The archive · Public & Social · Marketing decision · 2024–2025
Dublin Samaritans meets podcast listeners at minute 26 — volunteer applications up 250%
Droga5 placed Dublin Samaritans' volunteer pitch at the 26th minute of podcasts — the length of a real call — and applications rose 250% on a €2,500 budget.
Dublin Samaritans · Droga5 Dublin
What it had to solve
Dublin Samaritans runs Ireland's only 24/7 emotional-support helpline, but rising call volumes and volunteer churn put the rota at risk. Recruitment was hard because people saw the role as emotionally overwhelming, and the campaign had a media budget of just €2,500.
How it works
Dublin Samaritans is Ireland's only 24/7 emotional-support helpline, and its volunteer rota was under strain from rising call volumes and people leaving the role. Recruitment was a hard sell because many potential volunteers believed listening to people in distress was too emotionally demanding — the familiar answer was 'I could never do that.'
Droga5 Dublin found its answer inside Samaritans' own 2023 impact report: the average call lasts 26 minutes. That meant the people best suited to volunteering were already all around — podcast fans, storytelling audiences and sports listeners who give their attention to a voice for longer than 26 minutes at a time. The campaign placed subtle, fourth-wall-breaking messages around the 26th minute of HeadStuff podcast episodes, then extended the same idea to live storytelling nights and football commentary.
The results showed how precisely the medium matched the ask: volunteer applications rose by more than 250% against the same period in 2023, filling two training classes, from a media budget of just €2,500. The campaign was later recognised with two Effie Ireland awards, a Gold European Effie for media strategy, Cannes Lions, Clios and a D&AD Pencil.
Why it lands
- The 26-minute insight came from Samaritans' own call data, so the medium and the message were the same truth.
- Podcast listeners had already demonstrated the exact skill the charity needed, which made volunteering feel like a natural step instead of a burden.
- A tiny budget forced the team to borrow attention from contexts people already chose, rather than buying reach.
- Placing the message inside trusted long-form content kept the tone respectful and never made callers feel like a burden.
What it did
Volunteer applications rose by more than 250% versus the same period in 2023 — enough to fill two training classes — on a €2,500 media budget. The campaign also earned two Effie Ireland awards, a Gold European Effie, Cannes Lions, Clios and a D&AD Pencil.
What you can take
Find the medium that already trains the skill you need: podcast listeners practised Samaritans for 26 minutes at a time, so the campaign showed them they already qualified.
Since then
The campaign kept winning recognition after its 2024 launch — Effie Ireland gold and silver, a Gold European Effie for Best of Europe Media Strategy & Idea, Cannes Lions, three Clios and a D&AD Pencil — with the agency and charity crediting the simplicity of the idea. For Dublin Samaritans, the wave of applications helped close rota gaps and keep the free helpline open around the clock.
Sources
- Finding Samaritans amongst the keenest of listeners — 2025 Gold Effie Winner
- How Droga5 Dublin, Part of Accenture Song, and Samaritans Found Good Listeners to Save More Lives
- Droga5 Dublin Adds Gold European Effie to Dublin Samaritans' Award Haul
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