When Pamela Sawchuk of Sawchuk, Brown Associates agreed to help
a local food bank boost its profile beginning in January 2002, she
knew one thing for certain. With literally no money to spend, and
with a cause that generated little media interest beyond special
events and holidays, Sawchuk would have a tough road ahead. As
co-chair of the capital campaign committee of The Regional Food
Bank of Northeastern New York, Sawchuck would need to pull all the
strings she had.
The food bank, which served some 900 charitable agencies in 23
counties, was taking in more food than ever, to the point where
perfectly good food had to be throw away due an inadequate
warehouse facility. The food bank needed to raise $3 million to
expand its warehouse and freezer capacity.
The theme of the campaign, "Alleviating Hunger...Together,"
touched on the notion that it would take a broad coalition to solve
the region's hunger issues.
While Sawchuk formulated the overall PR plan, it fell to a
separate PR committee to handle execution. In large part this meant
providing Sawchuk with names of community members who could help to
generate buzz. She first contacted U.S. Congressman Michael
McNulty, who as a longtime supporter of the food bank agreed to
record a public service announcement.
In addition to the membership of the campaign committee, a
separate PR committee also brought strong contacts to the table,
including a representative of the local newspaper, Albany's Times
Union, TV and radio executives, an advertising executive and a PR
manager from an HMO. What to do with all that media muscle? In
short, everything. Sawchuk set a PR agenda that touched upon
practically every facet of outreach, ranging from PSAs to community
events to high-profile endorsements to mass mailings.
The choice to cast a wide net was deliberate. Sawchuck
anticipated a financial campaign that would rely on many small
givers, rather than on several large gifts. By launching PR efforts
on a number of fronts, she hoped to build the broadest possible
grassroots coalition.
Still, the complete lack of a PR budget did pose a hurdle. "A
lot of times you would want to do something fast, for instance with
the PSAs, where we had the creative all ready to go. But until we
found a TV station that would underwrite them, we just couldn't
start," Sawchuk says.
The campaign kicked off with an event featuring New York State
Lt. Gov. Mary Donahue and dozens of business and government
leaders. The dignitaries hosted about 100 local CEOs and community
leaders at a ceremony on the loading dock of the food bank.
Reporters from the local dailies - Albany's Times Union, The Daily
Gazette from Schenectady, and The Record from Troy, N.Y. -- and
numerous TV and radio stations, all turned out for the event, which
included a tour of the filled-to-capacity facility.
"We could say to the reporters: Here's what it's like now. You
see the problem. We had way too much food, we were turning away
food, and people saw that in spades when they came on the tour,"
Sawchuk says.
Congressman McNulty, Bishop Howard Hubbard and teachers' union
president Thomas Hobart all performed PSAs. A senior from The
Albany Academy, a local prep school also recorded a spot, as did a
local college basketball team. "We were looking for athletes, since
everyone on our committee felt that people listened to athletes. So
when Siena College won this big championship, it became: Here's the
winning team talking about something that is important to the
community," says Sawchuk. An ideal fit, the spot ran with the
others on all the local TV stations, with local Fox affiliate
showing the heaviest rotation after having pitched in the
production work on the PSAs.
Sawchuk, Brown Associates produced collateral materials,
including a four-color case statement and a tri-fold brochure
called, "Who Helps Put the Food in the Food Pantry's Pantry?" A
committee member arranged for pro bono printing. These pieces
formed the core of the campaign's direct mail effort, which
ultimately touched some 13,000 individuals. "We began by looking at
the list of corporate contributors to the food bank over the years,
and then to other people who have supported the food bank. Then
everybody on the campaign committee brought a list of people who
they thought might be interested," Sawchuk says.
The chief of the food bank says the diversity of outreach
efforts did a lot to generate attention (and funding) for the
cause. "It was so broad based," says Mark Quandt, executive
director of the food bank. "It wasn't focused on one particular
media. It wasn't focused on one particular event. It was
everywhere."
At the end of the day, the food bank made its $3 million goal,
while raising its visibility in the community. The campaign drew
many new supporters to the cause, and also awakened interest among
previous supporters whose involvement had lapsed.
Food for thought
Publicizing a non-profit, operating on a shoestring, can be a
real bear. Here's a few lessons learned from PR executive Pamela
Sawchuk, who recently mounted a pro bono campaign for a non-profit
food agency.
- With limited resources, stay focused: "No matter what, stick
with key messages for all constituencies and make sure they are
integrated throughout all initiatives. - Build coalitions: Develop a campaign committee that represents
various constituencies, and leverage their contacts for outreach,
events, media, etc. - Special events: Stagger these to keep interest
percolating. - PSAs: "Don't overlook their power, especially if you can
arrange for local celebrities to be featured." - Media outreach: Approach the effort from various perspectives:
Lifestyle, news, editorials, letters to the editor, food, etc.
Contacts: Mark Quandt, 518.786.3691, [email protected];
Pamela Sawchuk, 518.462.0318, [email protected]