How Savera UK increased regular donations 10-fold with Enthuse

The story

About Savera UK

Savera UK initially began life as Savera Liverpool in 2010 before rebranding in 2016 to reflect its increased geographic reach and extension of support to people of all genders.

The name ‘Savera’ was selected because it means ‘new beginning’ in Hindi, a theme that is symbolic of the support the charity provides.

The charity delivers life-saving services to tackle the causes and effects of ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices including female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced/child marriage, by working with key partners to conduct research, deliver training, raise awareness and provide one-to-one support for survivors.

The challenge

Running donations and events online with improved branding during Covid

The global pandemic meant that it was difficult for Savera UK to support its clients in the same ways it had previously. Physical fundraising events had to be put to one side as well as other revenue streams such as in-person training. Savera UK would often be commissioned by professional services to train in recognising and understanding ‘honour’-based abuse and other harmful practices, which helped to generate extra income for the organisation. The fact that this was no longer an option was not only a hindrance to the funds it could generate but also to the usual ways it offered its services.

The number of ‘honour’-based abuse cases referred to Savera UK increased by 30% as a result of the pandemic. So not only did the charity have to adapt its service delivery, but it wanted to ensure its online donations and events were better integrated into the website, were easier-to-use and had improved branding that showed off its rebrand.

Savera UK turned to Enthuse to deliver that branded donor experience that was increasingly important without being able to fundraise in person.

The more approach by Enthuse

Creating more branded fundraising

Prior to using Enthuse, Savera UK had used JustGiving as its digital fundraising platform but found it didn’t offer the flexibility it needed – as the solution felt out-the-box and failed to offer the personal touch it was looking for.

Having undergone a rebrand, and being aware that its online presence would be increasingly important during the pandemic, Savera UK looked to Enthuse to better apply its brand identity across online donations and events.

Enthuse created a donations page for the Savera UK website that was tailored to the charity’s colours and brand identity, and acted as an extension of the organisation’s own website. The charity’s previous fundraising platform had interrupted the donor journey by taking them to a non-branded, third party site. Savera UK is now able to offer a seamless donor experience that prevents drop off and encourages brand recall.

Enthuse Donations allows Savera UK to offer both one off and regular donations to supporters and also enables the charity to put descriptions of how the donations might be used next to each pre-loaded amount. The pre-loaded amounts help to encourage donations of a specific size and the accompanying text gives supporters a tangible example of how their donations can be used to make a difference, so they feel inspired to give.

Savera UK takes to the streets to encourage people to speak out about ‘honour’-based abuse

Additionally, the donations process lets supporters leave a message of support with their donation and gives them the opportunity to add Gift Aid automatically, to raise up to 25% more for the charity. The ability to run reports and track donations has also been essential in helping Savera UK to run campaigns and assess performance.

Enthuse has helped Savera UK to make the most of webinars and online conferences during the pandemic through the Enthuse Event Reg solution, too. Savera UK’s events have been branded, easy-to-use and great for enabling additional donations. This has allowed them to carry out conferences in memory of those lost to ‘honour’ killings, educational film screenings and expert talks, as well as online quizzes with the likes of TV presenter Maya Jama taking part to raise awareness. The fact that events are online also means that attendees are not limited by their geography, so Savera UK can spread its message to a wider audience.

This has all contributed to Savera UK having digital fundraising solutions that are not just functional but also enable the charity to put its brand front and centre.

Using Enthuse for our one-off and regular payments allows us to regulate how we receive donations and monitor donors. We can run reports and track donations coming in so it’s clear what we’ve got and can plan accordingly.
Afrah Qassim  – CEO and Founder, Savera UK

The results

10x increase in regular donors

By partnering with Enthuse, Savera UK has been able to raise important funds and engage supporters during a difficult period, helping the charity to continue its excellent work tackling ‘honour’-based abuse across the UK.

Not only does Savera UK now have a well-integrated and branded donation option for its supporters, but it has seen its pre-loaded donation amounts and accompanying service descriptions make a significant impact.

Every year Savera UK remembers those lost in the name of ‘honour’ on the National Day of Memory (14th July)

Since switching from JustGiving to Enthuse, Savera UK has seen its number of regular donors increase tenfold. A fantastic result for the charity that helps not just in providing immediate funding for services but also in building longer-term supporter relationships, thanks to its total control of data with contact details.

Overall, by working with Enthuse, Savera UK has been able to celebrate its brand identity while managing donation reports, increasing repeat givers and running online events with the option to collect donations. All of which helps to strengthen the cause’s digital fundraising operations.

Enthuse Events has been great! It’s much more intuitive and easier to use than our previous events solution with another provider. Most of our events are free, but this system allows the option for people to donate if they wish, which many do.
Afrah Qassim – CEO and Founder, Savera UK