Case studies
A few of my favourite projects.
I've worked campaigns that ran across seven continents at once, raised $1M+ per year for an elephant sanctuary, ran marketing for a luxury safari camp in remote, northern Kenya, led climate communications in Africa for World Bank Group, and organised well over 200 events.
What brings me joy is seeing a good strategy that is well executed, and the ripple effect after. These are some of those stories, including the bits that didn't go to plan.
Turning reputation into growth. The value of a digital credibility.
How sharper positioning, messaging, SEO and a stronger digital presence helped a Cape Town running coaching team nearly double its contact form conversion and grow website visits by 32% in just 6 months.
Giving Tuesday is Black Friday for generosity. Here's how Reteti made it count.
Giving Tuesday is the lowest-hanging fruit on a nonprofit's calendar, with one catch: everyone can reach it. Here's how Reteti Elephant Sanctuary grew its Giving Tuesday 4.6× in two years, and the five ingredients you can use before 1 December
Brand consistency: would anyone know it's you without the logo? Become a smashable brand.
Most people meet your brand in fragments. Why a consistent, 'smashable' brand drives growth, with lessons from Bootlegger, Ultra-Trail Drakensberg and The Sarara Foundation.
“Sarah gave $1,860, and nobody noticed.” - How a CRM found our hidden donors.
How a conservation nonprofit moved scattered donor spreadsheets into one Salesforce CRM, found major donors it had missed, and grew revenue. A case study.
Sarara Wilderness launch: Selling a safari camp before it existed
Client: Sarara Wilderness, Northern Kenya
Project: Pre-opening launch campaign
Impact: From a soft launch in December to near fully booked the next main season, sold on a line drawing and a clear story.
Building an Adoption Platform for Reteti Elephant Sanctuary
Client: Reteti Elephant Sanctuary
Project: Custom-Built Digital Adoption Platform
Impact: Created a major new revenue stream, driving almost 50% of total digital income
Empowering African Parks Team to Fundraise with Confidence.
Client: African Parks
Project: Digital Fundraising Workshop
Impact: World Ranger Day campaign exceeded previous annual online fundraising totals in just two days
World River Run – A Global Collaboration with WWF for Freshwater
Client: Thirst Foundation
Project: Global digital campaign
Impact: Collaborative campaign with WWF with over 17,000 participants from 119 countries, and amplified reach through WWF ambassadors including Eliud Kipchoge.
Ultra-Trail Drakensberg: Building an event-brand that scales
In 2019, Ultra-Trail Drakensberg had 133 entries and a clear brief: fill the race, then turn it into a brand a title sponsor would want. Over three years we built the identity, brand storytelling, the race-day media and an online community of 15,000+. It’s been a sold-out race since, and acquired a title sponsor.
One voice for 20 stores: Building the brand system behind Bootlegger
Bootlegger was growing fast, but its brand and marketing lagged behind. I built a brand system that could scale with it: one voice, one look and a launch playbook to support the brand’s rapid expansion and franchising.
World Water Run – Mobilising a Global Community for World Water Day
Client: Thirst Foundation
Project: Global digital campaign
Impact: Exceeded sign-up goal by 2.5×, impression goal by 6x and US$3.38 million in estimated media value.
Rhino Peak Challenge
Project: Marketing and social media strategy and execution
Impact: Achieved 231% fundraising growth between 2018 and 2021, raising over R3 million for conservation
Giants Cup Trail
Project: Brand repositioning, website, email marketing, social media, event collateral, event comms
Impact: Successfully repositioned the event from an elite, camping-based stage race into a boutique, premium trail experience, attracting a broader, more established audience.
#Plogathon: A Virtual Run Case Study
How a three-day virtual plogging run for Mina Guli's Thirst Foundation recruited runners from over 40 countries.