It’s handraising not fundraising
Issue 14 | March 2010
Agency
Story UK
Creative Team
Creative Director: Dave Mullen, Creative Team: Sheryl Newsome, Olivia Jones, Charlie Gordon, Susan Anderson
Production Team
Production Managers: Manos Riglis, Laetitia Drexler
Date
December 2009 to January 2010
Background
Instead of sending Christmas cards, Story wanted to do something useful at the end of 2009. It had been a tough year for everyone but for many grassroots charities doing life-changing work on shoestring budgets, it had been particularly tough. With further cutbacks looming in 2010 the agency hoped it could help.
Idea
The agency created the ihave website (ihave.org.uk) and asked 25 deserving charities what resources they could really do with in 2010. Which items might they struggle to find in the year ahead what with tighter budgets?
Their ‘wish-lists’ were published on the site. Individuals and businesses were invited to see the wishes and raise their hand to let the charity know if they had whatever was needed. Once they’d raised a hand they were sent details of who to get in touch with the charity. Crucially, it wasn’t about asking people to give money - but to give something they already had but didn’t want any more. Hence the tagline. ‘It’s not fundraising, it’s handraising.’
Results
In the few weeks the project was live, the site received 3,714 unique visitors with a dwell-time of nearly 3 minutes. Over 120 items were found including a ukulele, electric guitars, laptops, pet food, a dishwasher, cooker, duvets, security lights, digital cameras and 100s of old bras for Africa.
Not all the wishes were for tangible items. Some asked for practical help in the form of time - from photographers, media owners and the creative community. As a direct result of the campaign, four charities have had offers to help them build new websites for free and a children’s reading project has been offered the help of an illustrator for a book they are producing.
Our Thoughts
What started out as the agency Christmas card has all the makings of a big idea, a more charitable version of freecycle.com. (You always know when it’s a big idea because your first thought is, I’m amazed no-one’s done this already.)
Story was probably not prepared for the overwhelming demand from charities across the UK to keep the site running.
They need sponsors to keep the site alive. Because, as the agency says, ‘It seems
ihave is not just for Christmas.’
So if there are any plutocrats reading this, people with goodwill and with money, please get in touch with Dave Mullen at Story in Edinburgh.