Crowdfunding, Humanitarian Design & Crisis Response
Communications and design for record-breaking crowdfunding campaigns in Colombia and contributed to UN humanitarian projects—demonstrating how design can mobilize communities, solve urgent problems, and serve global needs during crises.
#UnaVacaPorDeLaCalle: Colombia's Largest Crowdfunding Campaign
In June 2018, Humberto de la Calle—lead negotiator of Colombia's peace process with the FARC and presidential candidate—faced personal financial crisis. His political party abandoned him during the campaign, resulting in historic electoral defeat and considerable personal debt.
A group of citizens who valued his peace work decided to act. We organized #UnaVacaPorDeLaCalle—a crowdfunding campaign to help him pay this debt.
My role:
Audiovisual production (campaign videos, testimonials, calls to action) Branding and graphic design (campaign identity, social media assets, digital materials) Strategic communications (messaging, platform optimization, donor engagement) Social media management (Twitter, Facebook—intense, real-time community management)
The result:
220,000 USD raised Most successful crowdfunding in Colombian history Second most successful in Latin America at the time
We used La Vaki, a Colombian platform. Our campaign crashed their system—they had to rapidly scale infrastructure to handle the volume.
This wasn't just fundraising. It was civic expression. Thousands of Colombians demonstrated that they valued peace negotiations and wouldn't let a public servant be destroyed for pursuing them.
#UnaVacaPorLosChamos: Venezuelan Refugee Relief
Capitalizing on the success and infrastructure of the first campaign, the same group launched #UnaVacaPorLosChamos (September-November 2018) to support Venezuelan refugees in Colombia—specifically children, newborns, and single mothers facing extreme hardship.
My role: Same as first campaign—audiovisual production, branding, strategic communications, social media management.
The result:
18,000 USD raised for refugee relief
While smaller than the first campaign, this demonstrated the power of rapid community mobilization for humanitarian response.
What These Campaigns Taught Me
Design enables collective action. Clear branding, compelling visuals, and strategic messaging transform abstract causes into tangible movements.
Real-time social media during campaigns is exhausting. Managing Twitter during peak moments—when thousands of people are engaging, questioning, celebrating, and sometimes attacking—requires stamina and clear-headedness.
Platforms matter. La Vaki wasn't ready for our scale. We had to work closely with them to solve technical problems in real time. Choose infrastructure carefully.
Civic crowdfunding is political expression. People weren't just donating money; they were making statements about values and national identity.
UN Volunteer Work
My wife works for the UN. I've always wanted to contribute more. I volunteer time periodically to support UN projects as needed.
Example work:
Guinea-Bissau leadership programs — Generated graphics and logos for educational workshops and leadership development initiatives.
Various humanitarian communications — Designed materials for UN agencies when technical support was needed.
This work is small-scale but meaningful. It demonstrates willingness to contribute skills to global humanitarian efforts without expectation of compensation.
What This Body of Work Represents
Design can mobilize communities at scale. Crowdfunding campaigns proved that clear communication and strategic design can generate collective action worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Crisis demands rapid, open solutions. FOLD wasn't perfect, but it was useful when people needed it most. Releasing it openly meant it could reach anyone, anywhere.
Humanitarian work requires humility. UN projects taught me to serve larger missions without ego—contributing where needed, even in small ways.
Collective action is design's highest purpose. Whether crowdfunding for peace, creating emergency PPE, or supporting humanitarian programs, design serves best when it enables people to help each other.