supports people who have been affected by pancreatic cancer. Their vision is that ‘everyone with pancreatic cancer survives to live long and well.’ To achieve this, PCUK support those who have been affected with resources and information, fund research breakthroughs and campaign for change, calling for more investment in research and ways to improve and speed up diagnosis.
Having joined GivePanel in 2019, PCUK are no strangers to a Facebook Challenge and have experimented with various formats, including step and squat Challenges, to engage their audience to fundraise.
“GivePanel has helped us build our portfolio to a level where we are gaining important insights day to day that allow us to learn and develop in the world of Facebook fundraising. It is a fantastic bonus that the staff at GivePanel are very encouraging, efficient and passionate about every project our charity has developed.”
– Megan Smart
The challenge
Cycle 250 Miles in August
A Facebook Challenge is a virtual event that runs solely on Facebook and leverages the power of social networking through ads, groups and fundraisers. This means:
- Lower acquisition costs
- More fundraisers
- And a chance to meet supporters where they already are!
During lockdown, many people spent more time on social media.
With this in mind, they leveraged their Facebook and other social media channels, to acquire new supporters and create a community, who would come together to take on fundraising Challenges.
Together we created the “Cycle 250 miles in August” Challenge. All of the supporter acquisition and stewardship took place over Facebook which was an incredibly effective way of working for the charity.
Why did we do it this way?
Facebook is already a familiar platform for supporters and, during lockdown, many people were turning to social media to keep connected to their family and friends. Facebook also allowed supporters to share the Challenge with their networks, helping the charity to reach thousands more people. The platform enabled us to interact with people individually and help grow a thriving online community.e fresh audiences.
The GivePanel difference
Meeting supporters where they are
With GivePanel you can run virtual events and challenges entirely on Facebook and manage all your data with ease. Our Facebook Group event registration forms sync with Facebook transaction data so that you have all your data in one place. Our fundraiser engagement and messages tools mean that you can give Facebook fundraisers the experience they deserve resulting in more contact details collected and funds raised.
GivePanel gives you the analytics and reports you need to track campaigns and enables you to build custom imports for your CRM. All of this saves significant staff time, allowing you to focus on what matters – fundraising!
As well as our online platform, GivePanel offers a range of consultancy and outsourcing services for nonprofits to help them get to the next level with Facebook fundraising.
The results
The Challenge in numbers
2,152
Facebook Leads
£1.87
CPA
1142
Registrations
535
Fundraisers
£146,905
Total Raised
Final thoughts
Top tips from the GOSH Charity team
Facebook Challenges have become an important part of GOSH Charity’s fundraising, cementing their place within the digital pillar of their fundraising approach. As Katie Gray (Head of Mass Participation) notes, the value they bring extends beyond income:
“As well as income these Challenges generate great brand awareness. We’ve had nearly 250,000 sign-ups from lead form completions. That’s 250,000 people who’ve clicked on your ad and who’ve engaged with your brand. The Challenges have been a great acquisition tool and they bring in a different audience to our usual participants. They have enabled us to speak to the whole country and get people from all over the UK involved. So that’s been fantastic.”
For teams looking to develop their own Facebook Challenge program, GOSH Charity have three top tips:
- Be fearless when it comes to testing – encourage a mindset of experimentation without the fear of failure, emphasizing the importance of learning from setbacks, making necessary adjustments, and trying again.
- Pivot! Pivot! – your team needs to be able to swiftly adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of platforms like Facebook. Ensure that you’re set up to do so, either with your team’s own skillset or through partner collaborations.
- Collaborate for impact – work together to foster not only idea sharing but also effective execution and don’t forget to look at the bigger picture! Look beyond income metrics and consider the broader impact and data collected.
The achievements of GOSH Charity’s Facebook Challenge program are noteworthy. With an impressive fundraising total of more than £5.7 million to date (excluding Gift Aid), the impact on brand awareness and supporter engagement has been strong. Their journey showcases that the right mix of innovation, collaboration, and adaptability can lead to fundraising success and a broader positive impact.