Triple match success: How AREF reconnected with donors
AREF’s Mission
The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) empowers African post-doctoral health researchers to tackle the continent's most pressing health challenges by providing access to skills training, leadership development programs, and research funding opportunities. Since its establishment in 2015, AREF has supported over 800 African health researchers from more than 42 African countries while transcending language barriers and borders to reach researchers in under-resourced regions.
“The GiveMatch Team provided incredible advice about our campaign strategy leading up to, during, and after our Giving Tuesday appeal. We are so grateful for the personalised support and insights that we received.”
~ Karie Schultz, Trusts & Major Gifts Fundraising Officer
The challenge
AREF is in the early stages of building its individual giving program from the ground up, marking an exciting opportunity for innovation and growth. Historically, most of their funding has come from trusts, foundations, institutional donors, and some corporate support, which effectively funds projects but offers little flexibility for unrestricted funds.
With their 10th anniversary on the horizon in 2025, AREF sees a significant opportunity to expand their fundraising efforts. The challenge they face is in raising awareness of their mission to a broader audience and increasing their income from individuals and major donors.
Our solution
AREF partnered with GiveMatch to launch their first-ever Giving Tuesday and a subsequent Christmas campaign during the December Triple the Impact initiative. This approach provided an exciting opportunity to amplify donations, as every contribution had the potential to be tripled through match funding.
To maximise engagement, AREF created a multi-channel communication strategy. Two weeks prior to Giving Tuesday, they sent "Save the Date" emails to their subscriber list and posted reminders on LinkedIn and X, ensuring their audience was aware of the upcoming campaign. On Giving Tuesday itself, AREF officially launched their campaign through email and LinkedIn, sharing the opportunity for their supporters to contribute. Throughout the day, they maintained momentum with regular social media posts that highlighted powerful impact stories from their work, emphasising the critical role of donor support.
“Thanks to our partnership with GiveMatch, we were able to keep the momentum for our fundraising campaign going for more than two weeks. GiveMatch’s Triple the Impact initiative brought excitement to our annual appeal, inspired new and previous donors to support AREF, and helped us share the word about the vital work that we do. The triple match funding was instrumental in helping us not only reach but exceed our fundraising targets.”
~ Karie Schultz, Trusts & Major Gifts Fundraising Officer
The results
Starting with a goal of £1,000 for Giving Tuesday alone, the target was quickly increased to £2,000 and then £2,500 as momentum built.
As the campaign continued throughout December, AREF further increased the target to £3,000—and ultimately exceeded it, demonstrating the generosity of their supporters and the power of match funding in amplifying their impact. As part of the Triple the Impact Initiative, AREF were also able to unlock an additional £500 of match funding in our daily Leaderboard competitions.
By leveraging GiveMatch’s platform and expert support, AREF was able to engage alumni, past donors, and new supporters in a meaningful way. The campaign encouraged participants to not only give but to share their impact with others, creating a ripple effect of generosity. This collaborative effort not only helped AREF raise vital unrestricted funds but also established a strong foundation for the growth of their individual giving program in the future.