A creative fundraising idea you’ll wish you’d thought of too

 

Is there an idea you wish you had thought of? The world of fundraising is full of amazingly creative ideas, isn’t it? But could you choose one? That’s what I had to do when I was asked to speak at the 2019 International Fundraising Congress on the topic of I Wish I’d Thought Of That, or #iwitot as it is known.

#iwitot is such a fun event. At IFC, speakers from around the world were given just seven minutes to express why their chosen idea was something they wish they’d thought of. There were ideas from Australia, from the US, from South Africa, and more. Of course, I really wanted to choose something from my own country of Korea.

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I chose Twinkle Twinkle Little Box, an important campaign on period poverty. I loved many things about the campaign, not least the fact that it was not afraid to be trendy! I first came across the campaign in an unboxing video from Korean influencer Hyeyeon Han.

An unboxing video from Korean influencer Hyeyeon Han.

Unboxing videos are common on Youtube for commercial products, but rarely used for not-for-profit campaigns. The use of this technique, and this influencer, were ideal for the target audience and the subject matter.

I had been shocked to discover that over 100,000 Korean girls cannot afford sanitary protection. And because of this, many girls would have no choice but to use tissues, crumpled newspaper, or even shoe soles in their underwear. I’m sure anyone would look at this problem and say ‘that’s just not right’.

The funTwinkle Twinkle Little Box.

The funTwinkle Twinkle Little Box.

The solution is Twinkle Twinkle Little Box from Korean charity Good Neighbors which fights against poverty internationally & domestically. Supporters could fund a box which contains six months’ worth of sanitary pads, a mini hot-water bottle to provide comfort from period pain, a pouch for carrying pads,plus a hand mirror and hair bands. I loved that Good Neighbors tried to make the box feel like an attractive treat as well as being functional.

In total, 7,391 new supporters signed up to provide the boxes. Wonderfully, many also volunteered to help pack or deliver the boxes. I’m sure these are the potential major donors of the future!

Why do I wish I’d thought of this campaign? I came up with three reasons:

1. Don’t tell, show. Here the potential donor could really see the difference their support would make.

2. Engage. In this case, while there was of course an urgent need, this was about presenting a solution that made the supporter feel really great about what they were doing.

3. Trendy! Some fundraising can be a little dull and worthy, but not this. The pack design, the use of Youtube influencers, and the unboxing video all made it feel very current.

Actually, there is also a fourth reason I love this campaign. I went to find out who had created it and hired Jaeok to work with me at DTV Korea! I’m really pleased that the IFC audience voted Twinkle Twinkle Little Box the winner of this year’s #iwitot campaign!

Why not let us know which campaigns you wish you’d thought of and why?!

 

Bio

Borie Yi Han heads up the DTV office in Seoul, Korea, where she runs direct response TV campaigns for a range of major INGOs such as Amnesty International, Oxfam, Concern Worldwide, UNHCR, Childfund and Greenpeace.

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Debora Montesoro