If people could get as addicted to playing games about global health threats as they are to playing Angry Birds, the United Nations Foundation thinks it would have a much better shot at rallying crusaders to its cause.
The foundation is putting that theory to the test as thousands of people have been playing in the Global Good Challenge, a game that encourages smartphone users and others to learn about topics such as the number of children overseas who do not have access to vaccinations.
The organization asked Plyfe, a company that makes games for mobile devices, to incorporate creative ways to teach people about its work around the world.
Players complete “challenges” by watching videos about a United Nations Foundation-supported program, answering trivia questions, or liking its page on Facebook.
The more challenges people complete, the more opportunities they have to win a prize, such as a chance to meet the pop star Lady Gaga or get tickets to the MTV Video Music Awards show.
“The challenges were set up in a way that steadily increased participants’ awareness of an issue,” says Mateen Aini, co-founder of Plyfe. “They would consume content or watch a video and then take a challenge. Through that, they become more vested and get a better understanding why it is important to do something like send mosquito nets to Africa.”
Gathering E-Mail Addresses
Since the foundation started the Global Good Challenge in September, people have completed more than 60,000 challenges and the charity has gathered e-mail addresses from 82 percent of those who have participated. It uses those addresses to send e-mails encouraging supporters to push global health causes but could eventually use them for fundraising appeals.
The games don’t just get players interested in global health issues but also enlist them to spread the word about the cause.
Succeeding in many of the challenges requires people to take action on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.
No One-Size-Fits-All
Aaron Sherinian, the foundation’s vice president for communications, says the organization recognizes that it needs to continue to develop new ideas for smartphones and tablets to stay connected to the people it wants to reach.
But, he emphasizes, mobile technology is only one piece of a larger digital strategy.
“There is not a one-size-fits-all app,” he says. “People download different apps for different reasons and use them in different ways. You have to continuously adapt in terms of how you are engaging supporters.”
This first appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.