NatCom Presentation - SCRIPT COVER Mr. President, Executive - PDF document

NatCom Presentation - SCRIPT COVER Mr. President, Executive Director Fore, Deputy Executive Director Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, distinguished delegates, it is a great honor to represent the family of National Committees in this UNICEF Executive Board session. Today, I would like to use this opportunity to tell you about our history as UNICEF partners, our fundraising and advocacy work, our supporters, and how we deliver results for children. I'd like to start with a short video.  Play Video

SLIDE 1 National Committees are independent nonprofit organizations established by groups of like-minded, passionate individuals who identify with UNICEF's mission. We are a volunteer movement for children! Our oldest National Committees were established in the USA and Belgium in 1947. The youngest ones are Iceland and the Republic of Korea. Today, we are a network of 33 organizations! Together, we represent over 1.1 billion people in the world! Our main tasks are to: 1. Raise funds from the private sector 2. Advocate for child rights 3. Be the face of UNICEF in our territories 4. Be the voice of children from all over the world in our territories 5. Facilitate and encourage government contributions

SLIDE 2 Let's take a look at our collective fundraising achievements. Since 1947, we have raised over 17 billion dollars to UNICEF. In 2017 National Committees contributed USD 1,264 billion dollars to the organization. This represents approximately 86% of UNICEF’s total private sector revenue . Of that amount, USD 627 million dollars is Regular Resources . This is about ½ of UNICEF’s RR . In fact, since 2016, National Committees have been the largest source of flexible funding for UNICEF. As I explained in previous Executive Board sessions, raising Regular Resources is no simple task. Nevertheless, in a world saturated with nonprofits, many so similar in purpose and vision, with fierce competition for funds, our public continues to choose us.

SLIDE 3 Who are our supporters? National Committees count on over 6.7 million donors, of which 3.6 million are pledge donors - that is, people who give us money every month. Over the past 5 years, National Committees have almost tripled their number of individual donors. These are the people who provide regular resources to children. National Committees have over 30 thousand corporate partners. Many of these partners, such as Google, Unilever, Lego, Facebook and FC Barcelona, are considered Priority Shared Valued Partnerships, with whom we unite forces to deliver economic and social value to the cause of children. Due to the fact that we are based in the same territories as our partners, we speak the same language and have expert dedicated staff ready to support them with their daily needs, we are best placed to cultivate and expand such partnerships. This is demonstrated in our results: National Committees are responsible for 89% of the total private sector gross proceed of companies. We also have a powerful network of 1.4 million active volunteers. They help fuel National Committee events, advocacy, fundraising and numerous calls to action. These supporters often serve as our eyes and ears on the ground and have the potential to help us further expand our footprint as well as our brand. Finally, among our supporters we also have major donors. Today, I'd like to tell you the story of Stefan and Susan Findel. Susan Findel grew up in an orphanage in South Korea. She remembers UNICEF providing her and others with health care. Her husband Stefan was impressed by seeing UNICEF's work first hand.

Together this couple founded the "Let Us Learn" education initiative in 2011, aiming to provide equitable education opportunities for the hardest to reach children. So far, they have donated over $38 million for this pur pose. This is UNICEF’s largest major donor partnership . The Findels wish to donate their wealth, little by little. UNICEF Germany and UNICEF USA are the bridge which connects donors like the Findels to children in need.

SLIDE 4 Here is how all of the different supporters I just mentioned helped us raise USD 1,652 million dollars in 2017. They are our allies in the pursuit of a better world for every child. National Committees are always looking for innovative and effective ways to better engage with our supporters. One of the ways which has proven to be most effective is digital. In fact, 26% of all new pledge donors in 2017 were acquired through digital channels. When we look at one time gifts, that percentage goes up to 50%. In additional to our financial results, I would like to use this opportunity to tell you a bit about another means by which National Committees improve the world for children.

SLIDE 5 As I mentioned before, advocacy is an integral part of our mission. We focus not only on what can be improved in our own countries, but also on global rights. Our governments are key partners in improving children's lives in our territories and elsewhere. One of the most efficient ways to engage our public with child rights issues is again, through digital channels. In Denmark and in Italy, there is 100% key message penetration of online news, including messages such as:"UNICEF fights for children everywhere", "UNICEF is effective", "UNICEF is active in humanitarian emergencies". There is also 100% key message penetration in social media in Germany, France and Turkey. How do we do it? By always being ahead of the curve, well-timed, by knowing how the media and digital works, and by posting messages at strategic times of the day.

SLIDE 5: I imagine you have noticed how the National Committees' work and mission seems to be intertwined with those of UNICEF. Where does one end and the other one begin? How do we engage with each other? As independent organizations, subject to the laws of our countries, National Committees are UNICEF special partners. We carry the UNICEF name, the UNICEF brand, and we support UNICEF's mission proudly. A Cooperation Agreement regulates the obligations and responsibilities between UNICEF and National Committees. We are also supported by common governance principles. A former UNICEF colleague used to say: " National Committees are the envy of other UN agencies ". He would say that when referring to our cost-efficiency and solid ability to deliver results for children. We are a true hybrid. We have both the dynamism of the private sector and the strength of the United Nations. Even with fierce competition for funds, we continue to lead as top child rights organizations in our countries, beating financial records and making sure every child has their rights respected. Our main goal is to deliver results for children, and our role has evolved over the years in order to meet every child's needs.

We, the National Committees have our eyes set on the Sustainable Development Goals, and we fiercely look for ways to accelerate them for children. Our passionate staff is committed to the cause of children and we won't rest until every goal is achieved. National Committees embrace the UNICEF Strategic Plan and the Impact Plan as our own. We contributed inputs and ideas and we will continue to monitor and support the implementation of the proposed goals as true partners with the same mission. We would like to get to know you better! So please feel free to ask us for a list of all National Committees and the email addresses for the Executive Directors. We would love to hear from you, to be visited by you and to have the opportunity to establish closer ties for the benefit of every child. On behalf of the Standing Group, the body elected to represent the 33 National Committees, thank you very much.