DIGITAL TRUST SYSTEM
UNICEF Aotearoa
Digital Strategy / UX / Content Systems
UNICEF Aotearoa was moving from face-to-face fundraising to a digital-first model. That shift removed something critical: the human trust-building that previously happened in conversation.
The challenge wasn’t simply to improve a website. It was to understand how trust, understanding and belief could be built entirely through digital experience.
Research revealed three core barriers: uncertainty about impact, lack of trust in online giving, and friction between interest and action. Replacing the confidence people once gained from human interaction would take more than refreshed digital infrastructure.
The work focused on a single principle: the website had to become the place where trust is built, not just explained.
I led the digital transformation across the entire fundraising journey - from campaigns and acquisition, through a completely retooled website and conversion experience, to digital donor journeys and retention.
Every interaction should earn the next.
The experience was redesigned as a trust-building and participation platform rather than a content destination.
TRUST THROUGH TRANSPARENCY
Content, photography and narrative stayed consistent throughout, keeping the experience grounded in lived reality rather than institutional abstraction.
Behind the experience, a connected system of UX, content structures and CMS tools ensured consistency across campaigns and regular weekly content updates — while giving internal teams the flexibility to move quickly, communicate clearly and respond with urgency at scale.
Audience journeys were completely rebuilt around choice and visible outcomes, allowing people to connect contributions directly to areas of impact including health, education, nutrition, shelter and water.
A new Inspired Gifts e-commerce experience extended this model into a more tangible, product-like way of giving.
A place where every interaction contributes to confidence in the organisation and clarity in the impact of support.
Campaigns became entry points, building understanding before asking for action. The website became the conversion engine - clarifying what UNICEF does, where donations go and the real-world impact they create.
The Digital Trust Journey
AD → STORY → WEBSITE → DONATION → IMPACT → RETENTION
Awareness Understanding Belief Action Evidence Belonging
476% increase in online donations
446% increase in donation revenue
560% increase in conversion rates
Role: Creative Director & Brand Strategist - leading the digital transformation across acquisition, UX, content, conversion and donor retention, and defining the system that connected each stage into one continuous experience.
The result was a completely connected digital journey that turned fragmented touchpoints into progressive belief - from first encounter to contribution and the pathways to continued support.
The result was a massive shift from passive browsing to active participation:
