TRAFFIC is a leading non-governmental organisation in the UK working to ensure that trade in wild species is legal and sustainable for the benefit of the planet and people. Fundraising support from loyal donors is key to helping TRAFFIC act on the triple threats of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and climate change.
A healthy fundraising pipeline depends on continually attracting new supporters who care deeply about the organisation’s mission. That’s why TRAFFIC partnered with Care2 to grow its email list and donor base.
Growing with the right audience
The goal of TRAFFIC’s first Care2 lead campaign was simple: Test whether supporter acquisition could translate into meaningful fundraising results. What followed was a successful demonstration of how a strategic, engagement-led email journey can boost charitable donations!
First, Care2 and TRAFFIC collaborated on petition content that would attract supporters whose values best aligned with the mission to fight criminal activity and end the slaughter of endangered animals.After acquiring thousands of new email sign-ups through Care2, TRAFFIC put the subscribers into a three-month automated email programme focused on the topic of threatened wildlife. TRAFFIC quickly saw exceptional email engagement from these new supporters, with average open rates of 54.5% and click-through rates exceeding 20% on top-performing emails.
Turning engagement to donations
Best of all, that engagement converted into action! The programme generated over 270 donations, delivering £3,725 in total value including matched funding, with the highest single donation reaching £100 and new supporters already converting to monthly donation. This was a positive signal that the Care2 sign-ups resonated with TRAFFIC’s mission and were eager to respond to their calls to action.
With thousands of leads still progressing through the planned email journey, the campaign continues to build momentum, putting the TRAFFIC on track to break even within a year of launch.
Scalable growth for the future
After reviewing their automations and standalone emails, TRAFFIC found the engagement levels of Care2 leads significantly outperformed typical nonprofit benchmarks. Certain themes resonated particularly strongly. Emails featuring species such as gorillas, slow lorises, sun bears, and axolotls drove standout performance, with click-through rates exceeding 20% on top-performing sends and open rates reaching over 70% on the strongest subject lines.
This early insight allowed the team to identify which stories, tones, and themes most effectively motivated action, informing optimisation decisions well beyond the initial test period.
Now, armed with performance insights and audience learnings, TRAFFIC increased their investment in Care2 by 50%, turning a first test into a scalable, long-term growth channel.
“Care2 has helped us reach new online audiences who care about stopping illegal wildlife trade. We’re seeing positive engagement already, and we’re keen to continue developing our partnership.”
Marcus Cornthwaite, Communication Manager, TRAFFIC
