Fair warning: this is our version of the humble-brag you see all agencies trot out when a campaign works well. You will get some actionable takeaways to improve your own results if you are running your own charity 2-step campaign, but we apologise for tooting our own horn here in the hope of finding more awesome clients to work with. Toot-toot!

The Client

The Power of the Pivot

In late 2024, the Animal Welfare League South Australia (AWL-SA) reached out to Happy Fundraising to develop a cost-efficient two-step regular-giving campaign.

Their previous in-house lead generation had converted more than 10% of everyone their call centre spoke to on the phone (industry average these days is closer to 5% so this is very good), but at $16 per lead, the cost of the leads was too expensive to make financial sense.

They wanted to grow fast, however, we recommended a 16-week test first of just 450 leads a week (enough to keep one full-time caller busy) and prove the idea before investing more.

Campaign Basics

Client: Animal Welfare League South Australia
Campaign type: Two-step regular-giving campaign (Meta lead ads → phone conversion)
Goals & KPIs: 450 leads/week at $4–$6 CPL, 6% phone conversion
Timeline: Strategy workshop Jan 2025 → Launch 11 Mar 2025 → 16-week test → Open-ended roll-out

Context & Constraints

AWL-SA had a skilled internal digital department but limited specific expertise in two-step giving campaigns. Outsourcing to Happy Fundraising brought deep knowledge in Meta lead gen and call-centre integration, as well as freeing up their team for other projects.

Strategy & Original Plan

After a collaborative workshop with AWL-SA’s fundraising and comms teams, we shortlisted three mechanisms:

1. Lost Pets quiz (leveraging existing web content into a Meta lead quiz)
2. Custom stickers (lighthearted, punny designs to drive affinity)
3. Pet body-language guide (tweaked from AWL-SA’s previous pet-care download)

Based on call-centre feedback history, quizzes and stickers offered quality leads. Our initial play was to test the Lost Pets quiz and sticker giveaway, with the body-language guide ready as Plan B.

Execution & Early Results

When ads went live, both the quiz and sticker offers averaged $8–$10 per lead—already a 40–50% improvement on the $16 benchmark—but still above target. Phone conversion held at 6–7%. Weekly creative refreshes kept CPLs from creeping higher, but the campaign plateaued.

We needed to get that cost per lead down urgently.

Realising that incremental tweaks of new images or copy updates couldn’t reduce the cost per lead any lower, we activated Plan B: the pet body‑language quiz.

The Pivot Moment

This quiz was a section of the original lead-gen content we’d pulled out as the most exciting part of their “Pet Owner’s Guide”. We believed that passionate pet lovers eager to understand their companions’ body language would make ideal donors. 

By reframing existing content in a fresh lead-gen quiz, we produced simple ads and a 5-question Meta lead form to test the theory as a minimal-viable product before investing lots of time and effort into a whole new offer. 

The results were immediate: leads instantly came in at $1.50 each, and the call centre reported a massive 8% conversion. 

We had cracked this campaign!

Scaling & Blended Campaign

With the body‑language quiz delivering sub-$2 leads at 8% phone conversion, we rebalanced budgets: 70% to the new quiz, 30% split between stickers and the Lost Pets quiz. The blended CPL settled at $6 by the end of the test—and as more funds shift to the $2 mechanism, we’re on track for $4 overall without sacrificing quality. An industry-beating result. We were over the moon.

Key Takeaways

1. Compelling offer is king: Your lead magnet must truly resonate—new value exchanges (quiz, petition, guide, etc.) unlock fresh audiences.
2. Pivot fast, pivot smart: Have multiple ideas ready and a Plan B to switch in days rather than weeks.
3. Lean testing wins: Validate new ideas on simple lead forms before investing in full-scale assets or landing pages.

One Big Lesson

The biggest hurdle in any lead-gen campaign is finding the right mechanism. When your initial offer hits a ceiling, don’t be afraid to pivot entirely—The Power of the Pivot can slash costs and boost conversion almost overnight.

What’s Next for Charities

• Start small: Launch multiple lead magnets on low budgets via Meta lead forms.
• Monitor early: Push call centres for feedback within 2–3 days of live leads.
• Scale winners: Once a mechanism proves below-target CPL and healthy conversion, pour gas on it.

By embracing The Power of the Pivot, AWL-SA now has a blueprint to scale regular-giving at unbeatable efficiency—and your organisation can, too.

Want a Pivot-Ready Two-Step Campaign For Your Charity?

Reach out via our Contact Us page or by emailing info@happyfundraising.com.au. We respond to everyone within 3 business days.