The RFDS relies on donations for half its income. Most of which comes from elderly donors located in rural areas. The organisation needed to build a new database of donors from the 85% of Australians who live in coastal cities.

We needed an innovative way to connect city people with this outback service. Our audience knew the brand but they live with the world’s finest medical care minutes away, so their cause was largely irrelevant.

We needed something unique that would connect the two.

So rather than just asking for money, we created and launched a product that cost nothing to produce and was limitless in supply, something all Australians could own in support of the RFDS - The Sky.

Our strategy focused on promoting the idea of buying a patch of sky on an RFDS flight path and thus becoming part of the team in a very real and tangible way. In media we would highlight how the money raised would help secure the future of the service.

Patches of sky were put on sale at Buythesky.com.au and were mapped on exact flight paths. More importantly people needed to register to receive flight alerts as RFDS planes flew through their patch of sky – 60% opted in for this service - vastly increasing the database of future donors available to the RFDS.

Whilst there is a huge amount of goodwill for the brand, conventional campaigns to persuade younger, city based Australians to engage had proven ineffective and unappealing to media.

Without a new generation of supporters, this unique service would be grounded forever. We needed to make it more relevant and bring people closer to the service, so they could see the life-saving care they deliver every day and make people proud to support the RFDS.

So far the campaign is tracking well with:

• Audience reach of 37 million+.

• 100+ pieces of coverage, including Sunrise, Channel 10, The Australian, Daily Telegraph.

• Secured a deal with Qantas to swap points for patches, as part of their frequent flyer program.

• Cost per donation improved by 539%.

• 60% of people opted in for further communication.

• 89,000 site visits.

• 2085 patches sold.

Routes were mapped and divided into precise km squares with the patches put on sale at buythesky.com.au. Sky owners then received flight alerts as planes flew through their patch of sky – via Email, SMS and social media further spreading the idea.

In order to amplify media and social media appeal, a celebrity spokesperson, Matt Wright, National Geographic’s ‘Outback Wrangler’, was identified and secured for free. Matt aligned with the campaign messaging of the crucial health services provided to the remote Australian Outback where he lives and works.

Every year The Royal Flying Doctors Service is the difference between life and death for thousands of people in the outback – in 2013 the service helped 270,000 people.

But for Australia’s young, urban population they are becoming increasingly irrelevant. With a dwindling, elderly donor base, a crisis loomed for an organisation that relies on charitable funding for half its income.

We were tasked with finding a new idea that would attract a younger urban audience and provide a sustainable fundraising platform.

Our strategy focused on promoting the simple idea to allow you to buy a patch of sky on the RFDS flight paths and become part of the team in a very real and tangible way. As each flight passed through the patch a message was be sent to the donor letting them know about the difference they were making.

In media we would highlight how the money raised would help secure the future of the service and lead to greater investment in infrastructure and staffing, so that more people can be helped across the 90% of Australia that the RFDS covers.