Turning a TV rerun into almost £130,000 for dementia support
The opportunity:
Cymba has worked with Alzheimer's Society for around four years, helping the charity build its supporter base, raise funds, and steward donors through mass events such as marathon fundraising.
A new opportunity arrived at short notice. Channel 4 offered the charity the chance to embed a donation ask directly into its rerun of the 1966 World Cup Final, broadcast in June 2026.
Rather than a standard advert during a break, the call to action would sit inside the programme itself, reaching an audience whose demographic aligned closely with those affected by dementia.
The solution:
Cymba built a text-to-donate mechanism ready in time for broadcast, giving viewers a simple way to give £10, £20, £30 or £40 by text as they watched.
The team also proactively refreshed the charity's Gift Aid page, making the declaration journey cleaner and more supporter-friendly.
The mechanism needed to perform reliably under pressure. With a live TV audience responding in real time, the platform had to handle a high volume of donations within a short window, while keeping the Gift Aid journey simple enough that supporters could complete it after the moment of giving, not during it.
The result:
The response on the day exceeded expectations.
Over 9,300 people texted in, with the vast majority of activity landing within the broadcast window itself.
Almost a quarter of donors went on to Gift Aid their gift, adding a further income stream at no extra cost to the charity.
Why it worked
- A familiar, low-friction mechanic: viewers had the options to give by text or donate on Alzheimer’s Society’s website. The text option was simple with no app, form or website to navigate mid-programme.
- Gift Aid was captured after the donation, through a secure link, so the moment of giving was never interrupted.
- A platform built to handle a sudden, concentrated surge of activity during a single live broadcast.
This kind of campaign shows what's possible when a charity's existing television presence is paired with a simple, mobile-first way to give. The barrier to donating wasn't generosity. It was making the ask as easy as sending a text.
| £127,690 | 9,311 | 84.6% | 24.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raised from the campaign | Supporters responded | Conversion to donation | Donors who Gift Aided |
“When we came to Cymba for support with an opportunity to fundraise during the broadcast of the 1966 World Cup Final In Colour, they helped us quickly create a text-to-donate campaign that made it easy for viewers to support our work. It generated over £130,000 towards our mission to end the devastation of dementia, and we were grateful for the support we received in bringing the campaign to life.”
Sam Scott, Senior Development Manager, Alzheimer's Society
