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AfriKids Impact Story

Imagine hitting your fundraising target – three times over!

How AfriKids raised £1.2 million after attending IFC 

AfriKids, a London-based organisation that protects the rights of children across northern Ghana, had a big fundraising goal: raise £210,000 in unrestricted funds in three months to be match-funded by the UK government through their UK Aid Match scheme. The match funds were earmarked to support AfriKids’ education programme. 

The question was how. The answer was by attending IFC.

In October 2018, two AfriKids staff members attended IFC for the first time. The timing was just right, as they needed some ideas for their critical December appeal kick-off.

And IFC didn’t let them down. 

Using ‘Donor Love’ to tap into the emotional heart of supporters

The AfriKids team learned about the proper stewardship of donors from the ‘Donor Love’ masterclass, then discovered the notion of ‘tapping into the emotional heart’ in Alan Clayton’s session of the same name. 

As a result, they took a fresh look at their approach and completely changed the messaging towards a more values-led and emotional storytelling narrative – the ‘Time to Shine’ appeal was born. 

This was a first for AfriKids, and a courageous move given the importance of this campaign and the matching funds on the line. IFC came along at just the right time to inspire the AfriKids team, support them, and bolster their confidence.

Raising three times their fundraising target

The results of AfriKids’ bold departure from its comfort zone? Phenomenal!

The campaign raised a total of £625,000 – £580,000 of which was match-funded by the government. So, in total the campaign brought in £1.2 million. 

That was a three times AfriKids’ initial fundraising target and a huge achievement that was made possible by the team’s experience at and learnings from IFC.

The AfriKids staff members who attended IFC also benefited greatly from the networking. They left the conference with a mentor, as well as a lot of new peer connections. Being a small team, this meant they could draw on a wider pool of professionals for expertise, support and advice.

Through networking and sharing challenges in the sector, the team felt validated and like “we are all in this together” because they were able to share experiences with people from other organisations around the world that deal with the same issues.

Plus, the team returned to work and carried out training sessions with the rest of the AfriKids’ staff to share their learning – something that the Resource Alliance strongly encourages.

The results: 18,000 children benefitting from a better education

The match funds from the appeal will improve the level of education for 18,000 children in 80 primary schools across northern Ghana through teacher training, as well as to educate communities on the importance of education. Public funds will help thousands more to be healthy, safe and in school.

Because of the additional income raised, AfriKids will be able to reach more people than expected. In all, the training will have directly impacted 18,000 children and will help to train 350 teachers in 80 schools to benefit years of learners to come.

AfriKids’ amazingly successful appeal has started the process for further growth for the organisation. This year they launched a new fundraising strategy mapping out their path of growth over the next three years to enable them to reach out to more communities in Ghana and create sustainable change for future generations.

 

IFC is a conference that brings together 1,000 fundraisers and changemakers from over 60 countries and 500 global organisations. IFC 2019 is taking place in The Netherlands from 15-18 October. Find out more and book your place now.

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