In a year that tested the resilience of communities worldwide, the power of compassion shone brightly through the ‘Saving Smiles’ project, a heartwarming initiative by Bilderlings in partnership with Hearts & Minds (UK) and Dr. Klauns (Latvia). Launched in April last year, this project not only highlighted the essence of human kindness but also demonstrated the impactful synergy between technology and charity. As we unfold the year-end results, it becomes evident that the generosity of Bilderlings’ clients has brought more than just smiles to faces; it has woven a tapestry of hope, proving that in the world of finance, empathy and generosity can indeed drive meaningful change. Join us as we delve into how over €12K in donations have transformed the lives of many, making the Saving Smiles project as significant as any financial achievement.
Healthcare clowning focuses on caring for emotions — a special form of support for children in hospitals. Through play, humour and improvisation, Clowndoctors help young patients to cope with stress and recover more swiftly.
Summarizing the Figures
In May, we enabled the ability to make donations directly from the personal account/mobile app. Since then €12,389 has been donated through In-App Donations Solution, i.e., approximately €1.5K per month or about €50 per day.
By the end of the year, the total number of donors was 210, which is almost 4% of our total number of clients.
The average donation was about €60, with the largest single donation being €1,000.
During the active campaign period, when we sent out emails and made posts on social media, the number of donors quickly increased. However, the largest donations were made during the “silent months,” when we did not raise the topic of charity. People simply remembered that this option was available and used it when they deemed it necessary.
Crafting the Charitable Project: Our Precise Approach
Information campaign. We started by trying to understand how many of our clients were actually interested in this topic. Moreover, it’s the simplest tool to implement which doesn’t require significant additional resources.
We implemented:
- a series of email newsletters and personal account notifications about healthcare clowning and the value of emotional health;
- a dedicated landing page;
- a banner in the personal account and mobile app;
- a series of posts on social media and on “Medium” blog.
Outcome: based on the reach, website visits, and, most importantly, the email open rate statistics, we saw that our clients find this topic important and interesting. Managers received questions from clients related to charity and how they could help. Many clients started transferring money to charitable organizations. We wrote an article about this case, you can read more here.
IT solutions: In-App Donations & recurring payments. Seeing that our clients were actively donating money, we decided to make this process more convenient for them: our IT guys developed a In-App Donations Solution. We truly consider this to be the most convenient service among all In-App Donations because making a donation literally takes seconds and just two clicks.
The company had plans to develop recurring payments, and we added this option for donations as well. Regular support is especially important for charity because it helps NGOs to plan their activities.
Marketing campaign. For Children’s Day, we came up with a marketing promotion: free account opening, and for every new client who opened an account, we made a donation to charitable organizations. Interestingly, this not only motivated new clients to open accounts but also to make donations themselves: this period was one of the peak in donations.
Christmas campaign: merchandise, stickers, a guide for businesses. For Christmas, we decided to make a gift: for ourselves, for the Clowndoctors, and for our audience.
Firstly, we created a joint merchandise. It’s a collection of Christmas gifts, each imbued with a message about the value of emotional care and kindness towards oneself and others. All proceeds from the sales went to charitable organizations, and the merchandise items themselves will remind their owners (and those around them!) of everlasting values throughout the year.
Secondly, we noticed an interest from our business clients in the topic of social responsibility and created a detailed guide for businesses on how to become socially responsible and what to consider in the process.
Both of these products are long-lasting. The Clowndoctors will continue to sell the merchandise next Christmas and the year after, and the guide can be downloaded at any time.
To not thank our clients for their donations not only in words, we created a series of stickers which we sent by mail to everyone who participated in the Christmas campaign. This is a small but important gesture for us: as a symbol of human attention, not virtual, not digital.
The Most Significant Outcome
This experience opened up a new perspective on social responsibility for us. It’s not just about some abstract sponsorship of some abstract “good deeds.” It’s an opportunity to create your own projects: to choose the directions that suit you (by values, mood, region — whatever you like); to select and to try a variety of tools that match your resources. It’s a chance to get to know your clients and employees from a new angle, as well as attract a new audience which shares your spirit. In the end, empathy should grow just like revenues!
