Cuso International
Campaign concept, fundraising email series, donation page copy, social media content (paid and native)
Agency Partner
Cuso International is a global humanitarian organization whose purpose is to reduce poverty and inequality. They do that by uplifting the world’s women and girls, since doing so tends to have a ripple effect within their families and across their communities. When women rise, everyone benefits. In late 2022, they enlisted Briteweb to create three back-to-back campaigns for their year-end fundraising push. I was brought on board as creative strategist and copywriter. When we presented the “what if” concept I came up with, they loved it. A member of their team even said she “had chills.” Exactly what I aim for.
What if…
I came up with this dreamy campaign concept while absent-mindedly doodling in my notebook. Inspired by girls doodling and dreaming, it invites potential donors to imagine a better, more equitable world—then asks them to help make that world a reality.
Video Script
What if Sebrina got to write her own story?
What if every girl’s potential were as boundless as her capacity to imagine?
What if Luzmila didn’t have to worry about putting food on her family’s table?
In fact, what if every family, everywhere, had enough to eat, every day?
What if gender equality weren’t some far-off what-if, but a daily reality—no matter who you are, or where you live?
At Cuso International, this is the world we dream of.
We believe we can get there, but we need your help.
What if we told you that you could do a lot with a little?
You can, this Giving Season, when you donate to Cuso International.
A note about the emails below
At first glance, these emails probably look awfully long. These days, with audiences’ ever-shrinking attention spans, the general rule is less is more. But if you’re familiar with fundraising, you know that rule doesn’t apply to donor emails. Research shows that longer emails written like a personal letter—with bold text and underlining here and there to emphasize key points—actually perform better. For a word person, that makes these emails extra-enjoyable to write. And I’m told I’m rather good at it.
Campaign Email 1
What if girls in Cameroon got the same choices as Canadian girls?
Every girl deserves options, no matter where she lives.
Do you remember being 17?
If you were in Canada at that age, you were probably busy planning what came next. Likely you were in your last year of high school; maybe you were in the process of deciding whether and where you would continue your education—the most momentous decision you’d faced in your young life.
Sadly, that’s not what 17 looks like in Cameroon.
At an age when Canadian girls are choosing where they might go to university, girls in Cameroon are facing a much different fate: marriage. And for them, there’s no choice involved.
17-year-old Saki would never have chosen to marry a man at least as old as her father. For her family, factors beyond her control, including the burden of poverty, made marrying her off not necessarily an attractive option, but a seemingly unavoidable one.
Unfortunately, in Cameroon, this story isn’t rare—and many are married well before the age of 17. Where Saki lives, 30% of girls between the ages of 15 and 18 are currently married.
What if forced child marriage were as unfathomable in Cameroon as it is in Canada?
Olivia, as one of our most generous donors, you have already had an enormous impact on girls like Saki. But child marriage is a persistent problem facing countless girls in a number of countries, which means we need all the help we can get. If you’re able to make an additional donation today, together we can prevent more girls—girls like Saki—from being forced into human-rights-violating marriages.
The good news? Your donation will be 6x matched by Global Affairs Canada, which means any donation you make today will have 7x the impact. A $500 gift will go the distance of $3,500. A $1,000 gift? That’s $7,000 worth of impact.
Donate now.
P.S. Some more good news: we’re happy to report that today Saki is not married. As we’ll share in emails to come, her wedding never took place, thanks to the generosity of our donors. People like you, who agree that no child should have to marry against her will. Ever. Help us make this a reality by donating now.
Campaign Email 2
What if audacity is exactly what we need?
Help us achieve our most audacious goals.
During these last weeks of the year, it’s only natural to look back and reflect on the year gone by. Indeed, we have much to be proud of. But at Cuso International, our eyes are fixed firmly on the future.
We envision a world in which the potential of girls like Saki knows no limits. A world in which gender equality is not some far-off what-if, but a daily reality for Saki, and every girl, everywhere.
But as long as child marriage exists, there can be no gender equality.
The practice of child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) significantly reduces young girls’ chances of receiving an education. It perpetuates inequality, gender-based violence and a cycle of oppression that keeps girls and women dependent on their husbands.
Which means to achieve our big dreams, we need to end CEFM once and for all. It’s a big undertaking, we realize.
Fortunately there’s never been a better time to pursue big, audacious goals, because right now every dollar has the power of $7, thanks to 6x donation matching from Global Affairs Canada. In other words, a $500 donation has $3,500 worth of impact.
By our math, that means we’ll achieve our goals 7x faster—and protect more girls, more quickly, in the meantime.
But it’s only possible with your help. You are one of our most generous supporters, Olivia, and today we ask you to consider giving a little more.
For Saki, and girls like her. For a world in which no child is forced into marriage ever again.
Campaign Email 3
What if it were your favourite teenager?
All girls deserve fierce protection.
If you have a teenage daughter or niece, or another loved one in their teens, you would probably stop at nothing to protect them.
It can be easy, from where we stand, to wonder how Saki’s mother could stand by and watch her daughter—still a child—married to a much-older man.
Of course, the desperation associated with extreme poverty forces people to make choices that to us seem unbearable.
For Saki’s mom, Salamatou, accepting the offer of marriage meant she and Saki’s father would no longer be burdened with the financial strain associated with supporting their daughter. Plus, it was just how things were done.
“I believed I was honouring tradition and doing what was best for my daughter,” says Salamatou.
But what if there was another way?
There was. After all, what Salamatou truly wanted for her daughter is what any mother wants for her children: options. The opportunity to pursue an education and the freedom to make her own choices.
That’s why Salamatou reached out to local advocate and leader Queen Moustafa. Through a program called Queens for Peace, Queen Moustafa is working to end the practice of child, early and forced marriage in Cameroon. That program? Made possible by supporters like you.
After meeting with Queen Moustafa, Salamatou decided to change course. She would not let her daughter enter a marriage she was not physically, emotionally, or mentally prepared for.
“The offer of a financial allowance to pay for Saki’s schooling removed financial concerns and allowed her to continue her studies,” says Queen Moustafa.
Since then, Saki has completed her high school diploma—something only 48 percent of Cameroonian girls are able to do—and she will have the opportunity to further her education if she chooses.
“I now know and appreciate that education is the only solution to ending a practice that puts young girls’ lives and livelihoods at risk,” Salamatou told us.
What if every girl, everywhere, had options like Saki? Could attend school for as long as she chose to?
Olivia, you have already done so much to help us ensure every girl has ample opportunity to realize her potential. For that we will always be grateful.
This season of giving, are you able to give a little more? It’s a great time to do so. Right now, your donation will be 6x matched by Global Affairs Canada, which means each dollar has the value of $7. A $500 donation goes the distance of $3,500—a substantial sum that will keep more girls like Saki in school and out of forced marriages.
Donate now.
Thank you, as always, for being such an important part of the Cuso International Family. It’s because of your support that we’re able to fund programs like the one that helped prevent Saki’s wedding.
Campaign Email 4
What if every girl got a happy ending?
Help us make it a reality.
Saki’s story could have ended very differently.
She could have found herself married at 17; likely a mother not long after. She would not have graduated high school, and her lack of financial means would have kept her dependent on her husband.
Instead, Saki beat the odds and completed her high school diploma. Now she has the opportunity to continue her education.
For that, there’s many people to thank.
First, Saki’s mother, Salamatou, who broke with tradition and took steps to ensure Saki could stay in school.
Second, there’s Queen Moustafa. Through the Cuso International-supported program Queens for Peace, Queen Moustafa is working to end the practice of child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) in Cameroon.
In Queen Moustafa’s words:
“If we unite to abolish CEFM, we also fight to abolish gender-based violence and poverty.”
And who else can we thank for helping to keep Saki out of a forced marriage?
Well, that’s you, Olivia. Without supporters like you, Queens for Peace wouldn’t exist at all. Without your generosity, Saki’s story would look very different.
If it feels good to know the difference you’ve made, why not give a little more this holiday season?
Your donation will be 6x matched by Global Affairs Canada, for 7x the impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to make your dollar go the distance, and make an even bigger difference in places like Cameroon.
Donate now.
