The client
We worked across a cluster of charities under The Prince's Charities umbrella: serious international missions, high public scrutiny, and digital programmes that had to fundraise and communicate at that standard.
Our first engagement was the British Asian Trust, founded in 2007 by the then Prince of Wales (now His Majesty King Charles III, still Royal Founding Patron) with British Asian business leaders, to tackle poverty and hardship across South Asia.
That relationship opened the door to Sentebale, co-founded in 2006 by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho (younger brother of King Letsie III) in memory of their mothers, including Diana, Princess of Wales. Sentebale means "forget-me-not" in Sesotho. It supports children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS and wider vulnerability across Southern Africa, with programmes rooted in Lesotho and later Botswana.
The challenge
Each organisation needed digital infrastructure and ongoing marketing that could carry a hard story to supporters internationally: clear enough to raise funds, careful enough for the cause, and strong enough to sit beside the people who stand behind it. For the Trust, that meant building a programme from the ground up. For Sentebale, it meant taking on an existing charity operation and making donations, hosting and channels work harder.
What we did
Our first Prince's Charity was the British Asian Trust. We ran their digital programme end to end: strategy, website design and build, hosting, and ongoing support on a monthly retainer, with email marketing and advertising as their primary agency.
The retainer went well beyond the website. When the Trust staged its high-profile royal fundraising events, we provided the technical infrastructure and support behind them: the digital machinery that has to work flawlessly when the room is full of major donors and the founder is royalty. And between events, we ran social media that amplified the Trust's remarkable ambassador network (British Asian Trust ambassadors): names from television, film, music and sport, from Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal to Gurinder Chadha and Naughty Boy, whose reach turned the Trust's story into a conversation its supporters could join.
That work led to us taking over hosting, technical and marketing support for Sentebale: an existing charity in the same group. Alongside the Trust, we developed Sentebale's online donation infrastructure and social channels on sentebale.org.
// Web traffic
“The site has seen a considerable increase in web traffic.”
Tone mattered as much as technology. Growing organic support around live events was the goal; getting the voice wrong next to an HIV/AIDS youth mission was not an option.
// Social channels
“Sentebale joined two social media platforms – Twitter and Facebook. We have seen an organic growth in supporters for both platforms with peaks appearing around events.”
Within the same Prince's Charities group we also delivered microsites and strategic initiatives, including Letsema.org: a collaborative network connecting aid providers working with vulnerable children.
Our approach
// Digital marketing
“Developments in our digital marketing have allowed us to meet our objectives of raising awareness of our work with vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS and engaging with our supporters.”
We treated the cluster as one client relationship with distinct brands inside it: strategy and build where a programme needed founding, hosting and technical stewardship where it already existed, and retainer marketing (email, advertising, social, donations) where the charity needed a primary digital agency. Clear information architecture and design that earns trust sat underneath all of it.
Outcome
In the period covered by Sentebale's 2012–13 Report & Accounts, the charity reported £3.21 million income raised: a 33% increase on the previous year.
That figure sat on top of a wider Prince's Charities brief that went well beyond a brochure website: live programmes that had to perform on ordinary Tuesdays and on nights when the room was full of major donors, royalty and the Trust's ambassadors. Digital had to be as reliable as the cause was visible.
For Sentebale, the same period shows what happens when donations, hosting and social are treated as one system rather than afterthoughts. The charity's own reporting points to rising traffic, supporter communities that grew around live events, and digital marketing that met its awareness and engagement objectives.
Both organisations went on to do what those foundations were built for. The British Asian Trust has grown into a major force against poverty across South Asia, with His Majesty King Charles III still its Royal Founding Patron. Sentebale continues its work with children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana, marking its 20th anniversary in 2026. Being trusted to build and run digital for causes at that level remains some of the work we are proudest of.
Context & coverage
- British Asian Trust: our story: founded 2007 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales); Royal Founding Patronage continues.
- His Majesty The King to continue as Royal Founding Patron (British Asian Trust): patronage confirmed after the Coronation review.
- British Asian Trust (Wikipedia): founding, mission, scale, and ambassador roster.
- Prince of Wales speech at a British Asian Trust dinner: royal fundraising dinners as a standing Trust platform (public context for event-tech remit).
- Sentebale: mission, Lesotho and Botswana programmes, established 2006.
- Sentebale co-founders: Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho; "forget-me-not" meaning; founded in memory of their mothers, including Diana, Princess of Wales.
- Sentebale | The Royal Family: royal.uk summary of the charity's purpose and Lesotho work.
- Sentebale Report & Accounts 2012–13 (PDF): sentebale.org launched December 2012; social channels from February 2013; digital marketing and year-at-a-glance figures (£3.21m income, 33% increase); Letsema network programme.
