Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust
Wentworth Woodhouse finds its contactless fundraising flow
Wentworth Woodhouse is the largest stately home in the UK. With over 300 rooms and 87 acres of gardens, it stands as one of the most ambitious heritage restoration projects in the country.
In May 2023, the Trust installed a Skinny Donation Station from GWD to support its fundraising efforts. As a pay-to-enter attraction, additional giving requires a compelling ask as well as clever placement—ensuring visitors understood the restoration mission and felt inspired to contribute.
After a promising start, the fundraising team met challenges, and momentum around the device began to stall.
Two key barriers were identified:
- The device would benefit from a hardware upgrade
- Staff confidence in the solution needed a boost
Contactless campaign in memory of Dame Julie Kenny brings confidence, clarity and results
Demonstrating our long-term commitment to customer success, GWD stepped in to provide proactive support. We recommended changes to the setup and sent a team on-site to relaunch the solution.
The hardware upgrade was provided free of charge, with the Donation Station up and running again within the hour, to reduce downtime.
GWD also provided hands-on training for the fundraising staff, focusing on how to integrate the device into visitor engagement and use it confidently day to day. We left the team with the clarity and capability to succeed.
The relaunch focused on a new campaign with messaging and branding repositioned to support a high-profile memorial campaign in memory of Dame Julie Kenny, a long-time board member and a driving force behind the Wentworth Woodhouse revival.
She believed in providing opportunities through the Trust, for both the historic building itself, and the close-knit community supporting it.
This combination of a meaningful cause and optimised placement helped unlock the device’s potential, meaning Dame Kenny’s legacy can live on through the funds provided.
In fact, we were pleased to see that from the very next day, the Trust began receiving consistent daily donations—with over 90% Gift Aided.
At GWD, we know that contactless fundraising isn’t as a simple as plug-and-play. Success relies on three things: context, confidence, and cause. Without expert support from your provider, getting that alignment can be difficult.
Fundraising teams are often stretched, with contactless campaigns only making up part of the picture.
That’s why we want charities to know that with the right partner—one that’s still showing up two years after install—you get results. Wentworth Woodhouse didn’t just need a contactless device. They needed a pro-active partner who could be an extension of their team.
Who are GWD?
We help socially-minded organisations transition to digital systems, building stronger relationships through impactful products and services.
Our experience goes back two decades, with a foundation building and providing critical digital services and products for the financial services and retail industries.
With a long-proven ability to handle challenging projects and a team of trusted experts, we work hard to solve problems and deliver change that helps others.
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