2011 Nonprofit PR Awards: Fundraising Campaign

4GreenPs on Behalf of NCC - Respitality: Serving 52 Families in 52 Weeks

The National Children’s Center (NCC) set out in 2010 to triple the number of families it served in its respitality program. For maximum pop with minimum resources, agency 4GreenPs eschewed fancy direct mail pieces and went to simple letters; outreach messaging was more to the point; a first-ever NCC blogger outreach program was established; and donor gifts were nixed. In addition, the terminology “developmental disabilities” was jettisoned in favor of “special needs, autism, and Down syndrome,” terms more understandable to potential donors. The “52 in 52” campaign was a success on a number of fronts: both in-kind and cash raised increasing to $89,030 in 2010 from $52,000 raised in 2008 and 2009, a 71% increase. The results bucked the national norm: In the first 10 months of 2010, 68% of health nonprofits reported donations either decreased or remained at 2009 levels. 

Honorable Mentions

Cone on Behalf of Lindt USA – 2010 Lindt Gold Bunny Celebrity Auction: To enhance its Easter program with Autism Speaks, chocolate maker Lindt and agency Cone concocted an online auction featuring gold bunnies signed by celebs. The scrumptious results: $10,000 raised for AS in 10 days.

Howard Brown Health Center and Public Communications Inc. – Creating a Lifeline for LGBTQ Health Center: Needing $500,000 in 50 days to keep the Chicago health center afloat, Public Communications pitched the personal stories of lives that had been saved by the clinic. Total raised: $633,474.

MusiCares – 20th Anniversary Campaign: A $15 million fundraising effort in January 2010 focused on the business and artist sides of the industry. Events in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville raised $11 million by year’s end.

May 18, 2011