PUBLIC FUNDRAISING
In the midst of a tough market War Child exceeded its public fundraising targets for 2016 in several areas. Income from individual donors was €100,000 above our target and we doubled year-on-year income from events and actions organised by third parties. Income from our business partners, meanwhile, was 20 per cent above our annual target.
We also expanded our reach and were successful in increasing awareness about our work. The addition of three new Goodwill Ambassadors - Michaela DePrince, Tooske Ragas and Victor Reinier - to our team of famous friends raised the profile of War Child in the Netherlands to a significant degree. Our work as part of the TeamUp coalition - a joint project in support of refugee children inside the Netherlands - ensured we were present in the news media far more than we were in 2015.
These results were achieved within the context of an increasingly tough environment for fundraising in the Netherlands. Donations to NGOs across all sectors are still below average as the Dutch economy slowly recovers from the economic crisis - and people are increasingly reluctant to support NGOs on a structural basis. We have seen that traditional methods of fundraising are proving less and less effective.
The Dutch fundraising market also remains very competitive, with an increasing number of NGOs competing for funds in the areas we specialise in - namely psychosocial support and protection for children affected by conflict.
New strategy and approaches
The pressures within the Dutch fundraising market require new approaches to ensure we continue to raise significant income and maintain a strong relationship with our supporters. To that end a new Marketing, Communications and Fundraising strategy was finalised this year to guide our positioning and activities over the coming years - both in the Netherlands and internationally.
The goal of our strategy is to create a global movement for peaceful futures for children affected by war and conflict. This will see us assert our expert credentials and work to inspire increasing numbers of people and organisations to participate in our mission for conflict-affected children - in any way they can.
This will involve continued innovation in fundraising techniques. We will attract new structural donors through exclusive events, actions and campaigns. Music will play an increasingly large role in our future activities - music not only moves people but also reflects the creative methods we use in our programmes.
We began to implement this new strategy in the last quarter of 2016 - and expect to see the first results in the first three months of 2017. We believe this strategy is robust and will enable us to make progress in what promises to be another challenging year.