Support Something Enormous
Zoos south australia
Reimagining animal adoption to create a deeper connection with conservation
For Zoos South Australia, every donation plays a role in something much bigger. As a conservation charity, funds raised help provide world class animal care, support vital breeding programs and contribute to the long term survival of species at risk of extinction.
Animal adoption had long formed part of Zoos SA’s fundraising program, but with five Asian Elephants now calling Monarto Safari Park home, there was an opportunity to rethink what an adoption could be. For the first time, Zoos SA wanted to fundamentally reimagine the experience, creating a stronger connection between supporters, individual animals and the wider conservation mission.
The new Elephant Adoption program would become the first step towards a broader overhaul of Zoos SA’s giving program.
Animal adoption had long formed part of Zoos SA’s fundraising program, but with five Asian Elephants now calling Monarto Safari Park home, there was an opportunity to rethink what an adoption could be. For the first time, Zoos SA wanted to fundamentally reimagine the experience, creating a stronger connection between supporters, individual animals and the wider conservation mission.
The new Elephant Adoption program would become the first step towards a broader overhaul of Zoos SA’s giving program.
Turning a donation into a personal connection
Our role was to develop the strategy, messaging, creative direction and digital experience behind the new adoption offering. At a $500 annual price point, the experience needed to demonstrate real value while giving supporters a genuine reason to care about where their contribution was going and what they were becoming part of.
The answer was to make the adoption personal.
Rather than simply adopting a species, supporters could choose one of the five individual Asian Elephants at Monarto Safari Park: Burma, Pak Boon, Tang Mo, Permai or Putra Mas. Each elephant has their own personality, history and characteristics, allowing us to bring those individual stories to the forefront and create a much stronger connection between supporter and animal.
Supporters could choose the elephant they connected with, get to know their story, visit them at Monarto Safari Park and continue following their journey over time. The experience was built around a simple idea: you are not simply making a donation. You are becoming part of their story.
The answer was to make the adoption personal.
Rather than simply adopting a species, supporters could choose one of the five individual Asian Elephants at Monarto Safari Park: Burma, Pak Boon, Tang Mo, Permai or Putra Mas. Each elephant has their own personality, history and characteristics, allowing us to bring those individual stories to the forefront and create a much stronger connection between supporter and animal.
Supporters could choose the elephant they connected with, get to know their story, visit them at Monarto Safari Park and continue following their journey over time. The experience was built around a simple idea: you are not simply making a donation. You are becoming part of their story.
Support Something Enormous
Asian Elephants are facing an enormous challenge. Fewer than 52,000 are estimated to remain in the wild, with approximately 50% of the population lost over the past three generations. It makes coordinated conservation, breeding and education programs increasingly important to the future of the species.
We wanted the creative to bring two ideas together: the enormous personality and physical presence of the elephants, and the enormous conservation challenge facing the species.
Support Something Enormous.
The line became the central platform for the new adoption experience, balancing personality, scale and purpose. From the messaging and visual direction through to the digital adoption journey, every element was designed to keep the elephants at the centre while making the broader conservation story clear.
Supporters could meet each member of the herd, discover their individual personalities, choose the elephant they connected with and complete their adoption through a dedicated digital journey. Exclusive updates, opportunities to visit the herd and a physical adoption pack then helped turn a single transaction into the beginning of a longer relationship with Zoos SA.
We wanted the creative to bring two ideas together: the enormous personality and physical presence of the elephants, and the enormous conservation challenge facing the species.
Support Something Enormous.
The line became the central platform for the new adoption experience, balancing personality, scale and purpose. From the messaging and visual direction through to the digital adoption journey, every element was designed to keep the elephants at the centre while making the broader conservation story clear.
Supporters could meet each member of the herd, discover their individual personalities, choose the elephant they connected with and complete their adoption through a dedicated digital journey. Exclusive updates, opportunities to visit the herd and a physical adoption pack then helped turn a single transaction into the beginning of a longer relationship with Zoos SA.
An enormous response from day one
The new Elephant Adoption program launched on World Elephant Day with an immediate response.
26 Adoptions in the first 24 hours
$500 Annual adoption price point
5 Individual elephants available to adopt
Achieving 26 adoptions within the first 24 hours represented $13,000 in committed support on day one alone. More importantly, it demonstrated that supporters were willing to make a significant contribution when the giving experience created a stronger connection between them, the individual animal and the impact of their support.
It also provided an early proof point for a very different approach to adoption, one built around storytelling, personality and an ongoing relationship rather than a one off fundraising transaction.
The bigger opportunity extends well beyond the launch. Elephant Adoption represents the first stage of a broader transformation of Zoos SA’s giving program, creating a new model for how supporters can connect with the animals they love while better understanding the role their contribution plays in conservation, animal care and the future of threatened species.
For us, the project was about much more than creating a new fundraising product. It was about helping Zoos SA rethink what giving could feel like: more personal, more engaging and more closely connected to impact.
Ultimately, it was about giving people something enormous worth supporting.
26 Adoptions in the first 24 hours
$500 Annual adoption price point
5 Individual elephants available to adopt
Achieving 26 adoptions within the first 24 hours represented $13,000 in committed support on day one alone. More importantly, it demonstrated that supporters were willing to make a significant contribution when the giving experience created a stronger connection between them, the individual animal and the impact of their support.
It also provided an early proof point for a very different approach to adoption, one built around storytelling, personality and an ongoing relationship rather than a one off fundraising transaction.
The bigger opportunity extends well beyond the launch. Elephant Adoption represents the first stage of a broader transformation of Zoos SA’s giving program, creating a new model for how supporters can connect with the animals they love while better understanding the role their contribution plays in conservation, animal care and the future of threatened species.
For us, the project was about much more than creating a new fundraising product. It was about helping Zoos SA rethink what giving could feel like: more personal, more engaging and more closely connected to impact.
Ultimately, it was about giving people something enormous worth supporting.
