Giving Day to support SOAS Sanctuary Scholarships
Background
SOAS provides resources and knowledge about Africa, Asia and the Middle East to equip people for a global economy and a multicultural Britain. We are the only university in Europe to specialise in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The SOAS Sanctuary Scholarships Appeal began as an online campaign in the ‘giving day’ style. SOAS was one of the first UK Universities to run a campaign in this way and had unprecedented success. We launched the campaign in response to the refugee crisis in the wake of the war in Syria and the ban imposed by President Trump on people entering the US from Muslim-majority countries. SOAS is a tolerant, open, diverse and outward-looking institution and the campaign reflected the School’s ethos of being open and welcoming to displaced people.
The campaign was centered around two students, who were able to finish their studies through SOAS’s philanthropic efforts. We used their testimony and journey to illustrate the power and impact of scholarships. These stories resonated with our alumni, who wanted to share the gift of education and the same SOAS experience they were able to enjoy. Part of the messaging for the campaign came through a video demonstrating the barriers faced by refugees and asylum seekers when looking to apply for universities in the UK, narrated by students who are actively affected by this. The sincerity of the scholars and the importance of making education more accessible allowed us to secure support for 21 students over five years with plans to make this an annual ongoing project.
The story so far
In February 2017, SOAS launched Sanctuary Scholarships to support displaced people facing barriers trying to access higher education. SOAS waived the tuition fees for seven scholarship recipients and launched an online fundraising campaign to cover their living costs.
SOAS ran an online giving campaign over two weeks in February 2017. This was one of the first online campaigns run by a UK university. Appeals were sent to 18k alumni and these were shared widely online. The response was unprecedented for SOAS and we raised over £160,000 in these two weeks, through online donations and match funding donations from major donors. This amount accounted for 75% of mass fundraising income and participation for the whole of the previous year.
Over the following six months, through additional social media and e-campaigns, a direct mail and a targeted telephone fundraising campaign, an additional £90,000 was raised. In the end, £250,000 (target of £150,000) from 1,295 donors was raised, making it the most successful fundraising campaign at SOAS to date.
The support and subsequent success of the Sanctuary Scholarships is a reflection of the values of the School and its alumni: the desire to support students, who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to access higher education, though no fault of their own. In September 2017, we were able to welcome seven displaced students to the School, who are now in the midst of their studies. The School hope to run a similar campaign again to raise a further £100,000 to support future Sanctuary scholars.
Impact
There was a 70% increase in the number of first-time donors, with many sharing social media messages of support, explaining that this was a cause that made them proud to be alumni of SOAS.
One of the biggest successes of the appeal was the number of SOAS students who got engaged. From 42 student donors the previous year, there were 234 student donors to the Sanctuary Scholarships. In addition to students, 55 members of staff also donated to the appeal, which was another record high for SOAS.
The campaign was actively championed by our alumni, with 55 alumni signing up to act as our Social Media Ambassadors and have since become very engaged with the School. The giving platform we used, enabled us to see how their social media posts had impacted donations. They generated £7,355 in donations and helped us increase our online presence, attracting the attention of politicians, refugee and migrant organisations, as well as media.
The appeal inspired numerous gifts-in-kind and initiatives by students and alumni to actively fundraise for the appeal. A number of alumni offered accommodation for the students, mentorship, language exchanges and on-going support during their time at SOAS. A targeted appeal towards current students was sent in the weekly student bulletin, which created awareness and even inspired one student to run a marathon to raise £752 towards the scholarships.
One of the most heart-warming stories, and the greatest example with how much this appeal resonated with and inspired our alumni, was the offer by one alumnus to ask their guests to donate to the appeal rather than buy them presents at their wedding. SOAS created a tailored donation form and landing page for the wedding guests, raising £4,320.
The impact of the Sanctuary Scholarship appeal garnered international attention with multiple articles celebrating the work of the School, including the UNHCR, the New Internationalist and The Conversation. It also sparked an important conversation around what universities can do to support refugees and displaced people and inspired other UK universities to offer similar schemes.
Ms Afiyah Alim, Philanthropy Officer (Appeals, Legacies), SOAS, University of London.
