Unicef is a program of the United Nations Organization that watches over the rights of children and provides humanitarian aid and assistance, mainly, to children and mothers in developing countries. This body is financed through contributions from citizens, the private sector and public administrations, thus facilitating different forms of donation and collaboration.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Donation
Step 1. Choose which campaign you want to donate the money for
By donating to Unicef you can decide if you want your money to be used for a specific emergency, for a specific country or for the general health, education and protection fund of the country where Unicef determines what is most needed. Information on emergencies, campaigns and funds can be found through the Unicef website, you can also enter the website of its regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean, or the website of Unicef Spain.
- There are specific campaigns, which are activated by emergency and there are also continuous fundraising campaigns.
- Among the regular campaigns is that of the Emergency Fund, which provides resources to act quickly. Another regular campaign is that of the General Fund for health, education and protection; which receives contributions to be used for the development of health, education and child protection programs in those countries where it is most needed.
Step 2. Choose between periodic donation or one-off donation
You can choose if you want to make a single donation or if you want to contribute money periodically, since Unicef allows these two types of collaboration. When you decide to do it periodically, you become a member of Unicef.
- If you want to make periodic donations, you can generally choose their regularity: monthly, quarterly, semester or annually. These periods may vary depending on the event for which you want to donate or the representation of Unicef from which you make your donation.
- Regular donations are made by direct debit to an account or credit card.
- If you have chosen periodic donations, you will be kept informed through electronic newsletters, communications by post, telephone and SMS, of the actions carried out by Unicef.
Step 3. Decide the amount you want to donate
In general, when making donations, especially through the web, there are predetermined amounts that you can select, but it also allows you to enter the amount of the contribution you want to contribute if the predetermined amounts do not adapt to the amount you have arranged. Depending on the country, there may be a minimum donation amount, this information must be corroborated on the website of the Unicef committee through which you want to make your donation or by accessing the campaign with which you want to collaborate.
- Some countries, like Colombia, have a minimum donation amount and in others, like Peru, there is no minimum or maximum limit for contributions.
- In general, these donations allow tax relief on the income statement whether you make the donation at the personal level or at the company level.
Part 2 of 3: Selecting a Donation Method
Step 1. Donate through the website
Enter the website of the UNICEF representation of the chosen country and you will find different campaigns and emergencies that require donation, click on the one you want to contribute and follow the steps indicated. Usually a form is displayed in which you will be asked for your information including name, surname, email, identification number, telephone and address. Later they will ask you for your card, bank account, or payment method details.
- Depending on the website of the Unicef delegation, in addition to personal donations, donations from companies will be allowed.
- The payment method that most Unicef pages accept is credit card, some countries also accept payments through bank discounts or paypal.
- The various fundraising campaigns that are active are differentiated on the website and you can find an explanation of how your donation will help alleviate this crisis.
Step 2. Donate through bank accounts
When emergencies occur, UNICEF sets up and publishes bank account numbers to raise money for that specific campaign. This information is made public through its website and through different information and communication media. This donation can be made through a bank transfer or by making a direct deposit in the bank. In the Unicef representations of the Latin American and Caribbean countries, these donations are generally made through the discount in the donor's bank account.
- On the Unicef Spain page, you can find bank accounts to donate to the Emergency Fund, which allows you to have financial resources to act quickly when there is a humanitarian crisis.
- Try to get the information about bank accounts from reliable sources such as official websites, recognized newspapers, etc. Never send your account numbers along with your bank codes and other personal data, this type of information is not requested.
Step 3. Donate by phone
Another option that Unicef makes available to make donations is to call their telephone numbers. The phone number varies by country and is generally free or low-rate numbers. Through these numbers you can make a one-time donation, become a member, modify your data, increase or reduce your quota or make different modifications related to your donation.
- There are also specific fundraising campaigns, which are activated by emergency, in which funds are collected through the sending of telephone messages in which a certain amount of money is discounted to the sender.
- It is important to obtain or verify phone numbers through official sources to avoid scams. On the website of the UNICEF press center they recommend not sending requested personal information through the phone, email or any other means.
Part 3 of 3: Collaborate differently
Step 1. Buy UNICEF products
You can contribute by acquiring some of the products that Unicef sells both in its online store and in its different physical stores. You can buy cards, balls, backpacks, cups, board games and almanacs, among other things.
The sale of the products is not exclusive to Unicef stores, you can find them in other stores that have decided to collaborate with this institution
Step 2. Participate in their solidarity crowdfunding
Make a solidarity campaign through the internet to collect funds. This form of collaboration can be found on the Unicef Spain website. To participate you must fill out a form or activate your account through Facebook and choose a challenge.
The challenge consists of raising a predefined amount of money through the campaign that you will have to create
Step 3. Include UNICEF in your will
You can name UNICEF as a universal heir in case you want to assign all your assets to him, you can also name him as a joint heir if you are going to share your inheritance among several people or institutions, or you can leave him a specific asset, such as a home.
- Unicef offers free specialized advice in case you decide to include it in your will.
- The goods that can be left in inheritance are very diverse, they can be jewelry, real estate, art, money in cash or in accounts, etc.
Step 4. Stay at a friendly hotel
This initiative of the Spanish committee of Unicef is focused on preventing the sexual exploitation of children in the Dominican Republic, since it is a country in which it has been detected that many boys and girls suffer this type of abuse.
You can make your contribution when you register at a friendly hotel, indicating that you want to collaborate. The contribution will be one euro and will be added to your invoice. This collaboration will go to the Child Protection Program against sexual exploitation
Step 5. Become a volunteer
The different national committees of Unicef allow the collaboration of citizens through volunteering, the requirements and training to be a volunteer may vary from one country to another, so it is advisable to contact the Unicef committee in the corresponding country to obtain more information. There are long-term volunteers and volunteers for a specific activity.