This holiday season, Save the Children is set to debut its very first gaming‑focused and livestream‑driven fundraiser, an initiative titled Save Point. The event, scheduled for December 5‑6, 2026, is designed to tap into the enthusiasm of gamers, streamers, and their audiences, turning playtime into a powerful engine for charitable giving. Fiona Baxter, the charity’s senior fundraising manager, shared with GamesIndustry.biz that the concept for Save Point emerged from a broader ambition to deepen the organization’s connection with the gaming world.
"Save Point is allowing us to engage more with the gaming community, both from a partnership and individual supporter perspective. Not everyone can run a marathon, so an event like this is a lot more accessible and allows us to showcase what a different type of supporter can do," Baxter explained. By offering a format that revolves around video games and live streaming, the charity hopes to reach people who might find traditional fundraising challenges—such as long‑distance runs or gala dinners—less appealing or feasible.
The event will be anchored by a collaboration with well‑known online creator and streamer TheKapFantastic, who previously raised more than £5,000 for Save the Children earlier in the year. The partnership underscores the charity’s strategy of leveraging influencers who already have built‑in audiences that trust their recommendations. Baxter added that Save Point is only the beginning of a longer‑term plan to nurture relationships with gamers and streamers beyond the two‑day window.
"It would be incredible to reach more people in this community with information about the work we do and why it's important," she said. "I will consider it a huge success if we walk away from this event with a new crew of supporters who might want to game for us again because of their experience with us." Because this is Save the Children’s first foray into a gaming‑centric fundraiser, the team anticipates a steep learning curve.
"There are also a lot of learning opportunities in this event. This is our first time doing this type of fundraiser, so the feedback we get will be invaluable and help us shape bigger and better gaming events year‑on‑year," Baxter noted.
The insights gathered—from donation mechanics to viewer engagement tactics—will inform future campaigns, potentially expanding the scope to include e‑sports tournaments, charity raids in popular MMOs, or collaborative in‑game items whose sales benefit the cause. Baxter described gamers and streamers as the "unsung heroes of fundraising," emphasizing that the gaming arena is "setting a new, innovative standard" for charitable support. She highlighted the cultural traits that make the gaming community uniquely suited to philanthropy: a love of storytelling, imagination, and the desire to escape into new worlds.
"There is an understanding between game‑lovers that we are a group of people who love stories, imagination and escaping to new worlds through the power of play. By turning our love of gaming into a force for real‑world, lasting change, we're demonstrating just how powerful and impactful the gaming community can be," she said.
Save Point is a key pillar of Save the Children’s broader campaign, "The One Delivery That Matters," which launches in November 2026. The campaign aims to shift public attention from material gifts to essential deliveries that children in crisis need during the festive season—items such as nutritious food, life‑saving medicines, warm clothing, and safe shelter. Baxter illustrated the contrast with a vivid analogy: "Absolutely anything you could think of can be delivered right to your door at the tap of a screen.
But for millions of children this Christmas, it’s not toys or treats they’re waiting for – it's the deliveries that will save lives and protect childhoods." Participants in Save Point can sign up through a dedicated registration portal, where they will receive guidance on setting up a fundraising livestream, choosing donation platforms, and promoting their streams to maximize reach. The charity will provide promotional assets, suggested talking points about the campaign’s goals, and real‑time leaderboards to foster friendly competition among streamers.
Viewers will be encouraged to donate directly through integrated payment links, with the option to unlock in‑stream rewards such as exclusive emotes, shout‑outs, or even in‑game items crafted specially for the event. Beyond the immediate financial impact, the event seeks to cultivate a lasting community of gaming‑oriented philanthropists. By giving participants a clear, tangible way to see the results of their contributions—such as updates on how delivered supplies are improving lives—the charity hopes to turn one‑off donors into long‑term advocates. This aligns with a growing trend in the nonprofit sector, where digital‑first engagement models are proving effective at retaining younger supporters who are accustomed to online interaction.
In summary, Save Point represents a strategic blend of entertainment and altruism, leveraging the global reach of gaming culture to address urgent humanitarian needs. It offers an inclusive alternative to traditional fundraising, invites creative collaboration with content creators, and promises valuable data that will shape future charitable gaming initiatives.
As the event approaches, Save the Children invites anyone with a passion for games, a desire to help, or both, to join the cause, register their interest, and become part of a movement that turns pixels into real‑world impact.