Over £12.4m raised for BBC Children in Need 2021 via SMS donations
Fonix is delighted to announce that we have processed over £12.4 million in mobile donations for this year’s BBC Children in Need Appeal, contributing to an overall fundraising total of £40m to date. This figure is expected to rise over the coming weeks and months as funds raised continue to come in.
This year’s BBC Children in Need Appeal show saw Ade Adepitan MBE, Mel Giedroyc, Graham Norton, Chris Ramsey and Alex Scott MBE present a night of comedy, entertainment and music from some of the biggest names in showbiz, all to raise money for children and young people across the UK facing disadvantage.
This was the eighth consecutive year that Fonix has powered the mobile donations for BBC Children in Need and much has changed since that first campaign back in 2014. The charity now offers a total of five donation price points (£5, £10, £20, £30 and £40) which has been instrumental in increasing the total money raised, offering a true alternative to card payments. In addition to this, the introduction of delayed donation prize draws powered by Fonix’s Campaign Manager platform, has meant shows and Appeals can use different content formats to engage the public. For example, this year’s Appeal show offered viewers the chance to enter three prize draws to be in with a chance to win some spectacular prizes, including a vintage Jaguar car, a campervan and tickets to the Abba Voyage concert, all to help raise money to change young lives across the UK.
There were a number of epic fundraisers prior to the telethon that were promoted across TV, radio and online which raised a tremendous £6.8 million via text-to-donate. This was a record-breaking amount from pre-show campaigns and included BBC weatherman Owain Wyn Evans’ 24 hour drumathon — which raised a remarkable £3.7 million via text and online mechanics!
It’s such an honour to work with BBC Children in Need for this great cause, supporting children and young people who need it the most, and Fonix looks forward to supporting this amazing charity for many years to come.