We worked hard to alleviate human suffering by providing essential humanitarian aid such as food, shelter, health, and nutrition in 2022. We moved forward according to the fundamentals of humanitarian action, not only in Türkiye but also across the world. We operated in volunteering, donations, and communication within the framework of community relations by following global advances.
Volunteers, by nature, are a community that is ready to act at all times. They must always be present in ordinary and extraordinary times. Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) has built a volunteer management system that has proven itself on an international scale, especially in Türkiye, with more than 245 thousand volunteers and 31.2 million hours of volunteer duty as of 2022. This system has become an exceptional volunteering model that has drawn the attention of public and civil society structures interested in volunteering. On our volunteer management system, gonulluol.org, we posted 26,100 volunteer duties, which shows an increase of 69.4% compared to the previous year. That is remarkable growth for just a two-year-old platform.
We keep strengthening the volunteer structures all over Türkiye. The Youth, Women, and Barrier-Free structures have over 700 units in all provinces. In addition, TRC established 33 volunteer centers to increase young people’s awareness and help them socialize. Moreover, more than 3,500 participants made use of TRC camps. In the coming year, we plan to spread TRC advocacy culture throughout the country with the cooperation we will develop with public institutions such as the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, or the private sector.
Our donation management activities improve each year in terms of ensuring the sustainability of organizational activities and strengthening finances. In 2022, philanthropists showed their trust in TRC. 90% increase in cash donations, 40% in in-kind, and 13% in real estate donations compared to 2021 points out to this trust. With the “Solidarity and Acknowledgment Program,” we broke our record by receiving over 100 million pledges. We delivered these donations to those in need through our widespread branch organization.
Also, we continue to increase our donation revenue by carrying out corporate social responsibility activities in cooperation with the leading brands in Türkiye. We met the needs of the disaster victims, provided support to the farmers, and signed funding agreements that improved blood and disaster capacity thanks to cooperation with global brands and organizations. Therefore, we contributed to the vision for an agile and sustainable TRC.
We considered the lessons learned in 2022, donor expectations, and our strategic goals. To enter 2023 stronger, we have initiated a holistic marketing approach and culture, experience-oriented relationship management, marketing automation, donor portfolio management, regular SMS systems, and “Zakat” projects. We will keep going with the help of solid structures and qualified human resources in the coming year.
We integrate all the activities we have mentioned with our strategic communication vision. Based on the collective multiplier effect of communication, donation, and volunteering, which is called “Kızılay 3603,” we build the communication aspect of our activities in each field by adopting a holistic vision. We make other service areas of TRC a member of this integrated communication structure.
Founded 154 years ago and working to relieve human suffering and protect human dignity, TRC is an organization for communities and society. Our priority will be to build a communication structure that will add to the collective spirit of modern times by including micro-communities in solidarity. Thus, we aim to adopt an image supported by the power of communities. Within the framework of this goal, we will employ innovative technological methods.
As a consequence of this new vision, TRC aims to continue operating in an improved way to ensure well-being and a safe life for everyone in 2023. We wish to create motion and turn into a locomotive of TRC by persistently and devotedly practicing our Kızılay 3603 vision in line with the TRC 2030 strategic vision. We present our great efforts to the 100th year of the republic.