I worked with international development agency Practical Action for over a decade and at Click Creative we became their go-to agency and trusted collaborators. I was lead designer on many projects from direct mail and cold inserts to legacy appeals and their flagship magazine - Small World. They kept coming back as we consistently delivered against ambitious targets.
My role was to work closely with our own internal team including a senior project manager and a small team of designers and freelancers. We also managed a small cohort of copywriters working together on concepts through to the finished designs. I led on everything in design and kept a strong handle on the branding especially during their brand refresh in 2019 where we rolled out the first projects, ironed out any snags and seamlessly integrated the new brand into fundraising materials.
Small World Magazine
Working alongside a copywriter we created this supporter magazine, steering it not just through a brand refresh but on the journey from being a stewardship piece into an important fundraising tool. The magazine continued to exceed all targets – with response rates at over 8%.
Peru - disaster risk reduction warm appeal
Our-long time client Practical Action asked us to create their Christmas appeal, their biggest of the year, with a challenging brief to focus on their flood resilience projects with communities in Peru.
We knew that this part of the client’s work wasn’t usually popular with supporters and so, we used a longer A4 4pp letter from a local coordinator to explain the devastation caused on the ground by floods in greater detail than in a standard A4 2pp format. A concertina-fold lift clearly explained the different pieces of the solutions that the supporters were funding – something we knew this gadget-loving audience would be keen to see.
We came up with a cost-effective engagement device to add into the pack aimed directly at the older audience; a handy checklist to go on the fridge with useful contact numbers in case of their own emergency. With the older audience in mind, we worked hard to ensure that the donation form was easy to complete knowing that this was their preferred way of giving.
The appeal raised 33% (over £30k) more than the appeal done in-house the year before and had response rates ranging from 8% to a whopping 17%.
Ingenious ideas warm appeal
We chose to differentiate Practical Action’s ‘empowering local ingenuity’ approach from the types of aid that are helicoptered in and that therefore have a limited impact. To this end, we wanted to give an ‘on the ground’ view of how the charity’s long-term partnership with a community went beyond the provision of clean water to also include knowledge sharing and training on how water could be used to increase farming yields and improve public health. As a mark of our collaborative relationship, the staff member on the ground hand-wrote the diary you see replicated here.
“The Click Creative team have worked with Practical Action for many years. They have built a deep understanding of how we tick, our audience, and what we’re trying to achieve. Which means they consistently deliver high quality work that meets objectives and exceeds targets.
Click Creative also produce our supporter magazine, as well as fundraising appeals and legacy marketing…the magazine has gone from strength to strength. We have increased its frequency, and it has developed into a major pillar of our fundraising activity.
Sarah and her team are also just really nice people to work with - creative, collaborative, adaptable, and happy to build on our ideas when needed. Everything you want in an agency partner!”
Head of Brand and External Engagement, Practical Action.