Blimey...

For more than a year Open, with Tim as the driving force, have been working on something that we had to keep top secret. Something that at points was hugely exciting, terrifying, stressful and even frustrating. There were moments when I think we all wondered what on earth we had started.

There was a time when it was over a year away.

A time when there were a few weeks to go.

And then a moment when I was sat in a room at UNICEF with Rob with just a few seconds to go.

At 10:55 on Wednesday 23rd July 2014 the call to action appeared on screen.

"Get out your phone and text FIRST to 70333 to give £5".

Over £3.1 million has been raised. A number that keeps on going up.

To be honest. It still hasn't quite sunk in what we've done. But it shows that with the right people and an amazing client, anything is possible.

UNICEF USA are on it.

Love this from UNICEF USA.



We think we can't do without our phones. Really!? Let's put them down and help people get access to something you really can't do without. Clean, safe, water.

This campaign is ace.

Check it out here. But only on your mobile.

Likes don't save lives (II)

A while ago I blogged on UNICEF Sweden's 'Likes don't save lives' campaign.

I missed this film.



I like it.

Likes don't save lives...

I 'like' this.

I 'like' it because it makes the point very clearly - that it's money that saves lives.




I 'like' it even though I don't necessarily agree that 'Slacktivism' is a bad thing...

'Like', geddit!

And there is this...

UNICEF USA Tap project

This campaign film from UNICEF USA is awesome.

It makes the connection brilliantly between a social network (in this case Facebook) and how many people coming together to do small things can have a massive impact. I love it so much.



But I didn't sign up. I got as far as this screen...

Awesome, love the design, I can see that others have done it already, I can see that money is being raised and water is being provided. All good so far, then this one...

At this point I stopped. I thought to myself, do I really want to grant access to another App in Facebook. I very quickly realised that I didn't, so I didn't convert.

I talk about frictionless payment and action all the time in my day job. If we make things difficult we lose response. If we make people think too much in the digital space we don't get as many people as we could have. If we're going to really harness the power of social networks we really need to find a way to make it frictionless.

Disclosure: Yes I am geek, I know that I'm over simplifying the issue and I get that not everyone interacts with Facebook like I do. But it was a timely reminder of how fantastic creative and proposition can be wasted with a clunky response mechanism.

Sprinkles for Mother's Day

I like this from UNICEF.

It's Mother's Day tomorrow, why don't you help a mother keep her child healthy.

Adding Sprinkles to a child's food makes sure that they gets all the nutrients they need.

I haven't heard of this before, it seems such a brilliant thing to give.

And the best bit is that £3 buys enough Sprinkles for 6 months. Bargin, you might as well buy two.

Disclosure: some of the words for some of the campaign were written by the boss.

Buy a gift that means something...

Doesn't take a genius to work out the moral to this story.



The ad is from UNICEF Sweden. You can buy that last minute inspired gift from UNICEF UK here.

UNICEF USA set a high bar

UNICEF USA put this video on their YouTube channel a couple of days ago. It's to help promote the Believe in Zero campaign.

The campaign has a simple concept, that is explained clearly...

Before any imaginable idea can become a reality, there has to be someone who believes in it.

Sometimes it's not enough to want to reduce something. Sometimes the only goal to set yourself is to completely get rid of something. And not rest until you have.



UNICEF believe in Zero.

Zero starving children.
Zero children denied an education.
Zero preventable child deaths.

Look at the website and take the campaign action.

UNICEF's Tap project is brilliantly simple

I love the UNICEF USA Tap project.

It's a really simple idea. Brilliantly executed.

Tap water is free in all restaurants in the USA. The campaign encourages you to give $1 every time you are given free water.

$1 helps UNICEF provide water for 40 kids.



Simple ideas are so often the best. Take water, give water. Who wouldn't understand that!

If only that $1 was given by SMS!

Santa doesn't do poor countries

Micheal Newsome posted this video from UNICEF Sweden on Twitter this morning.

It's short, simple and to the point. I love it.

Santa doesn't do poor countries.

I think virtual gifts are an under used form of giving, they are such a good way of connecting people to the work of an organisation. UNICEF do it really well.



And of course if you want to do the same in the UK you can. UNICEF's Inspired Gifts shop is the just the place to go. Or this year you can do it all via Facebook.

A Jedi Knight and an account manager walk into a bar....

In the excitement caused by getting a thank you from UNICEF delivered by Obi-Wan Kenobi. I didn't communicate the closing date for my account manager role!

So here is the ad again. And right down the bottom is the closing date. I've had some brilliant applications, but if you're reading this and wondering whether or not to apply. Do it. Go on, apply. What's the worst that could happen? I can promise you that you will get to work on projects that generate thank you videos from film stars. Well you might. Anyway, that ad...

Want to come and work on some ground breaking mobile projects for an incredible set of clients?

The mobile team at Open Fundraising is very new but we’ve already worked on some really exciting projects and there is a huge appetite from charities for us to do much more.

In the last month we’ve created mobile-based welcome programmes for donors, been heavily involved in charity SMS activity in response to the crisis in East Africa and talked to lots of charities on how they can fuse SMS and mobile internet with more traditional channels to find new supporters. It’s been a bit busy.

The clients we’re working with include UNICEF, WWF, Christian Aid, NSPCC and CRUK. And we’re talking to a whole lot more.

We need someone who is happy to get stuck into anything that needs doing, but principally the role is to prove account management support and project manage the production of mobile web sites and SMS campaigns.

You’ll need to tick most of the boxes in the following areas:

• Understand the fundamentals of fundraising.
• Be passionate about new technology, the web and mobile.
• Be able to manage multiple projects whilst remaining calm.
• Have experience of project managing marketing/fundraising projects in a creative environment as well as with external partners.
• Have excellent client servicing skills.
• Have experience working on digital projects (experience with mobile would be brilliant but isn’t essential).
• Thrive when working in a fast paced environment.
• Happy to turn their hand to anything in order to make sure that the project gets done.
• Have an opinion and be comfortable expressing it on how mobile can be used to help the charities we work with, recruit, keep, engage and inspire their supporters.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of something exciting from the very beginning and help shape the direction of a team that is at the leading edge of using mobile to inspire people to take action to change the world.

If this sounds like you, send an email introducing yourself, explaining why you are perfect for the job, with your CV and current salary details. If you'd rather speak to me before applying you can find me on Twitter and Linkedin so feel free to make contact that way.

CLOSING DATE: Please send me your application by 10am on Monday 22 August.

It's time to share...

I'm exceptionally proud of my colleagues at UNICEF and Open Fundraising.

A meeting two weeks ago and a lot of hard work since then, has delivered one of the best campaigns I have ever been a part of.  It's amazing what can be done when the power of a great team is harnessed.

But now the important bit.

Children are hungry. We’re not. They have no food. We do. We can help.

Text SHARE to 78866 to donate £5 and feed a child for a week

And then please share on Facebook, Twitter and all your other social networks.

Children's famine in Somalia

UNICEF UK have released this video on their Facebook page.

Of course it's brilliant that they have done it so quickly and that they have included a text to donate call to action at the end of the short video.

And of course they should be applauded for using video in such a great way across their social media presence.

But it's probably more important that you just do what it asks and text the word FAMINE to 70007.

And then it would be great if you shared the video across your social media presence.