Mike McGuire Fundraising | Fundraising ideas, campaigns and smart marketing from all over the world.
Fundraising ideas, campaigns and smart marketing from all over the world.
Another heart wrenching advert by UNICEF.
I’ve come up with a challenge for Lent and I am looking for people to join me. All you need to take part is a sweet tooth, a charity you would like to donate to and a desire to be fitter.
Starting on Wednesday March 5th (post Pancake Tuesday binge) I am going to give up all junk food until the end of Lent (April 17th). During that time I am also going to go to the gym three times a week to follow a good work out plan. I estimate that I will save €50 over this period by not buying junk food so I will commit this amount as a minimum to my favourite charity. I will then donate €3 to the charity on top of this for every time break my junk food-free promise or every time I miss my gym session.
St Patrick’s Day is your one (stuff your face with chocolate & pizza) cheat day in the 40 day period. By April 18th, you will have a fit body, strong mind and a happy soul after donating at least €50 to your favourite cause.
That or you will be fat, mildly content and poorer.
You will donate a minimum of €50 to your favourite charity on April 17th which represents the money you would save by not buying junk food.
You will follow a fitness plan that suits you and that will help you achieve the goals you want.
You will donate an additional €3 to your charity for each time you break your fast or each time you miss a gym session.
You track your progress from start to finish. Weigh yourself every Wednesday until the end so you can measure your progress.
Allowances to your gym timetable can be made if there is a serious injury or health condition but stick to the junk free plan.
You will stuff your face on St Patrick’s Day as was the Lent tradition in the McGuire household.
Please do tweet me at @mikemcguire_m if you are taking part.
What will be a first for advertising on British TV, the ad will feature real footage of a child being born. The advert opens with an advisory note for shocking content.
The ad features a woman giving birth in Liberia with the aid of a trained midwife in a facility funded by Save the Children.
The ad points out that for one million newborns every year, their first day is also their last. Basic training for midwives can help end first day deaths. Save the Children helps provide training for midwives to help reduce the neonatal mortality in the developing world.
You might find the video a little bit shocking but the cry at 42 seconds is worth it.
How long can you live without your phone?
My phone is all but surgically attached to my hand. My whole life is organised through my phone and as a result it is never far from me. I can do most of my work from my business apps and at the same time Twitter, Facebook and Reddit Pics (and currently Flappy Doge) waste hours of my down time.
That’s why this is such a challenge.
The Tap Project is one of my favorite UNICEF campaigns. Basically, on World Water Day in restaurants across America you are asked to donate $1 for the tap water you would usually enjoy for free.
This year they are building in an additional challenge. To raise awareness of how many children go without water every day and to raise money, UNICEF is asking if you could deny yourself something as simple as checking your phone.
Mobile visitors to UnicefTapProject.org can join the challenge by following a few simple instructions and disconnecting from the matrix putting your smartphone down. For every 10 minutes you leave your phone alone, the project’s sponsors will fund a day of clean water for needy kids worldwide.
It’s scheduled for release on March 1st but there is currently a Beta version available. While your phone is down and being left alone (you can do this Mike – believe in yourself) the site fills your screen with statistics and information about the need for clean water and it also shows you silly tweets, texts and instagrams etc that you will have missed while your not using your phone.
This year is no different. Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Teresa are all sitting around talking about what sacrifices they made for humanity, and they are joined by a normal guy who gets to hang out with them because he clicked on a Unicef banner advertisement to save children. I wonder if Unicef were prompted to do this by the article that said you are more likely to survive a plan crash than you are to click on a banner ad.
The ads are funny and will more than likely cause a stir over the next few weeks.
“In the toilet” Happy World Toilet Day!
I have been very quiet lately due to work commitments but I thought it was worth emerging from my blog slumber on World Toilet Day (that’s today – happy world toilet day to you!).
2.5 billion people live without access to a proper toilet. Basic sanitation can drastically decrease the risk of deadly diseases and in developing countries this can have an enormous effect on under five mortality rates. Domestos and Unicef have teamed up to improve people’s quality of life by providing hygiene and sanitation, and access to clean drinking water; basic nutrition and by enhancing self-esteem.
The video is fantastic and it reminds me of conversations I have with my 4 year old nephew.
My name is Mike McGuire and I work as a Partnerships Manager for UNICEF in Ireland. I spend a lot of my free time looking at fundraising ideas from across the world, so I thought it would be nice to share the good, bad and the controversial.