The Challenge

The National Trust approached us with a clear ambition: to revitalise their gifting proposition in a way that increased both income and impact. They were looking for a partner to help identify and prioritise new opportunities, support them in developing a pilot-ready idea in time for Christmas, and build internal capability to run future innovation cycles with confidence and independence.

The Solution

We coached the Supporter Retention team to deliver a fast-paced, structured innovation process based on our four-phase IMPACT methodology. Over 12 weeks, we worked side-by-side to:

  • Explore the landscape through internal data, stakeholder interviews, journey mapping and market trends.

  • Identify and prioritise high-potential opportunities for improvement, using clear criteria and scenario mapping.

  • Design and test solutions through a hands-on sprint, incorporating rapid prototyping, co-creation workshops, user testing and surveys.

  • Build a pilot-ready product, complete with financial modelling, a delivery roadmap and stakeholder engagement plan.

Our role blended strategic coaching with practical delivery. Alongside this, we played a hands-on creative role, designing the prototypes, key marketing materials and the final outputs. We ensured every output reflected the brand, resonated with audiences, and was ready for real-world testing.

The Impact

The result was a robust, user-validated gifting proposition ready to pilot, built in under three months. Over 700 units were sold, with the ‘Joint’ gift experience box selling out in under 2 weeks. 

Highlights included:

  • A prioritised roadmap of opportunities for future innovation.

  • A fully scoped MVP, tested with real users and underpinned by data.

  • A practical pilot plan aligned with marketing, membership and digital teams.

  • Increased internal confidence and capability to run similar innovation processes independently.

This work laid the foundations for a more strategic and scalable gifting offer, with the first pilot aimed at launch in time for the festive period.

"The gifting launch went well. We sold out of the Joint boxes straight away."

Melanie Nursaw

Senior Supporter Development Manager

"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed leading this project, not only because it’s such a great product, but because it was my first opportunity to apply our New Product Development framework. The process has been liberating; testing and gathering feedback along the way has allowed us to move quickly and adapt as needed."

Melanie Nursaw

Senior Supporter Development Manager