One of the world’s leading Christian humanitarian organizations hopes its new subscription-based donation program will attract younger givers and others eager for more ownership in the charities they support.
World Vision’s new “Subscribe to World Change” concept encourages donors to use money typically spent on unused subscription services to support its global ministry efforts instead.
Priscilla Tuan
“World Vision has been ideating ways to engage the younger demographic for some time now, and we wanted to create a campaign and product that was authentic and relatable,” said Chief Marketing Officer Priscilla Tuan.
The campaign “is an opportunity for people of all ages — including younger people who are not only accustomed to subscription services but also want to get involved and see the impact of their involvement.”
Enrollment connects participants with Believers for World Change, a global community focused on helping end extreme poverty. Monthly subscriptions provide immediate and long-term needs such as safeguarding vulnerable children, vital health care and nutrition for mothers and children, emergency care following natural disasters and sustainable sanitation, water and hygiene programs, World Vision said.
In return, donors receive benefits such as up-to-date statistics, interactive maps and digital reports about the progress of individuals and communities being served. Subscriptions also include opportunities to serve in community-building projects and guidance for those interested in advocating on behalf of children with the U.S. government.
Edgar Sandoval
Innovative approaches to giving are urgently needed to address the rise in global humanitarian needs, World Vision President Edgar Sandoval Sr. said.
“World Vision knows when we partner with donors and the communities we serve, we’re able to not only bring life-saving aid to some of the world’s most challenging places but also equip children with the tools they need to fulfill their God-given potential,” he said. “Our hope is that donors will join with us to bring hope and create lasting change while gaining a new and a more rewarding perspective on how they spend their hard-earned money.”
World Vision will continue to use its well-known child sponsorship program along with the new subscription service. But even that traditional fundraising method was supplemented in 2019 with an innovation known as Chosen, Tuan said.
“Instead of the sponsor choosing their child, Chosen puts the power to choose in a child’s hands. It’s a simple-yet-powerful switch at the beginning of the sponsorship relationship that recognizes the dignity and agency of children living in extreme poverty.”
World Vision’s new subscription-based donation model, on the other hand, is an attempt to “disrupt” the way consumers think about monthly membership services, she said.
The global ministry cited a 2022 C+R Research study that found most Americans significantly underestimate their monthly spending on services such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Chewy or Dollar Shave Club.
“Oftentimes the monthly payments for these services fly under the radar, especially when consumers subscribe to more than one,” C+R reported. “Our survey asked consumers across the country about their relationship with subscription services and the associated recurring monthly charges.”
In response, the average consumer estimated spending $86 per month on subscription services while the actual spending was $219 per month. The study also found 74% of respondents said they quickly forget about the recurring monthly payments they make for those services.
“But upon closer look at their itemized expenses, the average monthly spend for consumers was more than 2.5 times the amount they thought at $219 — a whopping $133 higher than their original estimate,” the study explained. “Almost one-third (30%) of the people underestimated by $100 to $199 and nearly a quarter each underestimated by less than $25, $25-$99, and $200 or more.”
Meanwhile, 42% of respondents admitted they have stopped using one or more services and forgot they were still paying for them, with Generation Z leading the way on that trend, C+R said. “It appears it’s pretty easy to forget about payments considering that the majority (72%) said they set all their monthly subscription payments to auto-pay.”
World Vision’s new program urges donors to tally their monthly spending on unused subscriptions and to consider redirecting those dollars to benefit more than 700 million people living in extreme poverty worldwide, Tuan said.
“Recognizing that money from these unused subscriptions was becoming financial waste, we were inspired to create a like-minded community where donors could put those funds toward lasting impact and world change,” she said. “When people subscribe, they’re putting their faith into action and making a lasting impact both practically and spiritually.”