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The Countryside Alliance has been standing up for rural communities for decades…
…championing countryside causes in Parliament, rallying supporters on the ground, and campaigning for a vibrant, sustainable future. Passionate, hardworking, and deeply rooted in tradition, they needed a partner who could bring fresh thinking to their membership systems, without losing that all-important personal touch.
That’s where we came in.
We’ve been working with the Countryside Alliance for nearly 20 years — everything from welcome packs and member cards to renewal reminders and appeal mailings. In 2021, we brought their BACS Direct Debit payment processing in-house and, more recently, we’ve taken on full membership services, including customer services, payment handling, eCommerce and data management.
Starting in May, we worked together to bring fragmented data into one centralised system, giving the Alliance a much clearer view of their members and all their touch points.
In June, we officially took the reins on customer service, helping to deliver quicker response times, clearer communications, and a more consistent experience across the board.
And when the Alliance became a registered charity in September 2024 (officially launching The Countryside Alliance Foundation) the door opened to new revenue opportunities, like claiming Gift Aid. That meant a sharper focus on data, processes, and compliance. So we tightened our shoelaces and got to work.
Tidy data, trusted decisions
Like many growing organisations, the Alliance had data tucked away in all sorts of places — a couple of CRMs, an online shop, a donation platform, and the odd spreadsheet. Unsurprisingly, that made things a bit tricky to manage.
So, in May 2024, our team of data experts brought it all together. One central system, a nice deep clean and clear data guidelines to keep things on track. Now, records are accurate, preferences are adhered to, and data driven decision-making is sharper than ever.
Lawrence Tribe-Endt, Commercial Director, Countryside Alliance Foundation“ESco helped us get control of our data — not just by pulling it together, but by setting a clear strategy for how we structure, update, and use it. […] We now have much clearer segmentation for comms and much greater confidence when producing board-level reporting or pulling campaign audiences.”
Service that stays true to brand
Outsourcing customer service can feel like a big leap — especially when your members are fiercely loyal and expect a familiar, knowledgeable voice at the other end of the phone.
So we took our time. We trained our team on rural policy, fieldsports, and everything that makes the Alliance tick. The result? A seamless transition from in-house management over to ESco in June 2024, without any disruption to their customers or memberships.
We built a custom knowledge base, kept the tone warm and personal, and made sure every member felt at home and every query was met with the same level of care and attention that it always had been under the management of the Alliance.
Now, we meet regularly with the Alliance team to review feedback, discuss improvements, and ensure we’re always evolving the service. It’s a team effort — and a shared commitment to delivering the best possible experience for every member.
Lawrence Tribe-Endt, Commercial Director, Countryside Alliance Foundation“We were incredibly protective of our member experience. So, handing over the membership services function to ESco had to be done with great care. They onboarded incredibly quickly, learned the language of our organisation, and adapted their tone and knowledge to meet the expectations of our members.
We’ve seen faster responses, more consistent experiences, and more time back internally to focus on campaigning work and strategic projects.”
The power of Gift Aid
With clean data in place and customer service successfully transitioned, the next step was unlocking new income through Gift Aid – a UK government scheme that allows charities to claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated by UK taxpayers, at no extra cost to the donor. It’s a powerful way to boost income, but one that requires careful data management and compliance.
In September 2024, we reviewed millions of transactional records, identified qualifying payments, and built a monthly submission process that’s now embedded in day-to-day operations. We also handle the claims directly with HMRC — saving the team time and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
Lawrence Tribe-Endt, Commercial Director, Countryside Alliance Foundation“With the data in better shape, we were able to fully audit our Gift Aid declarations and make our first formal submission to HMRC in years. This had previously been too complex to risk — but with ESco’s help, we could verify eligibility and ensure all data was formatted to HMRC’s standards. That’s now generating meaningful income for the Alliance — not only for past years but as an ongoing quarterly process we can scale.”
Future-focused, together
From smarter data and smoother systems to stronger income and faster support, we’ve helped the Countryside Alliance lay the foundations for a brighter future. They’ve got big plans — and we’re proud to be part of them.
It’s not just service. It’s partnership. And we’re just getting started.
Alistair Wood, Operations & Development Director, ESco“Working with the Countryside Alliance has been a real adventure — one built on trust, collaboration, and a shared passion for doing things right. It’s been a pleasure to support them on this journey so far, and we’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved together. We’re excited to keep building on that success and to help them go even further in the years ahead.”
