Summary

The tragic war in Ukraine has created a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis, especially for children. The conflict has caused the fastest and largest displacement of people in Europe since World War II. Since the onset of the war, Save the Children has found success using Meta’s suite of tools to raise awareness and funds, helping hundreds of thousands of displaced children and their families.

Challenge

Save the Children was founded in 1919 at the end of World War I by Eglantyne Jebb, who asserted that “All wars, whether just or unjust, disastrous or victorious, are waged against the child.” Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since their founding, they’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children around the world.

The war in Ukraine put children on the move at risk of hunger, illness, trafficking and abuse. Save the Children needed to rapidly raise the public’s awareness of the situation, let people know how they were prepared to immediately support this crisis, and scale up fundraising efforts to help the large number of children and families directly affected by the conflict.

Solution

With an integrated owned, earned and paid digital campaign, Save the Children sought to inform, engage and inspire supporters to take action. Meta’s platforms and fundraising tools were key components in Save the Children’s ability to inform followers of their plans in Ukraine, and to reach potential supporters who were looking for a tangible way to support those affected by the conflict.

Save the Children’s US social team developed a social media toolkit that gave simple ways for ambassadors and influencers to share their social posts and fundraisers. It was updated with the latest posts for social sharing throughout the rapid response.

Instagram's new fundraising capabilities were particularly effective during this crisis. It was simple for ambassadors to share the fundraisers to their stories and include the fundraisers in their bios to drive donations. Instagram Live was also key in showcasing Save the Children’s program delivery. Their program staff went live from the response area, including one live conversation with Jennifer Garner, actor and Save the Children trustee, that drove awareness, brand trust and funds. As the war continues, Meta’s social tools have been integral in showing supporters how their funds have helped make a real impact for children and families affected by this crisis through emotive storytelling.

Learnings

• Speed to market is key. Starting a fundraiser relatively early can contribute to its success.
• Support from ambassadors and influencers on Meta’s platforms can extend reach to a broader audience, faster.
• Creating a digital toolkit optimized for social channels (including Instagram and Facebook) for macro and micro influencers helps empower people to fundraise on the organization’s behalf.
• Storytelling, including a steady stream of content updates, helps reach supporters on an emotional level, and inform them about the impact of their donations.