Send a net. Save a life.
The United Nations Foundation was created by Ted Turner’s $1B donation to support the important work of the UN. Nothing But Nets is an exciting grassroots campaign to help save lives by preventing malaria, the leading killer of children in Africa.
While the UN Foundation has been working with the UN to 
fight malaria for years, it was a column that sportswriter Rick Reilly wrote about malaria in Sports Illustrated — challenging each of his readers to donate just $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed nets — that led to the creation of a formal Nothing But Nets campaign.
The overwhelming reaction to Reilly's short article made it clear that thousands of people were ready to help. Within a few short months, the simple Nothing But Nets website raised over 1 million dollars and helped get over 120,000 bednets to families in Africa. The enormity of the problem and simplicity of the solution really touched people, and so a refreshed Nothing But Nets campaign was born to reach more.
Communicopia led the online strategy for the campaign, helping align the UNF's web team's vision with that of the partners and other communicatiosn vendors. Our first decision was to embed the 3 key messages of the campaign into every element of the site, including the information architecture: Malaria kills, bednets save lives, and it’s easy to help. We then created a fresh design in record time, built the website and back-end, managed multiple technology vendors (including our partners Artez) to power the online community and “friendraising” features, and produced the stunning Flash movie that is the centerpiece of the site.
The UN’s original goal was to raise $5M US through the campaign. As of March 2008, the campaign has raised over $19M, including a $1M email donation! With partners like the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, the United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated, and a high profile launch at the White House, we’re confident you’ll continue to hear more about the campaign over time.
Together, we are covering Africa with life-saving bed nets.
Visit the Nothing But Nets campaign site, watch the Flash movie, and buy a net today at www.nothingbutnets.net.
May 8, 2007 Update: NothingButNets has now been recognized as one of the most successful online fundraising and engagement campaigns of the year. In less than a year the site has raised over $6M US, sending over 600,000 life-saving bed nets to Africa. It has thousands of supporters, including hundreds of passionate people who have created their own NothingButNets fundraising drives or events, with many of their stories posted to the very active blog on the home page of the site.
NBN was featured as one of the 10 charities profiled on American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" 2-night special in April, introducing the issue and the campaign to millions of people and raising potentially $3M of the $30M raised for more bed nets. And in May 2007, largely because of the public voting campaign we ran pro bono for the UN Foundation, the site was honoured with the web's highest achievement - a Webby Award for best charitable website, People's Voice category.
Communicopia remains engaged on a monthly strategic retainer to support the site's growth.