Oxfam Unwrapped users Fathers' Day to promote catalogue
Howard Lake | 8 June 2005 | News
Oxfam is using the upcoming Fathers’ Day to promote its Oxfam Unwrapped catalogue of gifts, a good example of using external occasions and events to drive traffic and sales for online fundraising.
Public holidays and other seasonal dates provide useful and plentiful opportunities for new content for websites. In particular they can provide a convenient hook for organisations raising funds or selling products.
The new season’s Oxfam Unwrapped has use the opportunity of Fathers’ Day to do just that. “It’s Fathers’ Day on June 19th and this year you can give your Dad something truly original”, offers the graphical email sent to Oxfam supporters.
Advertisement
“You could plant an allotment and your gift of seeds and tools will allow a family in the developing world to grow their own food”, suggests the charity.
Sent by Paul Mullins in Oxfam’s Supporter Relations department, the colourful alert sets a deadline of 15 June by which orders should be received.
Such calls to action can be planned and scheduled throughout the year. Mothers’ Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas of course, Spring – all of these offer potential opportunities to promote an appeal or charity trading activity.
Indeed Oxfam Unwrapped is positioning itself as fulfilling itself as a gift solution for almost any occasion. The email concludes: “whatever the occasion, from birthdays and weddings to a new home or new arrival, you’ll find Oxfam Unwrapped full of great gift ideas that will make a real difference to people’s lives.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.