Case Study: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden achieves 487% donor growth in 10 days with Blackbaud

Cincinnati Zoo builds virtual audience during COVID-19, grows donors by nearly 500% in 10 days

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden faced the sudden challenge of keeping its mission alive when it closed to visitors during COVID-19. With families and children at home and in-person revenue halted, the zoo needed a way to engage audiences, remain relevant, and capture critical donor support.

The zoo launched a daily "Home Safari" Facebook Live series featuring animals, zookeepers, and at-home activities, and partnered with Blackbaud to build a donation program and CRM integration in 72 hours. The virtual effort drew 44 million views in the first 10 days, reaches about 20 million active viewers on a given day, and drove a 487% increase in donors within the first three weeks.

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Krista Powers

Director of Donor Engagement