Battersea Arts Centre: Rising from the Ashes
How Battersea Arts Centre raised £81,273 via web giving after a devastating fire in 2015 - £10,500 in the first 12 hours, with 83% of donors adding Gift Aid and 99% opting in for future contact.
Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) is a local arts organisation in Southwest London operating from a historic Town Hall. Known for experimental work and community engagement, BAC faced a crisis when a major fire on March 13, 2015 destroyed its Grand Hall and Lower Hall.
The Response
A fundraising campaign launched using the DONATE™ platform within hours of the fire. Rather than promoting text-giving options, BAC focused exclusively on web donations to better communicate the fire's impact and encourage larger gifts.
Within one hour, donations reached £1,500. By twelve hours, the total climbed to £10,500. Within four days, over £78,000 had been raised from 2,553 donations.
Social media played a crucial role, with coverage from London Live and Southwest Trains announcing the campaign to commuters. Celebrity endorsements also amplified reach.
The Result
Total raised: £81,273
- 62% of traffic came via Facebook and Twitter
- 63.5% of traffic originated from mobile or tablet devices
- 87.5% completion rate for the donation process
- 83% of donors added Gift Aid
- 99% opted in for ongoing contact
- 40% of donors were under 35 years old
- 85% of donations came through DONATE™ rather than BAC's direct website link
"A traditional emergency fundraising campaign using volunteers with donation buckets might have resulted in £5–10,000; at £50,000 in less than 3 days DONATE™ has moved us to a completely new level."
- Kane Moore, Head of Development, Battersea Arts Centre