What did winning this award mean for you/your organisation?
‘Winning ‘Fundraising Impact Through Creativity’ has meant a great deal to our organisation. Before entering this award, we never would’ve thought that a small organisation with limited resources and without a huge turn-around in fundraising results would have won. It’s been hugely uplifting to see our work recognised and celebrated in the wider industry.’
How has it impacted on your work in terms of campaign strategies, staff morale, etc?
‘This award was a huge boost for staff morale. It was a great opportunity to reflect on and take pride in the thought and creativity we put into our work. Plus, seeing how effective it was to deep dive into our supporters’ giving motivations in this campaign, we’ll be prioritising learning more about our supporters so we can further align with their values and motivations in future campaigns.’
Briefly tell us about the campaign that won you this award. What made this campaign so successful?
‘In fundraising for a new area of work at Christmastime, we knew we risked losing support. So, we developed a creative campaign based on three building blocks – imagery that resonated that our supporters’ values, messaging that brought together their giving motivations, and personal branding from our CEO to create a one-on-one experience. This resulted in some of our best results yet; our highest ever net income, highest ever income per mailee and double the income from email. But the icing on the cake was a 5% increase to our response rates and average gift; an increase which may not seem that noteworthy, but which built on already strong and already above-industry-standard rates.’
What advice or suggestions can you give to other members considering submitting an awards nomination? Why should they enter?
‘It may feel disheartening to submit a nomination when you see past award winners talking about giant gains in fundraising results. Especially for smaller organisations, it may feel like there’s no point entering because your results can’t compare. But, as we’ve found, that’s not the case at all. As we experienced with our Christmas campaign, even results like a (good but not ground-breaking) 5% increase in response can win the award if you can show how your campaign connects with supporters in a creative, innovative or impactful way.’
Sharon Elliott, CEO – Ethiopiaid
