The National Trust mission is to preserve Australian heritage. They have a strong membership base of over 26,000. The problem is, the bulk of them are all over 60 years old. To future-proof membership, The National Trust identified a need to connect with a younger audience and get them excited about history.

The National Trust identified a need to continue engaging young members by rewarding them for membership. We set out to create a direct mail campaign that would target our youth members. The Birthday Cake Books were sent out to all new youth members as well as to current members as a reward for their membership. This was the original plan but the success and growing popularity of the books has seen them now appear in all National Trust gifts shops.

The National Trust Birthday Cake Book has engaged the youth membership which has climbed to 11,228. It is currently the highest it has been since the Trust’s establishment in 1956. Their current membership retention rate is 95%, an unheard of figure in the NFP sector and a direct reflection of their campaigns aimed at rewarding youth membership.