National Theatre at Home

During the Covid-19 lockdown, when audiences could not attend the theatre, the National Theatre broadcast recordings of their shows via YouTube every week and used Text Giving to collect donations.

The Challenge

Covid-enforced closure

At a time when theatre-goers could no longer physically attend performances, the National Theatre saw a major part of its income stream threatened, as funds from ticket sales and incidental at-event purchases dried up.

The Solution

Shows streamed online

The charity launched its National Theatre at Home programme – every Thursday, a show would be broadcast on the theatre’s official YouTube channel as a live stream, and would then remain available to watch for seven days. While the shows were free to watch, audiences were invited to donate to help the charity cope with the losses it faced.

What the campaign achieved…

Over £400,000 raised

The NTATHOME Text Giving campaign saw a huge uptake, helping the charity recoup some of the losses it faced with its doors closed.

Another way to give

The NTATHOME campaign sat alongside other donation options as an alternative way to give. Over 25,000 supporters used it to donate.

Extra funds

63% of those who donated via text also added a Gift Aid declaration via Donr, resulting in an uplift of more than £66,000 for the charity.

“A different type of fundraising to what we usually do. We were amazed by the generosity of those watching, with so many choosing to donate via text.”

National Theatre

Add Text Giving to your next virtual event

Virtual events, like online quizzes or YouTube streams, are great fundraisers. Associate a Text Giving campaign with your event to offer supporters a way to donate quickly and securely.

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