Back to See for yourself
What is 'See For Yourself'?
Oxfam is incredibly proud of the work we do to end poverty, and we know just how much of a difference regular donations make to people living in poverty around the world. But we don't want the public to just take our word for it; we want people to see for themselves. For the first phase of the campaign earlier this year we sent an Oxfam supporter to Zimbabwe to visit an Oxfam project but for the second phase we were specifically looking for a non-Oxfam supporter. Abbie, the successful applicant, is traveling to one of our programmes to see for herself just how significant the
impact that money donated to Oxfam has on the lives of people living in poverty. We will be asking Abbie to report back to the public with a personal account of her thoughts and feelings about experiencing Oxfam's work first-hand. Abbie will not be scripted in anyway, and won't be prompted or told what to say. The initiative is also about Oxfam being honest and open about our work and how the money donated to us is spent. The whole experience will be filmed and used as part of a fundraising campaign. This will include appearing in a TV, print and online appeal aimed at encouraging
more people to donate regularly to Oxfam.
Why is Oxfam doing this - what do you hope to achieve?
We hope 'See For Yourself' will encourage new people to support Oxfam through regular donations, which are vital to ensuring we are able to continue our work to end global poverty. The initiative is also about Oxfam being honest and open about our work and how the money donated to us is spent. We are proud of what we do and what the people we work with achieve. It is hoped that by taking a non-Oxfam supporter they will ask the questions that the general public want answered and help allay any doubts which may be preventing some people from donating to Oxfam. We hope when they
see for themselves through Abbie's eyes the work that Oxfam does they will be as confident as we are about the impact regular giving can have on fighting global poverty.
How did Oxfam recruit the person to go on the trip?
Prospective candidates completed an application form on the Oxfam website between the 6- 14 June. We were specifically looking for a non-Oxfam supporter to take part in this trip so applicants couldn't be a current or previous regular giver to Oxfam. We were not looking for hard skeptics, but we were definitely not looking for people who already think Oxfam is great. We want someone who can talk openly and are able to reflect honestly on their experiences. The short-listed candidates were then invited to a casting interview on 21 or 22 June and the successful candidate was informed
w/c 25 June.
Who is paying for it?
All costs for the Abbie's trip have been covered by an anonymous donor. They are very supportive of our fundraising work and wanted to help us attract new regular donors, so this trip was the perfect opportunity.
When will this phase of 'See For Yourself' launch?
The trip is happening at the beginning of August and the 'See For Yourself' campaign will appear on TV, print and online in October 2012.
Why was the opportunity only open to non-Oxfam supporters?
We are extremely grateful to our existing supporters. Regular donations are vital to Oxfam being able to plan our work and respond to where we are needed most but we urgently need to do more. We believe that the most powerful way to encourage new people to give is to show them our work through the eyes of someone impartial who's not got any preconceptions about Oxfam. We want everyone to know that regular donations to Oxfam, no matter how big or small, have a big and meaningful impact on the lives of people living in poverty.
The first phase of 'See for Yourself' featured Jodie Sandford, who had been giving to Oxfam on a monthly basis for a number of years. It was a great story to follow Jodie as she saw for herself the difference her donations make when she travelled to Zimbabwe and experienced Oxfam's work first-hand. As a result, Oxfam is offering a separate opportunity for another regular giver the chance to visit our work (advertised in our supporter magazine; 28 May - 9 June application window).
Aren't you just sending people on a free holiday?
While it's an exciting opportunity for the person travelling, this will be far from a holiday. They will be travelling to remote places which will involve travel and living conditions that are a far cry from a comfortable holiday. We will, of course, be ensuring everyone who travels is safe and looked after but it will be a challenging journey with ups and downs - all of which we hope they will report back on in our campaign to give people a real insight into Oxfam's work. Aside from being away from their family for a number of days we are also asking them to give up time
before and after the trip to publicise the campaign through social media and interviews etc. They'll also be filmed during the whole trip, and we will then use their story across TV, online and press. They may also see some distressing scenes, which they're unlikely to ever have encountered before - so it's really not just a holiday.
How much is the trip costing?
The whole trip is organized as economically as possible, and we have ongoing relationships with travel companies to keep our costs as low as we can. We are confident that the new regular donations we will secure through 'See For Yourself' will make the campaign spend worthwhile.
How did you decide who you take on the trip- surely you will just choose the person most likely to say what you want them to say?
We specifically wanted someone who is not an Oxfam supporter. We wanted someone who's eager to find out more and happy to share the experience with as many people as possible. We are asking Abbie to report back to the public with a personal account of their thoughts and feelings about experiencing Oxfam's work first-hand. She will not be scripted in anyway, and won't be prompted or told what to say. The whole initiative is also about Oxfam being honest and open about our work and how the money donated to us is spent.
How did you choose the location for the trip?
For this trip we will be travelling to Malawi in South East Africa. We have selected a programme that is most able to support a visit like this - there is lots of work arranging translators, accommodation and ensuring the safety of visitors along with other factors like weather conditions, accessibility, travel times etc. to consider.
Will you allow the person you take to be honest about their experiences?
Yes. The core of campaign is being open and honest. Oxfam is confident and proud of its work - and will answer any questions or challenges people have about how their money is spent and the impact it has.
So you've shown the programme work funded by donations - but doesn't money donated by regular giving go on administration costs too? Why didn't you take the person on a tour of the office to see the desks and chairs they have paid for too?
83p in every £1 goes towards Oxfam's work on the ground - with just 10p spent on administration and 7p on fundraising costs. We are proud of this figure and have successfully worked to reduce the amount that is spent on administration costs over the past few years. 'See For Yourself' highlights where the vast majority of money donated to Oxfam goes - on projects helping overcome poverty and suffering around the world.
How do we know you are not just sending the person to your best programmes? Is all your work really this good - what about the projects which have been less successful?
Oxfam works in over 70 countries, working with partners to provide an enormous breadth of humanitarian, development and advocacy support. We believe strongly in each and every one of our projects. We wouldn't invest in them if we didn't believe in their life-changing potential. But of course we need to choose where we visit somehow, so we have selected a project that we can visit without disrupting the work too much, and where it is a time of year where something of particular interest is happening.
Why is Oxfam wasting money on expensive advertising?
For every pound Oxfam spends on fundraising and advertising, we receive at least £5 back. Therefore far from being a waste, it's an essential part of how we raise the funds to pay for our work.