Every year, thousands of Red Cross volunteers walk the streets of Mexico with their collection boxes to support the organisation's annual fundraising drive.But lately, large corporate donors have eclipsed the donating culture of Mexicans, making people feel that their contribution is insignificant. This, and the deep economic 2009 crisis, were threatening to affect the success of this year’s efforts.The objective was to prevent the difficult economic situation from affecting the fundraising drive.

We built coin-operated kiddie rides featuring Red Cross vehicles so that kids could play hero while their parents used them as collection boxes. The machines were placed at public places like parks, stores and malls across the nation.The importance of every single donation was now easy to see and feel. And it was also fun.The campaign was supported by varied media channels like TV, cinema, press and billboards. These also featured the kiddie rides and the motto: "Your help can keep us going".

Response to the campaign was overwhelming. People formed lines to get their kids to ride and the experience generated important word-of-mouth.The brand was immediately rewarded with huge free publicity. The Red Cross experienced unprecedented media coverage by generating an estimated $1.1 million dollars in earned media during the first week alone.Collection not only didn't drop but increased by 23% compared to 2009.The concept of “we all keep the Red Cross going, one coin at a time” is now well known throughout Mexico.

With these machines, we reinvented the traditional ”collection boxes”.Both kids and their parents were able to give coins and instantly see the effect of their donation: the ambulance, the helicopter and the boat moved just as the Red Cross moves.And for the first time, the Red Cross could give something back to you in exchange for your coins: a moment of joy.