Digital fundraising success for Wiltshire Air Ambulance

Wiltshire Air Ambulance has been a lifesaving presence across Wiltshire for over 30 years, operating 19 hours a day and carrying out an average of three critical missions per day — funded almost entirely through public donations.

With an annual fundraising need of £3.75 million, driving supporter engagement, raising awareness, and securing new donations is essential to their survival.

Since 2018, we have partnered with Wiltshire Air Ambulance to define and deliver their digital strategy — helping them better understand their supporters, their needs, and their digital journey. This collaboration led to a roadmap of digital projects designed to enhance the supporter experience and internal efficiency.

Our work focused on:

• Creating a user-led website with enhanced UX and accessibility

• Integrating a new CRM system to streamline supporter journeys

• Developing Helifun, a gamified mobile fundraising app to engage younger audiences

We began by reimagining their digital touchpoints, delivering a new website that became a vital hub for supporter engagement — from discovering volunteering opportunities to registering for events and making donations.

Key website improvements included:

• Enhanced UX navigation and accessibility standards

• A fully consistent, device-responsive brand experience

• Simplified donation processes tailored to different supporter segments

• CRM integration with thankQ for more strategic supporter management

Following the success of the new website, we helped Wiltshire Air Ambulance expand their reach to a younger audience through their first gamification project — the Helifun app. Designed to combat fundraising fatigue, Helifun provided an interactive, playful way for supporters of all ages to connect with the charity’s mission.

Technologies used:

• Umbraco CMS for flexible content management

• Bootstrap frontend framework

• thankQ CRM integration

• Eventbrite API for events

• Braintree for seamless, multi-channel donations (card, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay)

• Rapidata for Direct Debit donations

Our partnership delivered tangible outcomes that helped Wiltshire Air Ambulance soar to new fundraising heights:

• £10,000 in donations raised within the first 3 months post-launch

• A fully integrated donor journey, enhancing supporter engagement and operational efficiency

• Significant uplift in public awareness and supporter interactions through both the website and the app

• Attracted a new younger audience through the Helifun app

By focusing on user experience, accessibility, and supporter engagement, we helped Wiltshire Air Ambulance future-proof their fundraising capabilities and continue saving lives across Wiltshire.