BEST PIVOT CAMPAIGN OR INITIATIVE Australia

for UNHCR

Ukraine and Afghanistan Appeals

Finalist

In 2021, as America’s military left Afghanistan, millions of people throughout the region feared for their safety. UNHCR were on the ground in Afghanistan to provide emergency aid and protection to the thousands of vulnerable families who had been forced to flee their homes. The decision was made to pivot from the original appeal theme and launch a multi-channel emergency fundraising effort to ensure Australians more broadly were aware of the extent of the crisis and how they could help. The Afghanistan emergency acquired 18,176 new one-off cash donors (17,329 in 2021 and 847 in 2022) and has raised $11.8M. It attracted 415 new mid-level donors who gave between $1k and under $10k and 25 new High Net Worth donors and two new Trusts and Foundations.

UNHCR estimates that 14 million people were forced to flee for their lives and more than over 15 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. UNHCR needed to quickly scale up their fundraising efforts to fund the response. Originally planned as a campaign focusing on the food insecurity in Africa, the focus pivoted to the devastating violence and mass forced migration in Ukraine. The Ukraine emergency recruited over 15,155 new one-off cash donors and has so far raised $15.8M. This campaign significantly increased public awareness and knowledge about the work of UNHCR and improved performance across their other fundraising channels and programs.

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