Christian Aid Week 2017 focuses on refugee crisis
Howard Lake | 11 July 2017 | News
Christian Aid Week, the charity’s annual major fundraising campaign, focused again this year on the refugee crisis, the largest since the Second World War.
Working with GOOD Agency, the charity highlighted its work with refugees in Greece and their ongoing need for support.
In particular the agency supported Christian Aid improve its digital fundraising, community event recruitment, inserts and direct marketing.
Longest running fundraising event
Christian Aid Week is the UK’s longest running fundraising event. It involves over 20,000 churches whose congregations deliver 8 million donation elements across the UK.
The week was established in 1945 to generate support for refugees in the wake of the Second World War. This year’s campaign not surprisingly played on the charity’s long heritage and continued commitment to helping refugees.
This year it began on 15 May.
Big Brekkie
New this year for the campaign week is the Big Brekkie, an effort to attract support from the growing numbers of younger, urban, more dynamic church congregations with no traditional connection to Christian Aid.
It is a social and fun community fundraising product designed to sit alongside the continued envelope collection in Christian Aid Week.
Having produced the creative guidelines and participant pack for Big Brekkie last year, this year GOOD worked with Christian Aid on digital recruitment ads across Spotify, social channels, display and Christian social influencers.
Pete Grant, Lead Planner at GOOD Agency, explained: “Christian Aid have responded to the biggest refugee crisis in our memory by being braver than ever. They bought our bravest concepts, invested boldly in new channels and product innovation. It’s been a pleasure working together and we have no doubt their bravery will be rewarded with a new generation of Christian aid supporters and a reinvigorated network of volunteers.”
GOOD Agency also brought to life the story of a refugee mother, Nejebar, stranded with her children in Greece having fled bullets and bombs in Afghanistan.
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Early results
The campaign’s inserts and warm direct mail letters landed in the week beginning 17th May. Timed to arrive alongside envelope collections, they featured a line in Farsi asking “will you help us break bread together?”
They focused on the story of a refugee mother, Nejebar, stranded with her children in Greece having fled fighting in Afghanistan.
After two weeks online donations surpassed expectations. GOOD Agency expected 791 donations through digital advertising, but in fact secured 3,200 donations worth a total of more than £180,000.
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.