2025 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

In one of Canada’s most competitive fundraising categories — healthcare-focused charities — Safehaven needed to launch its first major capital campaign. But unlike its competitors, Safehaven had no brand presence, no history of advertising, and a total campaign budget of just $50,000.

To put that in context, SickKids spends more than $60 million annually on all fundraising and awareness, with $3.4M on traditional media alone. Ronald McDonald House Charities Toronto is a nationally recognized brand with deep corporate backing, and Safehaven’s total budget was slightly more than 1% of what its top competitors spend annually on traditional media alone.

With a fraction of the resources, Safehaven had to break through without outspending — by finding a creative, cost-effective way to inspire awareness, empathy, and action.

The strategy reframed the issue not as one of messaging, but one of visibility. Research showed that 1 in 100 children in Ontario is medically complex, yet this population is almost entirely absent from public consciousness. Even their socially conscious, value-driven target audience — young donors they called Social Warriors — had little knowledge of the issue.

A problem unseen is a problem unsolved.

To level the playing field, they leaned into this insight with an earned-first, idea-led approach. Instead of buying media, they created a cultural object people would want to engage with, share, and talk about: a seek-and-find book that made invisibility the experience.

One in 100 is a hand-illustrated seek-and-find book set in recognizable Toronto locations. In each scene, one medically complex child is hidden among 100 people — mirroring the real-world stat and inviting readers to truly see the issue.

The book was produced on a budget of $25,000, distributed via bookstores, influencers, and online. It was supported by only $15,000 in paid media and $10,000 in influencer spend and designed to create a lasting brand presence with zero media waste.

The campaign relied on grassroots engagement, cultural relevance, and creative shareability — not traditional media weight.

This budget-savvy strategy delivered breakthrough results. It sold out within the first week, was picked up by Indigo, Canada’s largest book retailer, and accepted into Toronto and Vaughan Public Library branches, extending long-term reach.

The campaign garnered a 350% increase in website traffic, 6 million earned media impressions — 4 times above target, and the most in Safehaven’s 35-year history, and most critically, a 400x increase in donations during the campaign period — 36,000% more than the previous year.

All on a budget smaller than a typical single billboard buy in this category.

Safehaven didn’t win by spending more. It won by thinking differently. They used a powerful insight, a culturally resonant idea, and an unconventional format to earn attention and action — without a traditional media buy.

This case proves that great strategy isn’t about the size of the spend — it’s about how smartly it’s used.

One in One Hundred transformed a $50K budget into a brand breakthrough, a national conversation, and the most successful fundraising effort in Safehaven’s history.

Credits

Advertising Agency: The Local Collective, Toronto, Canada
Founder, Chief Creative Officer: Matt Litzinger
Founder, President: Kaitlin Doherty
Executive Creative Director, Advertising: Caitlin Keeley
Executive Creative Director, Advertising: Josh Day
Executive Creative Director, Design: Omar Morson
Strategy: Alison Savage
Account Director: Val Traitses
Account Executive: Shea McNeely
Illustrator: Kathleen Fu
PR Agency: Heads + Tales
Media Agency: M&K Media