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Case Study: Christian Aid Week

Building Support among Affinity Groups – Nationally Organised, Locally Focussed

Community Fundraising

Daleep Mukarji

Director of Christian Aid

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Christian Aid Today (1)

Started in 1945 as Churches response to refugee crisis in Europe “Christian Reconstruction for Europe.”1950: Responding to need, emergencies and development in the South “Interchurch Aid and Refugees Service” → “Interchurch Aid”1957: First Christian Aid Week event – to raise money1964: Changed name to Christian Aid:Basic Principles:

■ Churches working together at local, regional and national level■ Responding to need overseas irrespective of faith/ethnicity■ Working overseas with and through partners only■ Still today Christian Aid Week is our main public event – to

involve our churches and supporters and to raise our issues, profile and funds for our work. <£15m today!

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Christian Aid Today (2)

Our Purpose■ To expose the scandal of poverty.■ To contribute to the eradication of poverty.■ To challenge and change structures and systems that

keep people and countries poor, excluded and marginalised.

Our IncomeGeneral Donations £30.3m 35%

Christian Aid Week £14.6m 17%

Emergency Appeals £11.5m 13%

Legacies £9.8m 11%

Governments £17.6m 21%

Other Income £2.7m 3%

Total in 2007-08 £86.5m (08-09 approx £90m)

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Christian Aid Week Today

300,000 people care enough to volunteer for door to door collecting in their community. They raise over 2/3 of Christian Aid Week’s amazing total.

This makes Christian Aid Week the largest house to house collection in the UK and Ireland raising the most amount of money this way.

22,000 local churches work together to organise the collection etc resulting in our 1m people in their churches hearing about Christian Aid, its work and its achievements every May. Many organise special Christian Aid Week services.Many churches, local committees and volunteers do this every year – their commitment to putting their faith into action: for justice, development and poverty eradication.

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Christian Aid Week Today

Christian Aid has 1.9 million supporters’ names and details on our database – people who pray, act and give providing a loyal supporter base who also give in other ways. Many of them feel this is their charity and they love it for what it does. Today many of these people, from Christian Aid Week, have become regular givers throughout the year.The fundraising involves other events and actions too – beyond house to house collections. There are sponsored walks, book sales, plant sales, concerts, Quizaid events and new and innovative methods for collection too.Over 10m households (about 41% of the total in the UK) receive our well known red envelopes bringing the Christian Aid message and need to the house. About 1m respond.

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How Christian Aid Week is organised

Whole week supported byChurch leadersLocal Ministers, vicars etcFew Celebrities involvedChristian Aid staffVisit of a few overseas PartnersSponsored eventsSpecial MaterialAdvertising & Press work in all sorts of media reach wide audience

HQStaff

Christian Aid:Regional & Area Office

(WISE)

4,000 organisers (supported by committees

etc)

22,000 Church Reps

300,000 collectors

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Iconic Envelope

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Christian Aid Challenges

Christian Aid needed to diversity its income sources – could not depend only on Christian Aid Week. Regular Givers, Legacies, New Markets, New media etc.Help supporters think of Christian Aid and poverty eradication throughout the year: not just 1 week! Developed Harvest, Lent/Easter and Christmas etc. Christmas now second major event.Help 1.9m supporters and all our churches to consider Christian Aid as their international development agency of choice. Any disaster: Think Christian Aid.Difficulties in getting new collectors or collecting in difficult areas. Look to new audiences and new methods of collecting.Control overhead costs – less print, more on line; control advertising etc.Regular reviews, focus group meetings & evaluations. What can we learn for the future?

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Why is Christian Aid Week still important to us?

Keeps Christian Aid rooted – in its supporters and its constituencyGives legitimacy to speak out and campaignMajor flagship event – beyond fundraising: to raise our issues, profile, voice and to have influence and impactAffirms the nature of Christian Aid: A Faith Based Agency – yet run professionally, focused on poverty eradication and a major player in the UK and internationally. Presents the totality of Christian Aid: relief, development, advocacy, education and campaigning.Christian Aid Week helps us affirm the supporters, the volunteers, the committees, the representatives and the ministers all who make it possible.Christian Aid is strongest when it is supporter based and part of a worldwide global movement for social justice and poverty eradication.

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What makes Christian Aid Week work?

Years of experience and efforts to improve it.

Loyal and committed community based network.

Strong and professional central team.

Support of the churches, leaders, vicars etc.

A well known brand – with a reputation to speak out.

Luck – the weather, what else is in the news?

All this and more!