copper harbor trails club

Industry:  Outdoor Gear/ Non-profit
Services: Full Service, Social Media, Email, Photography, Content Creation, Website Dev

Turning Community Storytelling Into Measurable Growth

The Copper Harbor Trails Club manages one of the most recognized mountain bike trail systems in the Midwest. While the trails had a strong reputation among riders, the organization came to us needing a more intentional digital presence to translate that awareness into community engagement, tourism, and fundraising support.

Goose Collective partnered with the team to build a storytelling engine rooted in experience, not infrastructure, bringing the trails to life across digital channels.

The Challenge

  • Increase donations and fundraising performance

  • Build stronger community engagement and loyalty

  • Elevate destination awareness beyond core riders

  • Better communicate the impact and value of trail development

The CHTC needed to:

At the time, storytelling lacked consistency, and content wasn’t fully capturing the emotional connection people have with the trails.

Trail signage designed by us for their network on East Bluff

Key Initiatives

Our Approach

  • Developed seasonal storytelling campaigns centered around trail experiences

  • Built a social media strategy focused on real outdoor moments and rider perspective

  • Produced photo and video content showcasing the terrain, community, and environment

  • Created messaging that bridges visitor experience with donation impact

  • Increased consistency and quality of content output across platforms

Strategy

  • Position Copper Harbor as a must-visit riding destination

  • Highlight the people, moments, and lifestyle behind the trails

  • Align messaging to support both tourism and fundraising

Execution: Bringing the Trails to Life

We captured Copper Harbor in its truest form—riders in motion, changing seasons, and the raw beauty of the Keweenaw. The content was designed to feel immersive and real, allowing audiences to see themselves in the experience.

This shift created content that didn’t just inform—it pulled people in.

Trail signage designed by us for their network on East Bluff

Impact

Digital Growth

  • +41.8% Instagram growth in 6 months

  • +7.4% audience growth overall

  • +388% increase in engagement

  • +1055% increase in content views

Fundraising Performance

  • $51,000+ raised on Giving Tuesday 2025

Brand Impact

  • Elevated Copper Harbor as a top-tier mountain biking destination

  • Strengthened connection between trail users and the organization’s mission

  • Created a repeatable storytelling system that drives both engagement and donations

Client Reviews

“Goose Collective has been fantastic to work with. Haley and Sascha bring creativity, responsiveness, and a genuine understanding of our mission. It’s a fun, collaborative partnership that consistently delivers great results. Highly recommend!”

-Adam Yeoman, Executive Director, Copper Harbor Trails Club

Sascha and Haley bring the perfect balance of creativity, clarity, and communication. Their ideas are fresh and imaginative, but always grounded in clear strategy. They’re incredibly easy to work with—focused, responsive, and genuinely collaborative. Working with them has felt like having true creative partners.”

-Harrison Smith, Assistant Executive Director, Copper Harbor Trails Club 

Our Impact

Understanding the holistic vision between product photography, email marketing, design, we were able to implement an entire email/sms launch strategy alongside White Duck’s internal team

  • Increased brand visibility among cold-weather and shoulder-season campers

  • Positioned White Duck products as reliable in new, more rugged environments

  • Expanded audience perception beyond fair-weather camping into year-round usability

  • Delivered high-performing visual assets that elevated campaign quality and engagement