Forest Preserve District of Will County x Goosechase: Trailblazing Engagement with the Take It Outside Challenge

The Forest Preserve District of Will County has a lot of ground to cover - literally, spanning more than 23,000 acres of preserved land. How do they inspire locals and visitors to explore their acreage?

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is a governmental organization in Illinois dedicated to fostering a deeper connection between the community and the nature they love so much.

With the goal of connecting folks to nature, the Forest Preserve District of Will County team faced the challenge of effectively engaging the community and raising awareness of their preserves and trails.

They already approached marketing through a modern lens: creating videos (and even a monthly TV program!) and building buzz on social media. However, these methods lacked components that could actively involve and excite the community. They wanted to find a way to get more people out in the preserves, especially ones they had never been to or didn’t even know existed. But how?

In 2023, the Take it Outside Challenge was born, designed to encourage community members to engage with and explore the natural beauty of Will County’s local preserves.

The primary goals of the Take it Outside challenge were to increase public awareness and use of the preserves, promote physical activity and outdoor exploration, and foster a deeper appreciation for natural environments among the community. 

So, did they hit those goals? All of them, and then some. They were able to:

• Increase public awareness and use of the preserves
• Promote physical activity and outdoor exploration, and
• Foster a deeper appreciation for natural environments among the community

Here's what else they gained:

1. Increased Community Engagement in real life and online: In its first year, the challenge drew more than 1,200 participants who completed more than 117,000 nature-themed submissions ranging from GPS check-ins across the county, photos of nature scenes and wildlife, selfies and trivia questions. 
   
   And it wasn’t just the numbers that were impressive. Chad Merda, the Digital Communications Manager at Forest Preserve District of Will County, writes,

For many, the Take It Outside challenge was transformational. Stories poured in all year long about how the Missions were getting people to walk more than they had in years, lose weight, discover Will County’s preserves, feel better mentally and physically and make new friends.
- Chad Merda, Digital Communications Manager at Forest Preserve District of Will County

For the Forest Preserve team, the real aha! moment came when they noticed new patterns in participant engagement. Suddenly, folks were planning their weekends around new Missions, turning the county into a giant game board. And when they saw web traffic go bananas right after dropping a Mission (hot tip: many Missions linked to content on their website), they knew they weren't just on to something – they were on to something big. 

2. More Human Connection: Apart from increased visitation at their visitor centers, they also saw connections being made among participants. Participants had so much fun with the challenge, they asked Will County to organize a meet-and-greet so they could get to know their fellow challengers IRL. Despite the forecast for 80% humidity and the August heat, almost 200 people showed up.
3. Raving Fans!: Through the Take it Outside Challenge, the Forest Preserve team fostered a community of forest preserve champions. By popular demand, they created merch! They produced a limited run of t-shirts for the challenge that were so well-received, they ended up creating a whole line of merch, and in about six months had about $40,000 in sales. Proceeds went to The Nature Foundation of Will County, which funds a variety of forest preserve initiatives, such as the Take It Outside Challenge.

Thanks to the success of the challenge, the Forest Preserve District of Will County isn’t just talking about nature – they're living it, breathing it, and most importantly, sharing it with a community that's now just as passionate as they are.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County used interactive experience platform, Goosechase (hi!), to create, scale, and manage the challenge.

Every week, Chad’s team released a new batch of photo, video, text, and GPS Missions that urged locals to visit outdoor locations and scout for wildlife. Participants were prompted on the free Goosechase app, and they were off to the races!

“Goosechase presented a unique solution with its interactive and gamified approach. Unlike traditional marketing tools, Goosechase offered a platform where participants could actively be part of a bigger dialogue.”
- Chad Merda, Digital Communications Manager at Forest Preserve District of Will County

Missions ranged from easy-peasy (“Check in at a particular visitor center”) to what their team fondly nicknamed “Needle in a Haystack” Missions: challenges so…challenging, they took serious dedication to complete. And the participants were seriously dedicated.

We leaned into the challenge of it all and threw in some Missions where we gave almost no context. They frustrated folks, but the excitement when they cracked the clue was incredible and really fired up the competition!
We have a random bridge along a low-traffic trail that features two green caps. You could blink and miss them. All we put in the Mission was ‘two peas in a pod’. Someone said they hiked 60 miles to find it.
- Chad Merda, Digital Communications Manager at Forest Preserve District of Will County

Goosechase enabled them to create activities that encouraged people to visit and explore different parts of the county in a fun, competitive, and completely unique way. The platform provided the actionable and social component they were missing, turning the campaign into an interactive adventure rather than another marketing initiative.

Apart from being a smashing success for the Forest Preserve District of Will County, the Take It Outside Challenge broke Goosechase records, bringing in the highest number of submissions from a single Experience (over 117,000!). So we bet you’ll want to hear tips straight from Chad, who spearheaded the initiative:

The Forest Preserve District of Will County's "Take It Outside Challenge" is nothing short of a game-changer. Goosechase’s evolution from a scavenger hunt app to an interactive experience platform started long ago, but it’s safe to say Will County’s team is evolving it even further.

Their initiative has brilliantly showcased how technology can extend beyond its original intent, transforming into a pivotal tool for environmental education, community building, and engaging storytelling. Thank you so much to the Forest Preserve District of Will County team for the serious inspiration, illuminating the possibilities that arise when we blend technology, nature, and human creativity in pursuit of a shared experience.

What is Goosechase?

At Goosechase, experience is everything. Originally inspired by scavenger hunts, Goosechase is an online platform that enables organizations and schools to engage, activate, and educate their communities through delightful interactive experiences. Sign up and try creating a free recreational Experience, or check out our Pricing!