Oakland Zoo was established in 1922 and is managed by the Conservation Society of California (formerly East Bay Zoological Society), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife both locally and globally. With over 850+ native and exotic animals, the Zoo is recognized for its outstanding animal care—particularly the elephant care program—and for their LEED-certified veterinary hospital—the largest wild animal veterinary facility in Northern California.

For more than 23 years, S&W has partnered with the Oakland Zoo on a range of projects, including business planning, membership and fundraising consulting and implementation of their multi-channel direct response program for membership and annual fund.

In fall 2016, S&W was first asked to assist with a gift membership campaign to help expand the Zoo’s base of membership support and assist in its mission to inspire respect and stewardship of the natural world, while providing a quality visitor experience at the Zoo. Since then, the gift membership campaign has become one of the top performing digital campaigns to date—increasing responses by 198% and net revenue by 311% since 2016.

The Solution

S&W prides itself on taking innovative risks based on past campaign testing and in-depth analysis. Based on results from the previous year’s gift membership campaign, S&W was able to recommend new digital strategies to expand reach and influence prospects to buy a gift membership and to support the Oakland Zoo’s mission. These strategies included:

• Positioning Oakland Zoo membership as both a unique gift-giving opportunity as well as a way to support the Zoo’s conservation mission.
• Expanding campaign reach through multi-channel digital marketing strategies, including responsive emails, online advertising, organic static and video social media posts (via Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, and TikTok), designed-based Instagram stories, Instagram reels, and promotion on the Zoo’s homepage (carousel slider and two lightboxes).
• Expanding outreach to new audiences through social media targeting and prospect
• Increased promotions around Cyber Weekend, including customized emails, social media ads, social posts, and digital promotions on the Zoo’s website to create a sense of urgency around the “best deal” on gift memberships.
• Increased email touches and social efforts during Cyber Weekend promotions to help increase response.
• Integrating with the Zoo’s branding and marketing to present strong, cohesive messaging across all promotional channels.
• Strong collaboration and participation across the S&W and Oakland Zoo teams (S&W, marketing, development, and membership).