Fundraising Success in Turkey

Interview: Ozgur Unluhisarcikli

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli is Resource Development Manager at the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV). In the following interview, he shares TEGV’s strategy for success in carrying out a national SMS fundraising campaign.

How has TEGV used mobile phone technology in its fundraising efforts?

We were the first organization in Turkey to implement an SMS fundraising campaign. We’ve been doing it for five years. This year, two other organizations, including UNICEF, organized SMS fundraising campaigns during the same days with us. We started by forming an agreement with the three mobile phone operators in Turkey. We set up a four-digit number (3353) that people could send an SMS donation to. Initially, we set the donation amount at 5 New Turkish Liras (the equivalent of US$3.78). Since then, we have increased the amount people can donate through a single SMS to 10 New Turkish Liras (or US$7.57). The mobile companies don’t charge anything for the transaction. It’s very simple and not taxed.

We hold the campaign on the 23rd of April each year – our children’s holiday in Turkey. Every year, we are supported by a TV Channel. This year, we partnered with Channel D. We went live on a weekly program called Arena, and called the special program Education Arena. We invited celebrities to appear on the show – not just pop singers, but businessmen, journalists and others who are well known and respected in society and who support our organization. During the three-hour program, each was interviewed and had the chance to speak out on behalf of children and the importance of education. Meanwhile, viewers were encouraged to send an SMS donation. Those that wanted to make larger donations could contact a call center we established with eight telephone lines managed by our staff. This year, we received 78,457 SMS messages and raised just over US$ 575,000

Aside from your annual televised campaign, do you conduct mobile fundraising at other times during the year?

Once a person sends us an SMS, he/she is recorded in our database. We send follow up requests several times a year, although you have to be careful. This is an important resource for us and you cannot abuse it. We might send a message celebrating World Children’s Day or the opening of a school. When we do this, approximately 10 percent of those we contact will offer support. Last year we sent SMS messages to 240,000 people and 24,000 made donations. We also publicize this form of giving on all our materials, our website, and on the T-shirts our volunteers wear. Whenever someone receives something about TEGV they are reminded of the SMS donation number.

What makes SMS fundraising particularly useful?

It allows people to give when and where they want. People are impulse driven when they make donations. They get emotional. You need to make it easy for them. The advantage of SMS is that they can do it from anywhere at anytime. You could be at the seaside or the top of a mountain. People don’t need to feel restricted by the set amount. Those who want to give more can send 10 SMS donations if they want to.

How else are you using mobile technology in your work?

We use SMS to contact our volunteers. Sometimes we send a mass message to celebrate an important milestone, or to simply wish people well for the New Year. This can get costly, however. If you have 200 members, this is a viable form of communication. When you have 300,000 individual supporters, it doesn’t work because of the charges involved.

Why do you think you have been so successful at mobile fundraising?

Mobile penetration is high in Turkey, with 75 percent of people over the age of 18 having mobiles. Reputation is also very important. TEGV is well known and has a solid reputation. Engaging well-known public figures has also helped. Each is very committed to the work we do.

In other countries, mobile fundraising has been most successful when tied to disaster relief efforts. How did you mobilize people to support children’s education?

In Turkey, education is an urgent issue. Turkish families will do anything for their children. We have one of the highest ratios of young people soon to enter the workforce of any country. If we can educate our children it means our economy and our society will do well. We know the social consequences of not taking care of our youngest citizens. Our programs are designed to complement the formal education system. For example, we offer an eight-week program that seeks to get young people excited about math and science and develop their confidence in these areas. We are giving elementary school children what they need and people recognize us for this.

Can you talk more about TEGV’s non-formal education model?

TEGV is the most widespread NGO in the country working in the area of non-formal education. It was established in 1995. Its mission is to give educational support to elementary school children between the ages of 7-16. The type of education we give aims to increase young people’s life skills. We do this with a unique model based on three pillars. The first pillar is our volunteers. We offer education through 10,000 volunteers every year, who are trained by TEGV. The second pillar is our activity locations, where education is delivered. Currently we’re working in 64 locations in 34 provinces. TEGV operates educational parks, learning centers, and mobile learning units. The third pillar is the educational programs developed by the foundation. Every year, we give educational support to 150,000 children. Over the past decade, we have supported one million children.

For further information, please visit:

• www.www.tegv.org/v2en/default.asp