After supporting our client English Heritage for three years, it became clear they had a problem: their sites, while generating an impressive footfall during the summer months and shoulder seasons, often closed in the winter months. This meant that members were not only unable to fully enjoy their membership, but the number of touch points that reminded them why they joined in the first place were also significantly reduced.

We launched our solution – the Members’ Rewards Programme (MRP). An always-on, benefits - and offers - driven programme that gave back to the membership and English Heritage alike by commercialising the charity’s existing reader offers and turning them into an exclusive and tangible member benefit.

Read on to learn how we engaged more than 1 in 10 members in extra commercial activity and delivered an ROI of 62% for English Heritage.

How it worked

With MRP, we developed their existing advertising relationships and selected new partners that aligned tothe brand values of English Heritage to become trading partners and collaborators – with every sales conversion between a member and a commercial partner, we generated income by claiming a small commission for English Heritage.

Every aspect of this programme – from sourcing the partners, delivering the marketing content, and income management – was expertly delivered by the team here at OMA.

The detail…

Our team was fully immersed into the English Heritage member experience which meant that we were able to run the programme from end to end. It was light touch and high return for English Heritage. Programme activity included:

- Original content production to drive engagement with the Members’ Rewards section of the English Heritage website.

- 45 partners sourced and account-managed per year, providing giveaways and benefits to enhance the member experience

- Creating The Reading List, an ongoing content collaboration with publisher Vintage/Random House, to include book reviews, author interviews and offers.

- Seasonal campaigns – Christmas, Travel, Members’ Week etc

- Member-exclusive events, from wreath making to travel lectures.

Results to shout about…

MRP quickly became key revenue driver within membership:

- The Members’ Rewards programme transformed the income model with over £700k income generated since

- A total of 480 offers were created for English Heritage members, who in turn made over 130k redemptions

- MRP delivered an ROI of 62% to English Heritage.

Crucially, our bespoke approach meant that the programme supported member loyalty

- Members engaged at an exceptionally high rate. Email open rates exceeded industry averages, at over 50%

- Redemption rates were 1.3 redemptions per 10 members and the programme was consistently cited within the top 3 benefits in member surveys.

Providing a bespoke members’ rewards offer meant that English Heritage could monetise their audience in such a way that increased engagement and complemented the supporter experience. That’s a win for everyone.

Our Media works with membership bodies, charities and NGOs to develop supporter experiences and products rooted in genuine audience insight. For bespoke insights and support in developing your engagement strategy, drop us a line: clair.atkins@ourmedia.co.uk.