Web Development
RSPCA NSW Website
RSPCA NSW came to us in 2016 needing a better website and wanting to build their internal team’s digital capability. Their old platform was clunky, hard to manage, slow to update and no longer matched digital best practices.
We helped RSPCA NSW find a balance between making quick improvements and building long-term sustainability into their entire digital ecosystem.
As RSPCA NSW’s long-term partner, we have helped build their team’s capability and launched projects that have delivered results in donations, adoptions and brand experience.
Problem
RSPCA NSW needed better engagement with the public and higher conversion of adoptions and donations which was not possible with their existing website.
Solution
We helped RSPCA NSW find a balance between making quick improvements and building long-term sustainability into their entire digital ecosystem.
Results
- Revenue from digital has increased
- RSPCA NSW is more nimble and can get things done more quickly
- Their online presence is refreshed and more relevant than ever
The Challenge
In 2016, RSPCA NSW had no social presence, limited internal and external digital comms, disconnected and siloed systems and only one part-time team member working on digital.
They needed better engagement with the public and higher conversion of adoptions and donations. This was not possible with their existing website which was outdated, not mobile responsive and difficult for staff to update or create content with.
The old website was also not integrated with other systems such as their thankQ CRM, payment systems and shelter adoption centres which made building their supporter base challenging.
The Solution
It was obvious RSPCA NSW needed a new website. But before building, we started with a discovery session to understand the needs of the organisation and ensure this project was collaborative and had buy-in from the start.
Alongside the digital lead, we conducted extensive discussions with the main stakeholders of the organisation which included the animal care services team, the fundraising team, the volunteer team, leadership and human resources team. The purpose of these discussions were to make sure the new website aligned to the strategic and tactical objectives of the organisation and gave each stakeholder an opportunity to give input into the process.
We used data analytics to understand how users were interacting with the website. How did they arrive on the site? What were they looking for? What actions were they taking? Where were they dropping off? Combined with discussions with their internal teams, we redesigned the user experience of the website to meet the needs of users and organisational objectives.
With those insights, we rebuilt RSPCA NSW’s website making strategic recommendations to improve conversions and performance. Some specific changes include:
- Making “Adopt” the prominent CTA on their website, to push the organisation’s primary goal. The donation CTA was placed into the mega menu and other strategic areas of the website. Overall adoptions and donations across the site have improved since this change.
- We completed a content audit and redesigned the sitemap so users can easily find relevant information faster. The site went from 1278 to 272 pages after removing unnecessary content.
- Integration with Sheltermate helps people connect to all the different shelters and branches of RSPCA across the state and view current animals ready for adoption, all on the RSPCA NSW website.
- Optimised three step donation forms with eCommerce tracking enabled which integrated with their thankQ CRM and marketing tools for improved data management and audience onboarding.
As part of a long-term partnership, we help RSPCA NSW make continual upgrades and improvements to keep in line with changing technology and continue to deliver results.
The Results
Revenue from digital has increased. The new site has contributed to a 145% year-on-year increase in online fundraising since 2017. Strategic UX suggestions have increased online conversions of regular givers for their major appeals.
RSPCA NSW is more nimble and can get things done more quickly. An easy to use and scalable CMS for the team reduced staff time in creating donation pages from 4-5 days to 2 hours. These pages all have tracking in place, and integrate with their thankQ CRM and payment systems. We set up a Data Studio dashboard to help the team make data driven decisions across the site.
Their online presence is refreshed and more relevant than ever. The digital updates have helped make an old charity relevant to the next generation of supporters, donors, volunteers and staff. The new platform helps bring stories from staff and volunteers in the field to the public, and inspire an ever-growing philanthropic population.
Wrapping up
RSPCA NSW’s ultimate goal is to increase animal welfare by reducing the number of animals being surrendered each year to its shelters due to irresponsible pet ownership. With their increased brand presence, improved user experience and upskilled team, our improvements to digital have made a large impact to this goal.
We continue to work with RSPCA NSW to build their online presence, campaigns and other special projects to improve responsible pet ownership and raise awareness of animal welfare.
That’s something to woof about!
“RSPCA NSW has trusted the digital expertise of Marlin for the last 7 years. Their incredible mentorship, digital advice and strategic mindset has helped the organisation grow online and achieve a high level of digital integration across fundraising and service delivery. We see the Marlin team as an extension of our in-house digital team and enjoy every opportunity to work together.”
Rachel EnglishSenior Manager, Communications for RSPCA NSW