Top 10 tips from the UK Aid Match team on running a successful fundraising appeal

We’ve shared podcasts with insights and learnings from UK Aid Match civil society organisations (CSOs) on running successful fundraising appeals – from Trocaire, Right To Play and READ Foundation. But now it’s time to hear from the UK Aid Match team who have supported over 50 CSOs to deliver over 80 successful fundraising appeals in the last four years.

Whilst there is no secret formula for running a campaign, The Social Change Agency – who have worked alongside MannionDaniels and other partners to deliver the UK Aid Match programme since 2018 – have shared their top ten recommendations for civil society organisations (CSOs) to consider when running a match appeal.

Top 10 tips for CSOs delivering match funded projects

1. All CSOs, regardless of their size, should set a project lead and create an internal working group of key stakeholders when running a fundraising appeal. Appeals with a single, dedicated project manager to help keep the project on track really benefit.
2. Buy-in from teams across the organisation, particularly fundraising and marketing, is needed for the campaign to run as efficiently as possible.
3. Match funding provides opportunity to take risks and test new fundraising techniques (but only if there is sufficient capacity). Sufficient resources are needed to ensure CSOs are able to be creative and make the most of the opportunity that match funding provides.
4. CSOs should leverage the credibility of a UK government programme or similar to secure pro bono communications partners and high-profile or celebrity supporters. Partnerships can enable press engagement (local, regional or national) with new, older audiences for example, that might otherwise be missed on social media.
5. Working with in-country partners and local creatives for content gathering purposes works well. It offers potential donors the opportunity to see the impact of the CSOs work. Importantly, it also allows for the people involved in the programmes to tell their own stories, helping break down damaging and stereotypical narratives around the people and communities receiving foreign aid.
6. The most efficient and effective campaigns have had solid communications strategies in place, split into distinct phases. A clear plan for messaging and content developed in advance of the appeal launch helps the team plan ahead and not become overwhelmed during the busy appeal delivery period. Having a phased approach, with different focuses for each phase and a variety of content throughout, also helps keep audiences engaged over a three-month period.
7. There will always be external events that are out of the CSOs control. UK Aid Match CSOs have run their appeals in the context of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Any communications strategy and content plan should therefore have built-in capacity to be reactive to the news cycle and zeitgeist if there is the need to be flexible and adapt to external situations.
8. Well thought out online journeys for audiences are effective at encouraging donations. This can be a challenge for smaller CSOs, who do not have the internal capacity for effective web design. However, where possible, creating a seamless journey from a website landing page or clicking on an advert to donate should be prioritised.
9. In-person and virtual events can be an effective way to engage audiences and make them feel part of a community. They can also help to engage communications partners and generate media coverage.
10. Appeal messaging that doesn’t rely on traditional fundraising tropes is more effective at engaging new audiences and contributes positively towards shifting public perceptions about foreign aid. Messaging guidelines provided by UK Aid Match around the Narrative Project for example, that emphasise authentic, positive, solutions-focused messaging, are effective at generating donations.

Further guidance

• Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring David O’Hare of Trocaire to find out how to achieve cut through in a busy news environment, maintain relationships with media partners over time, and ensure you are telling an authentic story
• Listen to Right To Play’s Gillian McMahon talking about their successful UK Aid Match appeal and particularly the value of pro-bono supporters and strong campaign messaging
• Listen to READ Foundation’s ‘Aamer Naeem and Zahid Rehman talking about their Because She Can’ (Empower Her) appeal and specifically on harnessing the support of local communities.

Kenya’s Mandera and Turkana counties have some of the country’s worst malnutrition rates, and childhood illnesses are rife. Poor health services, the difficulty in reaching the area’s large numbers of nomadic pastoralists, and a lack of information for families on how best to keep their children healthy and well-nourished all combine to put thousands of children at risk.

The Government’s UK Aid Match funding will provide support for Save the Children’s work delivering life-saving prevention and treatment services for children with malnutrition and serious childhood illnesses. This will significantly reduce the number of babies and children dying of preventable causes in Kenya’s Mandera and Turkana counties.

Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Minister, said:

“Women and children are facing a fight for survival in drought-hit East Africa. By signing up to Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day appeal this year you can help to provide life-saving nutrition and treatment services to the children who need it most, as conditions in the region continue to deteriorate. All donations before March 1 will be match funded by the UK Government.”

When you donate to Christmas Jumper Day between 1st December and 1st March, your donation will be doubled by the UK Government up to £2million. 100% of match funding from the UK Government will go directly towards supporting Save the Children’s project in Kenya, which will increase the quality and availability of essential maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition services in Mandera and Turkana counties, Kenya.

To find out more, visit Save the Children’s website.

AfghanAid’s new appeal – ‘By Her Side’ – launched today to help women and their families build resilience against the ongoing food security crisis in Afghanistan.

The money raised will be used to support women in rural Afghanistan, providing them with the training, tools and networks they need to generate more and better quality produce from their livestock, contribute to their household income, and increase the availability of nutritious food in their communities for years to come.

Writer, journalist and Afghanaid supporter Christina Lamb OBE said:

“Since the exchange of power last August, people across Afghanistan have been battling an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Supporting rural Afghan women to strengthen their income-earning skills is vital to help bolster their family’s sustainable source of food and income, but crucially, it also helps women gain confidence and respect in their communities”

As a UK Aid Match appeal, all donations to this appeal will be matched by the UK government between 30 June and 30 September.