© Disasters Emergency Committee
The Disasters Emergency Committee brings together the leading UK aid agencies to
raise money at times of humanitarian crisis in poorer countries. By working together
we can raise more money to save lives and rebuild shattered communities.
Maximising income for every appeal
The special nature of DEC appeals means that a large proportion of the money we raise arrives in a very short space of time. Our ongoing relationships with broadcasters and major corporate supporters allow us to swing into action with very little notice.
The appeals launched in October 2009 and January 2010 were very different in terms of the media coverage they generated, the level of public interest surrounding them and the responses by Member Agencies we were able to support. Both appeals presented us with significant challenges.
The two appeals were supported by all the major UK broadcasters. We actively promoted both appeals on Twitter and Facebook, greatly increasing our online following and engagement.
We have invested in the development of a fundraising database to improve the service we are able to offer donors. This has been funded from reserves accumulated for the purpose of improving the professionalism and effectiveness of DEC activities. We had hoped to implement the database in 2009-10 but the two appeals took place at key points in the development of the project which will now be implemented in 2010-11.
The Board requested an evaluation of DEC fundraising, which highlighted key challenges for the future. These include increasing fundraising expertise at Board level, making more use of our member agency’s fundraising experience, making the most of existing sources of income, and adapting to the changing nature of news and the media.
Disasters Appeal for Indonesia, Philippines & Vietnam
On the basis of their cumulative impact, the DEC Board agreed to launch an appeal to support those affected by two typhoons and an earthquake in South East Asia at the end of September 2009.
Media attention quickly moved on so it was a challenge to maintain the public’s interest during the 14 day period of joint action by members for the Disasters Appeal for Indonesia, Philippines & Vietnam. Social media was extremely important and we greatly increased our following on Facebook, while creating from scratch a significant presence on Twitter with a little help from Stephen Fry. Our thanks go to Myleene Klass, Christine Brinkley and John Hurt for presenting the appeal broadcasts.
Haiti Earthquake Appeal
The earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 received coverage over a sustained period and the public response was phenomenal.
The challenge for us in this appeal was to temporarily scale up our very small team of 10 staff in order to deal with the extensive interest and the many offers of support from individuals and organisations that flooded in. We extended the normal period of joint action with Member Agencies to three weeks to ensure that the public continued to get a clear message about how to help. Our thanks go to Kirsty Young and Trevor McDonald for presenting the appeal broadcasts.
Plans for the future
The Board has agreed to establish a Fundraising subcommittee in order to address the challenges identified in the fundraising evaluation. This body will review current models of fundraising and advise the Board on any strategic changes needed.
