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Amnesty International UK's first attempt at online fundraising to pay for advertising space exceeded all expectations, achieving a return on investment of eight to one, according to the charity.

Amnesty used Facebook, Twitter and MySpace as well as its blogger network and emails to supporters to ask for funds to pay for a newspaper advertisement to coincide with Shell's annual meeting on 18 May.

The charity asked members of the public to buy a square centimetre of space in a newspaper for £10. Those who bought three squares or more had their names printed on the advertisement.

The full page advertisement, which ran in The Evening Standard and The Metro, highlighted Shell's responsibility for pollution in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. 

Produced by Different Kettle, it featured a glass of champagne which was overflowing with oil, and said: 'While Shell toasts $9.8 billion profits, the people of Niger Delta are having to drink polluted water.'

The charity gained some last minute publicity for its campaign when the Financial Times pulled the advert at 4.58pm the day before the annual meeting for legal reasons.

Reuben Steains, fundraising innovations manager at Amnesty International UK, said: 'We achieved a return on investment of eight to one and raised three times our previous online fundraising record. The response on Twitter and Facebook was particularly strong.'

More than 2,000 people offered their financial support, allowing the charity to hire an advertising van to drive around the annual meeting's venue for the day.

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