For 15 years, the organisation EXIT-Deutschland has been successfully helping neo-Nazis quit the far-right scene. Yet, despite this socially important and effective work, the initiative receives too little attention and too few donations. That’s why EXIT-Deutschland has to fight for its own existence every year. Many towns and cities in Germany are also fighting against right-wing extremists who are exploiting their right to demonstrate and overrunning them – creating a high profile for themselves and negative PR for their chosen parade locations. One of them is the small German town of Wunsiedel.

To ensure we got the right setting and story, we chose a neo-Nazi march in the small, helpless Bavarian town of Wunsiedel, where Hitler’s deputy and mass murderer Rudolf Hess was once buried. The town, sick of the annual march, was willing to cooperate and helped us raise the €10,000 from local companies and citizens. Thanks to its entertaining character and the high involvement of the meticulously planned campaign, the “Miracle of Wunsiedel” quickly gained its own dynamics and went viral.

With a budget of just €5,000 (invested mainly on banners and bananas), we not only let the neo-Nazis raise €10,000 for their own demise, but reached more than 24 million people in Germany. As a result, not only did potential candidates for quitting the scene learn about EXIT-Deutschland’s offer of support, but 6,900 actually clicked the EXIT button on our microsite and new supporters doubled the donations in the end.