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Strategic approach:
Strategic approach: CONTEXT: An technical terms, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a brain development condition that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, affecting social interaction and communication. In real life though, the crushing weight that comes with ASD in a family is indescribable. Once a child is diagnosed with ASD, he or she requires special care and costly therapy for a sizeable part of their life, while their family face devastating emotional distress and social stigma. On top, society isn’t ready to integrate ASD patients as functioning members; legislation is obsolete; the few NGO’s are utterly overwhelmed; research is practically non-existent. Besides, the focus is on children, while adults with ASD are left to manage on their own. In this harsh and pressing reality, Autism Voice, an ASD-specialized NGO, decided to initiate an ambitious project - The Autism Voice Institute. The Institute would provide care and therapy for both children and adults, research facilities and statistical data on autism and ASD patients, while lobbying for the need of social integration. Most of these services would be a first in Romania, and all would be directed to public benefit.

CHALLENGE: The funds required just for the opening of the Institute were estimated at 275,000 EUR, with a timeline set for raising it of 1 year. Out of this, we set the goal of reaching 50,000 EUR in 6 weeks, during our campaign, starting November 25, 2021. However, the timing of our campaign was not exactly promising. Still in the midst of a pandemic, with the holiday season coming and the menace of a conflict close to borders, the chances to accomplish this goal were unpredictable. Despite the unfavorable context, we needed to catch the end-of-year 20% tax exempt for company donations to charities and begin applying for permits required to open the Institute.

OBJECTIVE: The funds required just for the opening of the Institute were estimated at 275,000 EUR, with a timeline set for raising it of 1 year. Out of this, we set the goal of reaching 50,000 EUR in the first 45 days, during our campaign, starting November 25, 2021. However, the timing of our campaign was not exactly promising. Still in the midst of a pandemic, with the holiday season coming and the menace of a conflict close to borders, the chances to accomplish this goal were unpredictable. Despite the unfavorable context, we needed to catch the end-of-year 20% tax exempt for company donations to charities and begin applying for permits required to open the Institute

APPROACH: Our target was two-fold: individual donors and decision makers from corporations. As usual for fundraising campaigns, individual donors are targeted widely – the more we reached, the better the chances to raise the money. We first targeted people that donated in the past to Autism Voice or similar projects, interested in helping ASD patients, through retargeting/remarketing, mostly urban, middle and high income, middle and high education, 20-55 age groups. Secondary, we aimed for potential donors, within the same demographic. People interested in helping others, visiting charity websites and social media pages, showing active interest in social involvement. Decision makers in big corporations were selected based on company size, CSR policies and personal inclination towards the greater good, open to establishing long-term relationships with projects such as ours, be it current Autism Voice partners and corporate prospects. Campaigns on ASD have had moderate success on small scales in the past. As a result, information is scarce, and society, as a whole, failed to really grasp the severity of this spectrum. On top, with today’s information overload and the overwhelming number of social needs, it’s increasingly difficult to raise concern and attention to a social issue. Our insight started from a deep-rooted human truth - people fear what they do not understand.
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