The UK’s must successful newspaper Christmas appeals raised more than £5.3m over the festive period.
Most newspapers said the figure raised was higher than previous years, thanks in part to the introduction of charity blogs, celebrity endorsements and fundraising partnerships.
The Financial Times topped the list with £2m raised for International Rescue Committee (IRC).
As part of the appeal, Financial Times journalists reported on IRC’s work in several of the world’s most troubled regions, including Syria, South Sudan and west Africa. A total of 26 news reports and features were published between November and January in an effort to encourage readers and corporate partners to donate. The charity was selected by a staff vote.
The Financial Times has raised more than £16m for charity since it began its programme of festive appeals in 2006. Charities benefiting from the cash have included World Child Cancer, Action Against Hunger, Camfed, Room to Read, Sightsavers, The Global Fund for Children and Wateraid.
'Most successful Christmas campaign in history'
The Independent and London Evening Standard newspapers raised £700,000 for the Homeless Veterans campaign.
A spokeswoman for the newspapers said the figure “smashes any total that we have ever raised before here at The Independent, Independent on Sunday and Evening Standard over the course of a Christmas campaign”.
Evgeny Lebedev, chair of Independent Print Ltd and Evening Standard Ltd said, “This has been the most successful Christmas campaign in the history of this newspaper group. For our part, we will make sure every penny is put to the best use.”
According to Lebedev, in addition to the appeal money raised, chancellor George Osborne has pledged £3 million for the east London hostel that the Independent is supporting and Mayor Boris Johnson has promised a further £200,000.
The 2014 Christmas appeal follows a long line of successful campaigns for the newspaper, including last year’s which raised £500,000 for elephant charity Space for Giants.
The campaign was supported by celebrities including David Beckham, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Angelina Jolie, Prince William and David Cameron.
'Struck a chord'
The Guardian and Observer raised £400,000 for nine mental health charities, including Samaritans, Mind, Gardening Leave, Rethink Mental Illness, Star Wards, MAC-UK, Centre for Mental Health, Cooltan Arts and Kidstime Foundation.
The figure was almost double the amount raised by the previous festive appeal.
For the first time, the 2014 appeal was supported by a Guardian blog which ran daily throughout December and generated thousands of page views. The blog also helped to raise the profile of the charity on social media.
Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger said: “We know from the level of donations and the traffic to our pages that the appeal struck a chord with Guardian and Observer readers, who were, as always, incredibly generous.”
The Manchester Evening News generated additional funds by partnering with the Manchester radio station Key 103. Some £1.6m worth of toys was generated for the children’s charity Cash 4 Kids. 2014 was the first year that the newspaper partnered with the radio station, generating an additional £300,000. The previous year generated £1.3m worth of toys, enabling the charity to help 32,370 children in and around Manchester.
The Times raised £550,000 for its three charities, Amref Health Africa, the Stroke Association and The Silver Line. The figure brings the Times’ total from the past 22 years of seasonal appeals to £120m for 1,800 charities.
The Daily Express raised money for Combat Stress. Readers were asked to donate directly to the charity but figures have not yet been released.
The Telegraph newspaper has not yet revealed its earnings from the Christmas appeal. It raised money for the Abbeyfield Society, Masanga Mentor Initiative and Medical Detection Dogs and will present its takings to the charities next month.
The Sun decided against a charity appeal and instead launched a “spread the joy” campaign in which £50,000 was given away to twelve “every day heroes”, nominated by readers, in the run up to Christmas. The campaign was sponsored by Primula Cheese and launched by Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid. The Daily Mail also decided not to run a charity Charistmas appeal.
