Bat Conservation International

Researching a community and donor base.

About the Client

Bat Conservation International is a globally recognized organization. Their mission is to keep the planet earth healthy by protecting bats and their ecosystems.

Challenge(s) They Faced

Bat Conservation International needed to better understand its target audience. Their current community and donor base is strong, but engagement and funding had reached a plateau. They wanted to grow their community and engage new donors. Their challenge was better understanding who was looking for them and why.

CGM Solution

You can’t deepen your donor base or increase your community without understanding how they think. Our collaboration with The Bat Conservation International started with in-depth research. This allowed us to make informed recommendations for communications moving forward.

Here’s what that looked like:

  • Research: We developed a comprehensive in-person questionnaire for both live interviews and an online survey. We held live interviews, and helped BCI promote the online survey via their email list and social media channels. We gathered more than 2,500 responses through those efforts.
  • Audience: Based on our findings, we were able to pinpoint 6 key audience personas – including scientists, retirees, travelers, educators, nature lovers, and goths. We learned why they love bats and support BCI, their media habits and communication preferences, and what they wished to learn from BCI in the future.
  • Presentation: After “slicing and dicing” data a number of different ways, we took the big ideas, found patterns, and shared them with the team. We showed them what inspired people to donate their money, what influencers they follow, and what topics they’re most interested in. We also informed them about trends relating to philanthropy, ecotourism, and other societal factors that may impact giving and engagement.
  • Result: One of our key findings was that people were clamoring for more educational materials and ways to participate in the conservation of bat colonies. Since we presented to BCI, they have since launched a new Learning Resources section on their website, chock full of bat-related curriculum for parents and teachers, as well as other interactive learning content.

Now that Bat Conservation International is clear on what matters to its audience, they can focus on the things that will help grow their community and its support for ensuring bats — and the earth — stay healthy.

Services Utilized:

Quantitative Market Research

Qualitative Market Research

“Working with Clever Girl Marketing was a great experience—very thorough and insightful. The team took the time to dive deep into our questions, ensuring they fully understood out stakeholders and how best to engage new audiences. Their passion for out missions was evident, and they went above and beyond in compiling and analyzing the report.”

Javier Folger
Communications Director, Bat Conservation International