Growing the emotional legacy of The Donkey Sanctuary

When we visited The Donkey Sanctuary, we could see, feel and hear the love and devotion people had for the animals and the charity. This was something we wanted to capture as part of the rebrand. Sadly 3 weeks into the project the much loved founder, Dr. Svendsen passed away. The rebrand took on a heightened emotional dimension, one which needed to be handled very sensitively.

A life and legacy captured in a logo First we looked at refreshing the logo, we went back to the very first donkeys Dr. S rescued – Angelina and Naughtyface. These two donkeys embodied the legacy of the founder, we then set them into a heart icon to capture the love and devotion we experienced on our visits. The heart icon would become an internationally recognised symbol of care that would easily translate around the world, especially in developing countries with a high levels of illiteracy.

Tone of voice Our next task was to develop the tone of voice, this was a tricky challenge, on one hand The Donkey Sanctuary are a visitor attraction on the other a campaigning and fundraising brand tackling brutal and sometime horrific issues around donkey welfare.

Our approach was to enable The Donkey Sanctuary to talk in a very direct, human, engaging and empowering voice, one that would appeal to all audiences, one that would inform, educate and elicit direct action when required.

Up close and personal campaign A textured and tactile poster brings this emotionally experiential brand to life.

The Donkey Sanctuary saw a 60% rise in income during a period where giving to animal charities fell by an average of 24%.

As well as being a charity, The Donkey Sanctuary is also a free visitor attraction, pulling in over 300,000 visitors to Devon.

The Donkey Sanctuary saw a 78% increase in visitors to the main site in Sidmouth.

Visitor Centre attraction signage and icons. Whether it’s a passion for delicious food or planting message for loved ones in The Field of Dreams, the heart of The Donkey Sanctuary can be found throughout every corner of the visitor centre.

The Donkey Sanctuary has moved from reaching 1m donkeys to 1.6m donkeys - an astonishing 60% increase in four years. (directly linked to income)

“The Allotment have articulated why The Donkey Sanctuary is such a loved and caring organisation into an inspiring brand that speaks consistently across multi-channel touch points.” - Mark Cross, Brand & Design Manager, The Donkey Sanctuary

View the full Donkey Sanctuary brand case study on our website

Product and retail strategy

Merchandise is a core revenue generator for the charity. Our fresh approach appealed to the current and next generation of donors alike.

View the full product and retail strategy case study on our website

For brand products we discovered that ‘one size did not fit all’ – they needed a range that would appeal to different audiences, for different gifting moments and at different price levels.

A sanctuary away from The Donkey Sanctuary. We took the spirit of the charity, and its values, and simply recreated it in another part of the UK.

View the full product and retail strategy case study on our website

‘A Lifetime of Memories’ adoption scheme

Creating ‘A Lifetime of Memories’ for The Donkey Sanctuary. Bringing adopted donkeys into the heart of the family. To make this relationship deeper, more frequent and more enduring.

Capturing a ‘Lifetime of Memories’ A gift presentation pack and picture frame as well as a self-presenting POS display. The new pack is also easy to fulfil and has significantly reduced postage costs.

The new adoption pack saw a 700% increase in sales within the first two months.

View the full adoption scheme case study on our website

The Donkey Sanctuary 'Guardians' rehoming scheme

A campaign that reflects the obvious devotion of the people who foster donkeys positioning these special supporters as Guadian angels.

View the full Guadians case study on our website