Following a three-way pitch, the RNLI has selected Whitewater to develop and implement a new strategy for member and donor retention and development, intended to greatly enhance the overall supporter experience and thereby significantly increase the charity’s voluntary income.

Whitewater will provide strategic planning and creative implementation across all aspects of the charity’s offline and online supporter communications programme, including membership reactivation and renewals, fundraising appeals, and legacy marketing.

“The fundraising marketplace is becoming ever more complex and competitive and we are very aware that we need to develop more sophisticated supporter communications programmes to take account of this,” explains Amanda Mitchell, the RNLI’s Marketing Manager - Planning & Development. “Whitewater’s approach of using consumer insight-led planning to deliver highly engaging creative makes them the ideal partner for us as we embark on our new supporter marketing strategy”.

Work is already underway on the agency’s first two RNLI campaigns; a 370k supporter appeal set to mail out in June and the re-development of advertising supporting the charity’s legacy fundraising activity.

One of the UK’s largest and best known charities, the RNLI exists to save lives at sea. It provides a 24-hour search and rescue service from over 230 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland, often operating in dangerous and difficult conditions. It also runs a seasonal RNLI lifeguard service on 58 of the south’s busiest beaches.