New Zealand has 1 charity for every 160 people. That’s more charities than the U.S, UK and Canada, leading to widespread donor fatigue. So when Coastguard, the fishermen rescue charity needed funds, we didn’t ask for cash. We asked for something no other charity to ask for: Fish.

We set up donation points at New Zealand's busiest marinas and asked returning fishermen to donate spare caught fish. We then sold the fish at our own fishmonger stall raising more money in a single day then a charity coin bucket does in a month, while

simultaneously reminding New Zealand what Coastguard does: Save fishermen.

We took Coastguard's donation team who normally stand in the city CBD with coin buckets and instead positioned them at Auckland's busiest marinas with ice buckets, to interact with fishermen coming back from the sea and ask if they could donate any spare fish.

The donation team operated for the specific hours that fishermen come back from a day of fishing.

The fish were then processed and stored fresh overnight, to then be sold at a fishmonger stall the next morning. The stall was set up at Auckland's busiest waterfront produce market with a professional fishmonger calling out the stock on offer and the cause they were being sold for. The fish were sold at market price completely selling out within 2 hours.

Each sale was wrapped in Donate a Fish branding and all the profits went directly to Coastguard.

Donate a Fish was 8 times more effective than standard fundraising methods.

It raised more money in a day than a charity coin bucket does in a month.

And reminded New Zealand who Coastguard is for: Fishermen.