Case study - MSF - Upsall International

Over 10 years of strategic fundraising support for MSF

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Who did we partner with?

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent medical humanitarian organisation. In more than 70 countries, MSF provides medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations. The organisation provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. MSF’s teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff – most of them hired locally. MSF’s actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality. MSF, renowned for its successful private fundraising and leadership within the sector, is supported by over 7 million private donors and currently works across 41 fundraising markets (2025).

What was the challenge?

For over 10 years, MSF has trusted Upsall International to support them on a wide range of projects from growth planning in new markets, to global co-ordination of data sharing, and optimisation of current fundraising programmes. We’ve worked across more than 30 markets for MSF across Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, South America and Europe.

MSF needed to undertake a locally-relevant, evidence-based approach to evaluating the potential for expansion into new markets as diverse as Colombia, Poland, Taiwan, Lebanon, and Portugal, and to review current fundraising activities to support further growth across Mexico, Malaysia, Austria and South Africa.

What was our solution?

Across this wide range of projects, we spoke to many within our network of local experts, building a dynamic and robust view of the latest insight and experience from peer NGOs, agencies and other market experts. Analysis included both competitor and channel performance, as well as reviewing market infrastructure that facilitates fundraising, including registration processes, technological and banking infrastructure, human resources, and suppliers’ availability. In several cases, we supported MSF’s decisions with investment planning, giving several scenarios to take a data driven decision.

What was the result?

The recommendations we provided became a foundation for decision-making across diverse regions, shaping MSF’s long-term investment priorities. Our insights helped senior leadership compare opportunities across markets, enabling them to commit resources with confidence and reduce risk in expansion

"As the MSF Movement, we keep requesting Upsall International’s support when assessing new fundraising markets, and when deliberating market re-entries. Their advice is always evidence-based, ambitious, and grounded in a deep understanding of how private fundraising works – while challenging us in the best possible manner. We would not be where we are today without their thorough analyses. Looking back, we often say ‘they were right!’ And we mean it as the most appreciative compliment. Thank you!"
Barbara Gerold-Wolke, International Fundraising Coordinator, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)