Background
Fundraising Every Day and Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) have had a longstanding relationship over the past decade, with FED working across many elements of their individual giving program – most recently, on their annual Cash Appeals program and twice-yearly DM Acquisition campaigns.
With a mature individual giving program, RFDS Queensland were on the hunt for new ways to grow their fundraising. Their first-ever Giving Day provided the perfect opportunity – offering an immediate cash injection while helping diversify program income, so the Flying Doctor can continue taking to the skies and delivering the finest healthcare to the furthest corners of Queensland.
In 2026, RFDS partnered with the FED team once again, and with strategic refinements, doubled their Giving Day income in year 2 of the campaign.
The Campaign
In 2025, FED was engaged to provide full-service campaign development, delivery and strategic support, with the aim of achieving an income target of $300,000 within the agreed 24-hour campaign period.
Working closely with RFDS Queensland we developed a strong case for support and Giving Day logo. The campaign name ‘Take to the Skies’ was incorporated into the campaign logo as a standalone brand identity – selected for its aspirational nature, and double meaning: both ‘taking to the skies’ by ambitiously raising a certain amount of money in a short window of time, whilst also offering an opportunity for the donor to help the Flying Doctor save lives via making a donation. Supporting patient case studies were also carefully sourced to further enhance the case for support.
A series of 8x emails were developed to drive public funding through thoughtfully timed pre, on-the-day, and post communications.
On the day, all donations were matched dollar-for-dollar by RFDS Queensland’s Flying High Gift Matching Partners, with the excitement of this first-of-its-kind event rallying both RFDS Queensland’ supporters and staff alike.
In 2026, the FED team was once again engaged in full-service campaign development. The ‘Take to the Skies’ campaign was refreshed with a new ask proposition, along with strategic changes made to the donor journey, look, feel and functionality of the Raisely landing page, to further lift the donor experience.
A new direct mail pledge pack was introduced prior to the day to secure pledges, and while email communications continued to drive donation momentum on the day, MMS was used strategically to further lift gift momentum. This year, the RFDS team also held an immersive brand awareness activation in King George Square, which rallied public interest and team morale alike.
The Result
In year 1, RFDS Queensland smashed their initial income projections, utilising a bonus round to raise an incredible $360,000+ in gross income.
In year 2, RFDS achieved an even more remarkable result, effectively doubling their Giving Day gross income year-on-year, raising over $725,000+.