WaterAid

    In 2009 WaterAid launched a campaign called, The Big Dig that provided funds for safe accessible water in Malawi. In the campaign it allowed for donators to see what the people of the communities who were receiving aid needed. Through Instagram the organization shared photos of the changes and challenges the villages faced as well as clean water shown in real time. This allowed donators to see where their donations were going and the difference donors had made. Through social networking, WaterAid was able to draw enough press to have reporters record the drilling of boreholes. The fundraiser generated over £1 million via text. The key difference in this campaign than others was that the UK government got involved and matched every pound that was fundraised in the course of three months (wateraid.org). Instagram was a great way to upload pictures in real time by using the photos to tell a story.

   WaterAid used the call to action strategy that encouraged people to view and text in to help. Their webpage has a donate button as well as call to action landing page that encourages people to write to Congress. They also show where donations are going, creating brand awareness and brand loyalty. On their page they have information on “Facts and Figures”, Celebrities that are involved as well as Key Organizers. Wateraid also has several Instagram pages for several other countries to get people from the same countries involved and talking. On their Instagram page WaterAid posts pictures of people they have helped. By doing this, they are putting faces to their brand which helps the audience connect. The majority of the pictures are of women and children, this also helps pull at the hearts of donators.

   The only failure I see is in their competitor comparison, Charity:Water. I think Charity:Water does a better job at getting people to get involved through the Birthday call to action. They are able to connect with the audience on more of a personal level while also inspiring the creation of new projects. They tap into the notion of people wanting to feel like they are making a difference and are a part of a cause. While WaterAid does interact with their social media audience, they do not try and get them to take a step further by continuing their own campaign which then would generate more donations and awareness.

www.wateraid.org/uk/news/news/wateraids-big-dig-appeal-raises-over-2m-to-bring-clean-water-to-malawi

givinginadigitalworld.org/2012/06/20/wateraids-the-big-dig-appeal-brings-supporters-closer-through-instagram-liveblogging-world-first/