As a Greek-American who has always stayed deeply connected to Greece, volunteering has been my way of maintaining that bond. Although most of my growing up was in Boston, my Cretan parents instilled in me an unwavering pride for our heritage, which has always translated into a keen active engagement while I was in Greece. Through immersing myself in volunteer work for overlooked communities, I’ve always found a broadened understanding of my home.

Since June 2024, I have been involved with Fainareti, a nonprofit supporting vulnerable new mothers. While Greece faces a dire birth rate crisis, Fainareti tackles the issue at its root by providing crucial support during the midwifery period. Through its helpline, women are given a safe space to have a supportive voice so they don’t face their challenges alone. Through our international fundraising campaign, I connected both my cultures—Greek and American—to gather support across borders to allow this helpline to sustain. Beyond securing donations, this campaign aimed to establish a wider network of awareness for mothers during their most vulnerable periods.

Mobilizing U.S. Donors: What Drives Engagement?

In the U.S., where fundraising appeals and donation requests are constant, it takes more than just a vital cause to inspire action. With countless initiatives competing for attention, an international organization not yet established in the U.S. must appear personally relevant, emotionally compelling, and credible for donors to be motivated to support it.

Relevance

Whatever issue an international fundraising campaign aims to address, it’s essential that it is framed to a U.S. donor not as something distant and overseas, but as something meaningful and relevant. This can be achieved by highlighting shared experiences—for example, mothers in the U.S. often face a lack of support due to insufficient maternity leave. Emphasizing this parallel can make the issue more relatable, increasing donors’ empathy and willingness to contribute. By researching the target demographic and their cultural context, organizations can gain insight into what will make them feel connected to the cause, bridging the oceanic gap between a donor and the issue.

Fainareti increased productive outreach by focusing on groups with a direct interest in the cause, specifically Greek-American networks and maternal health organizations. For example, through an interview with Grecian Echoes, a major Greek-American radio station in New England, we could promote the cause within the diaspora. Listeners of the radio station were likely to have resonated with the niche cause because of their connection to Greece, making them more inclined to give back. 

It was crucial that this personal relevance existed not just for the donor, but for it to be evident on the other end as well. As a high-school student who showed passion and dedication for the cause, this showed that the cause was something worth caring about. Unlike larger organizations that can sometimes feel distant or impersonal, having an individual, relatable face introducing this campaign to a new demographic may have made the initiative feel more personal, trustworthy, and authentic.

Emotional

Once again, while countless fundraising efforts circulate in the U.S., it takes an emotional appeal for one to stand out. Visual storytelling helps issues feel more human, allowing donors to see the real and immediate needs of the community the campaign aims to help.

To spread information about Fainareti’s campaign, I created a video to send via email to potential donors. Rather than immediately introducing Fainareti and its helpline, the video first focused on the struggles of vulnerable mothers: women facing childbirth alone, lacking support systems, and grappling with the overwhelming responsibility of caring for a newborn under challenging circumstances. By highlighting these mothers’ experiences to the viewer, the issue felt personal and immediate. Once this background information had been given and donors felt the weight of the problem, the helpline was conveyed as an urgent and necessary solution. 

Additionally, the campaign strategically launched on Giving Tuesday, leveraging the heightened generosity around the holiday season.

Credibility and Trust

Since the campaign was promoted internationally, trust was necessary. Alongside emotional appeal, it was equally crucial that donors felt a clear sense of communication and transparency. Donors want to know exactly where their contribution is going and what tangible impact it will have, especially since the campaign targeted communities outside of their immediate networks. To build this confidence, we made it clear that 100% of donations were allocated to a specific, measurable initiative. It was important they understood donations as not funding an organization, but as directly supporting a vulnerable community in need—new mothers with nowhere else to turn. This distinction made the cause feel more urgent and personal. 

Showcasing the measurable influence Fainareti has had in the past allowed donors to see that their money will be used effectively. Through statistics, impact reports, and testimonials, an international organization can prove its credibility. Many potential donors still had further questions about Fainareti, and my experience working there over the summer allowed me to vouch for the organization’s legitimacy personally. Additionally, the fact that major Greek donor organizations, such as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, had previously supported Fainareti significantly bolstered its credibility and established the cause as trusted and effective. 

Lastly, many U.S. donors look for tax incentives when donating to charities, making the ability to offer tax-deductible benefits extremely helpful in attracting significant donations.

Alexandra Liodakis