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Case Study SOS Mediterranee

GivingTuesday: SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy’s online fundraising

online fundraising

The client

SOS MEDITERRANEE Italia is the Italian branch of the European maritime and humanitarian organisation SOS MEDITERRANEE, committed to rescuing people in distress in the central Mediterranean. 

The organisation carries out awareness-raising, advocacy, and fundraising activities to support rescue missions carried out with the Ocean Viking ship.

 

online fundraising

The results 

  • 85% of the fundraising goal reached in less than 72 hours

  • Higher average donation, thanks to personalised suggested amounts and the option to cover fundraising fees.

  • High conversion and significant engagement from cold and first-time donors.


online fundraising

Solution used

Donation forms

 

online fundraising

A valued user since:

2018

Challenges overcome: launching an online fundraising micro-campaign against the clock

For the GivingTuesday 2024 campaign, SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy used the iRaiser platform – which they have been using since 2018 – to create a dedicated donation page. Despite their extensive experience with the platform, this campaign came with its own set of challenges:

  • Tight timeline (less than one month to plan and launch the campaign)

  • Internal scepticism linked to previous negative experiences with GivingTuesday

  • Overlap with the ongoing Christmas appeal

Even with these constraints, the flexibility of iRaiser enabled the team to rapidly build a micro-campaign fully aligned with their broader communication strategy and to launch the campaign in record time.

SOS Mediterrannee - Donations Forms

GivingTuesday online fundraising campaign: a high-impact initiative within a broader Christmas strategy

For the 2024 GivingTuesday Marathon - the initiative promoted by iRaiser Italy to help their clients in building a campaign dedicated to the global movement - SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy launched "Un calore che salva" (“A Warmth That Saves”), a 72-hour micro-campaign with the goal of raising €5,500 to help cover the cost of essential items for welcoming rescued women and children aboard the Ocean Viking.

The campaign aimed at funding specific, emotionally impactful items from their broader Christmas project, particularly those related to welcoming women and children on board. 

It ran for 72 hours, 2nd, 3rd and 4th December 2024, with a financial goal of €5,500. It was promoted through segmented email communications – to warm, cold, and lukewarm audiences – along with strong social media activation and real-time progress tracking.

Creating a customised, donor-friendly online fundraising experience

online fundraising

Thanks to iRaiser’s flexibility, SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy was able to configure a donation page that was mobile-friendly, engaging, and optimised for performance, including: 

  • A progress bar and latest donor display

  • Suggested giving levels based on average donation values

  • A highlighted most popular donation amount

  • Auto-filled fields for returning donors

  • A video embedded directly into the page

  • A downloadable project brief for full transparency

The intuitive, mobile-friendly interface – enhanced by emotionally compelling design – ensured donors had a smooth and positive experience from the first interaction.

A strategic use of suggested amounts for a higher average donation

One key strength of the campaign was the ability to tailor suggested donation amounts based on the donor’s history and average gift values. This level of personalisation allowed SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy to present relevant, emotionally resonant giving options to each supporter. As a result, even occasional or new donors were encouraged to give more, contributing to a higher average donation.

online fundraising

Using video to strengthen the online fundraising narrative

online fundraising

An embedded video on the dedicated donation form played a central role in conveying urgency and empathy. This use of video storytelling brought the campaign to life, helping donors connect emotionally with the cause. By integrating visual storytelling directly into the donation experience, the charity effectively increased engagement and strengthened its message.

This approach is a clear example of how impactful storytelling can increase online fundraising performance. Interested in how storytelling can support your own campaigns? Read our article: The art of storytelling for charities.

Reassurance through transparency: showing donors the impact of their contribution

To build trust and reassure supporters, SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy offered full transparency by allowing donors to download the full project brief directly from the online donation page. This transparent approach helped strengthen trust and allowed donors to see the concrete impact of their contributions and how funds are allocated, encouraging more informed giving.

online fundraising

Engaging new and cold donors through strong narrative and targeted strategy

The campaign successfully reached a broad audience, including a significant number of prospects and new donors. A key driver of this result was a diversified email strategy tailored to different donor segments —“warm,” “lukewarm,” and “cold”— allowing the organisation to deliver more relevant and compelling messages. 

Although fewer in number, donors with no prior engagement (“cold” donors) gave surprisingly high average amounts. This result highlights how a strong emotional narrative, combined with a clear and well-designed donation page, can resonate even with audiences unfamiliar with the organisation. It demonstrates the power of pairing a targeted outreach strategy with compelling storytelling and a frictionless donation experience.

A campaign launch in record time with real-time tracking

The platform made it easy and smooth for SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy to configure a dynamic dedicated donation form tailored to their campaign’s needs. They were able to launch the campaign in record time while maintaining full control over every element.

Real-time monitoring of the campaign’s progress, thanks to features like the progress bar and internal analytics, enabled swift adjustments and ensured the campaign stayed on track.

SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy’s advice for your next online fundraising campaign

Tipps online fundraising - GivingTuesday

  • Don’t let “we’ve already tried that” stop you – every campaign is a new opportunity, if well constructed.

  • Leverage an existing project as a basis for creating an independent micro-campaign.

  • Integrate different channels (email, social, landing), building a coherent narrative.

  • Set clear, realistic, and measurable goals.

  • Cultivate anticipation through teasers and countdowns.

  • Trust your donors – they know how to surprise you! 

"Thanks to iRaiser, we were able to launch a fully customised donation campaign in just 72 hours, with full control over every element of the page. We reached 85% of our fundraising goal in less than three days – a result that exceeded expectations for a GivingTuesday micro-campaign"

Greta GranziniFundraising Director - SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy

"The platform allowed us to adapt suggested donation amounts to different supporter profiles, which helped increase the average gift and maximise each donation."

 

Greta GranziniFundraising Director - SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy

"Although fewer in number, cold donors gave surprisingly generous amounts – a clear sign that our message and page design resonated even beyond our warm audience." 

Greta GranziniFundraising Director - SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy

"Using iRaiser, we engaged a wide range of supporters, including many first-time donors, while improving the donor experience across every touchpoint."

Greta GranziniFundraising Director - SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy

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