NonProfit PR Awards: Fundraising And Membership Campaign

Campaign: NHL Beard-a-thon

Winner: NHL & Cenergy Communications

In accordance with NHL superstitions, players stop shaving when they enter the Stanley Cup playoffs and only begin again when their teams are eliminated. In anticipation of the 2009 playoffs, the NHL decided to leverage this tradition to benefit eight causes in participating markets. With the help of Cenergy Communications, Beard-a-thon was born.

The idea behind the Beard-a-thon was for hockey fans to raise money for every day they grew their beards during the playoffs. In addition to benefiting various causes, the initiative would also give fans a chance to participate in the Stanley Cup playoffs, thus strengthening loyalty among casual and hard-core fans.

The team’s strategy for bringing the campaign to life was to provide NHL clubs with a turnkey, customizable marketing kit for their own home markets and charities of choice. Kickoff tactics included:

• Sending Cenergy team members to the final regular season game wearing fake beards, where they then distributed flyers and created buzz among the audience and media; and,

• Soliciting the participation of local team celebrities and NHL players.

The quirky campaign worked: More than 6,000 fans grew their beards, raising $350,000+ for local charities.

Honorable Mentions:

Foundation for Chiropractic Progress: Public Awareness Campaign—FCP successfully promoted chiropractic care to the public by teaming up with high-profile celebrities to help spread the foundation’s message, which ultimately increased the number of new patients nationwide tenfold.

Salvation Army: 2008 Red Kettle Campaign—The Salvation Army’s 2008 Red Kettle Campaign created broad awareness of the charity’s services and drove donations for underserved audiences, raising a record-setting $130 million.

Trainer Communications: Mt. Diablo Region YMCA Fundraising Creation/Promotion—Trainer execs secured recognition of the Mt. Diablo Region YMCA’s 2009 fundraising efforts through aggressive media outreach and social media engagement, raising the last $300,000 needed to complete the organization’s new building.

November 9, 2009