RSVP Awards

The 40 Hour Famine was losing relevance. Donations had been declining since 2005 at around 5.6% p.a. With other fundraising efforts also dropping in 2009 due to the recession and the global food crisis in full swing, World Vision needed the funds raised from the Famine more than ever. They couldn’t afford to let the trend of declining sales continue. To reach the fundraising target, a new group of student participants was needed. The bulls-eye was 12-15 year olds – students who were sympathetic to the Famine cause but who were unwilling to go without food, or thought the Famine was just for nerds. So the strategy was dramatically changed, rejuvenating the Famine by connecting with youth and focusing on what would really motivate them to take part and raise money. The 2009 40 Hour Famine was all about ‘raising the stakes’, encouraging teens and tweens to get out there and challenge themselves and everyone they knew to not only do the Famine but do it better than them – raise more money and meet a tougher challenge for 40 Hours. It worked. All of the campaign’s objectives – reverse declining participation, get more schools to register to do the Famine, grow the number of individuals registering for the Famine and generate additional revenue - were well and truly superceded. Both the dollars raised and the number of participants grew for the first time in five years. Youth answered the call to “Raise the Stakes” and, without increasing the marketing budget, an additional $400,000 was raised ahead of forecast.