Knowing “every dollar and every minute” makes a difference, charity Unicef has quickly upgraded its tech to keep up with its goal of supporting children in the Pacific.
The charity is aiming to help tens of thousands of Pacific children access clean water, hygiene supplies, and education by 2026. Many of these children are in hard-to-reach communities, vulnerable to climate disasters and coastal erosion.
This two-year target is part of a multi-year partnership with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which has already helped millions across the Pacific.
With many of these children in hard-to-reach communities, vulnerable to climate disasters and coastal erosion, it’s a big task. And so Unicef Aotearoa Chief Technology Officer Don Jenkins saw the opportunity to streamline the charity’s tech so it can keep up with its ambitions.
Jenkins wanted to ensure donor funds were made rapidly available for frontline work, such as the charity’s projects in the Pacific. He knew this needed to happen fast, given changes in the charity environment and the demands of the work.
Bringing Unicef closer to donors
After exploring the market, Jenkins and his team landed on Hype & Dexter, a rapidly growing Kiwi business, and Asia Pacific’s leading HubSpot supplier. The task was to create a tech stack that not just worked, but excelled, both now and into the future.
The tech stack has increased donor tenure and amount, as well as efficiency and offered ease of use. The implementation of CRM platform HubSpot has also provided Unicef the ability to generate leads, nurture customer relationships and ensure streamlined processing of transactions.
Jenkins says the partnership put Unicef Aotearoa closer to its donors. “In a world where every minute and every dollar makes a lifesaving difference, that’s massive,” he says.
“Migrating onto the Hubspot platform makes our operations cheaper, simpler and quicker to run. This means we have the capacity to get crucial resources and money to where they’re needed, more quickly and easily.”
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Traditional face-to-face fundraising strategies had long been losing impact in the charity sector, while digital channels were important to the donor community. Having a streamlined tech stack future-proofed the organisation’s fundraising strategies.
Supporting those in need
For Hype & Dexter, the partnership underscored the importance of its work in the not-for-profit sector. The business’s values since launch include supporting those in need, through smart tech.
Alex Mackrill, Hype & Dexter’s Chief Marketing Officer, says their team understands the tech challenges of the not-for-profit sector.
“We’ve worked with organisations such as Ronald McDonald House, World Vision and now Unicef Aotearoa, and we’ve solved some complexities that seem to be common across the NFP sector,” he says.
“Like the charities we support, we are committed to ensuring crucial funds are channelled directly to the cause as effectively as possible. Streamlined tech stacks play a significant role in making this happen.
“As a New Zealand-born business, we’re proud to play our part in helping Kiwi organisations make a real impact for those who need it the most.”
