World Vision

Founded in 1957, World Vision Canada (WVC) is a Christian international development and disaster relief charity that helps communities overcome poverty. In F2021, 41 million people were at risk of starvation in 43 countries so WVC is shifting to work more in vulnerable communities, specifically those with unstable governments and high rates of poverty. In F2021, 43% of WVC’s program spending was in the most fragile communities compared to 34% in F2020 and 31% in F2019. World Vision Canada breaks its program spending down into five main programs: livelihoods, health, education, child protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene.

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INDUSTRY
  • Not-for-profit
BRANDING TO
  • Articulate value
  • Be better understood
  • Improve corporate reputation
SERVICES
  • Brand & value proposition strategy
  • Brand assessment
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The Situation

World Vision Canada was one of the top five charities in Canada by revenue, but it’s donor base was aging and revenues were flat. It was facing a number of additional challenges. It’s reliance on child sponsorship which historically had been a key revenue driver, was now seen as ‘neo colonial’ and inappropriate way to treat communities in developing countries; there was fresh competition as charities like WE and Plan Canada re-branded presenting newer platforms more in tune with younger donors and finally the role that faith played it their offering was seen to be ambiguous and not clearly defined which was becoming more problematic for large secular donors.

Yield Branding was asked to distill the huge amounts of World Vision research and develop a new value proposition that could be tested and ultimately implemented in a new donor story creative strategy.

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Human Catalyst

People are more motivated to help when they feel anger at injustice.

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Our Solution

Following an in-depth analysis of existing research and strategic collaboration with the client, Yield Branding developed a powerful donor brand strategy that broke the narrative down into four components:

  • Our Purpose: We can create better communities by transforming the lives of children through nutrition, health, education and safety
  • Our Motivation: To create the conditions & opportunity for children to live life to its fullest – physically, mentally, spiritually.
  • Our Impact: Transform vulnerable and fragile places into sustainable prosperous communities.
  • Emotional Reward for the Donor: You are part of the brave, global charity that enables your anger at injustice & inequality to give children in vulnerable & marginalized places the same chance for a full life, as you have.
    Of particular importance to the secular donor base, the narrative shifted away from being motivated by the teachings of Jesus to the power of Christian beliefs which research showed would still be motivating to the faith-based donor, while not alienating the secular donor.

With the core narrative in hand, Yield Branding was then charged with developing a branding campaign that would address the issues of familiarity, trust and favourability. It had two prongs: 1.) Telling an integrated, holistic donor value story and 2.) Build new donor acquisition and engagement platforms.

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The Yield

Since launching the new brand strategy, story and positioning in 2017, World Vision Canada has grown their revenues from $375 million to $441 million in F’21.

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