Customer Story
UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand raises $500,000 with SMS fundraising
Overview
Challenge: COVID-19 restrictions cut off key face-to-face fundraising opportunities, forcing UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand to find new ways to engage donors and raise funds remotely.
Solution: Sinch Engage helped UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand add SMS into its fundraising strategy through donor communications and Text2Donate campaigns.
Results: Stronger donor engagement, faster emergency fundraising and $500,000 raised through the Kickathon campaign, with repeat donations through Text2Donate.
“The Text2Donate function helped to drive engagement and generate leads, while also providing a safe and easy alternative for those who weren’t able to donate online. We found that using Text2Donate, many people donated more than once, and those that did donated on average $11.“
When face-to-face fundraising disappears overnight, nonprofits need channels that can move just as quickly as the crisis. For UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand, SMS became one of the tools that helped keep donor engagement and fundraising momentum alive during the pandemic.
UNICEF’s work spans some of the world’s most challenging environments, providing children and families with access to healthcare, immunisation, clean water, nutrition, education and emergency relief. But while its mission is global, its funding depends entirely on charitable donations. When New Zealand entered lockdown during COVID-19, UNICEF Aotearoa lost key face-to-face fundraising opportunities, along with the events and in-person interactions that helped generate support.
That shift forced the organisation to strengthen its digital communications strategy quickly. A donor survey showed that email and SMS were the top two preferred contact channels, giving the team a clear signal on where to focus. With Sinch Engage (formerly MessageMedia), UNICEF Aotearoa was able to bring SMS into its fundraising mix in a way that was fast, accessible and easy for donors to act on.
Fundraising that worked from a distance
One of the biggest examples was the Kickathon fundraiser, where rugby legend Dan Carter attempted a 24-hour kicking challenge to raise money for safe water and sanitation projects across the Pacific. During the campaign, supporters could donate simply by texting a four-digit number, making it easy to contribute directly through their mobile provider.
That simplicity mattered. The Text2Donate function helped drive engagement, generate leads and offer a safe alternative for people who were not able to donate online. UNICEF Aotearoa also found that many donors gave more than once, and those repeat donors contributed an average of $11. Overall, integrating SMS into the fundraising strategy helped raise $500,000 across the Kickathon campaign.
Speed when urgency matters most
SMS also proved valuable in emergency response. When a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan in June 2022, UNICEF needed to reach donors while public attention was still high and the need for support was immediate. In that context, speed mattered just as much as message clarity.
SMS messages achieved a 90% open rate within 90 seconds, giving the organisation the immediacy it needed for the appeal. More than 60 donations were received in the opening phase of the campaign alone. For a nonprofit responding to humanitarian emergencies, that kind of fast donor mobilisation can make a meaningful difference.
A stronger digital fundraising foundation
For UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand, SMS became more than a temporary replacement for face-to-face fundraising. It created a more flexible way to connect with donors, support urgent appeals and keep fundraising moving when traditional channels were disrupted.
