Christian Aid

Zimbabwe emergency appeal

The challenge
In June 2009, the situation in Zimbabwe was deteriorating, and millions of people were without food. There was a small window of opportunity to provide agricultural support, seeds and fertiliser in time to plant crops in the crucial months of this year (October, for sowing in November). By doing so, Christian Aid hoped to break the annual cycle of poverty that was an awful fact of life in a country that was once ‘the breadbasket of Africa’. But they needed the funds urgently.

Strategy
The Good Agency advised Christian Aid to take this opportunity to launch an urgent appeal to warm supporters. The appeal had everything needed to create a powerful ask – immediacy (an urgent deadline), tangibility (seeds and tools to get the new harvest in) and a restricted ask – all funds went direct to partners in Zimbabwe.

What's good about it?

The appeal beat its target nearly 40%. Response rates for the best performing segments was over 18%, and the overall ROI is 4:1. Most importantly, it’s made a significant difference to the lives of tens of thousands of people in Zimbabwe who depend on what they grow. And that’s what we’re most proud of.