Known for tight budgets and short purse strings, nonprofit PR departments often enter into monumental campaigns with very little financial wiggle room. From the American Heart
Association's battle against heart disease among women to the International Fund for Animal Welfare's fight for baby seals, the winners of this year's NonProfit PR Awards used
creative thinking and resource management to turn a mole-hill budget into a mountainous PR initiative, pushing the profession to newer and greater heights. Congratulations to this
year's award winners and thanks to our awards sponsor Vocus.
Advocacy Campaign and Lobbying Efforts
Campaign: "Protecting Our Water from MTBE"
Winner: American Water Works Association (AWWA)
It sounds like a scene straight out of the based-on-a-true-story blockbuster "Erin Brockovich" - water polluted with the gasoline additive MTBE is undrinkable, but the
government wants to pass an energy bill that includes a provision protecting the oil industry from cleanup responsibilities.
In a legislative battle worthy of the big screen, the AWWA took on the provision in the U.S. Congress' national bill that would have placed the $25 billion in cleanup
costs on drinking-water utilities and on consumers. The AWWA PR team rallied communities against the energy bill provision through an aggressive media advocacy campaign that was
most effective in its legislative angle. Senior PR executives aligned with media outlets that would run op-eds from the executive director, and they helped form a coalition among
stakeholders to identify and influence legislators who were traditionally swing-voters.
Instead of wasting energy and resources with poorly targeted initiatives, the PR staff researched the most plausible avenues of influence and applied advocacy pressure
accordingly. Managers distributed responsibility to grassroots mobilizers, who in turn contacted local representatives and rallied them against the provision. On a more national
level, they wrote letters to Congress and orchestrated congressional staff briefings to express the danger in relieving the oil industry of its responsibility to protect against
MTBE contamination.
The combination of grassroots mobilization, lobbying initiatives and media campaigns paid off. After a filibuster and efforts by opposition to attach the provision to other
legislation, President Bush signed the energy bill on Aug. 8, 2005 - without the MTBE provision. In other words, the $69,300 budget protected communities and water cleansing
facilities from potential health risks, not to mention a $25 billion bill.
Corporate Partnerships
Campaign: "JA Worldwide and The Allstate Foundation Maximize a Historical Relationship to Impact Millions with JA Economics for Success"
Winner: Allstate Insurance Company
If it sounds like a mammoth undertaking to learn (and to understand) the inner workings of the national economy, that's probably because it is, no matter how rigorous your
$40,000-a-year college education may have been. Now imagine shouldering a number-crunching course load at the age of 12-and-a-half, when you're somewhere in the throes of middle
school. Impossible? Definitely not, thanks to the PR initiative behind Allstate Foundation and JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide's "Economics for Success."
This corporate partnership impacts the financial literacy of approximately 300,000 middle-school students per year nationwide through classroom volunteer opportunities that
allow Allstate employees to teach kids the importance of money management. To set the learning curve and generate interest, the PR team developed and marketed an Interprise Poll
(I-Poll) to first assess the personal finance IQ of 1,065 students. The results, which stoked the interest of media and teachers, helped shape the economics-focused lesson plan
and demonstrated that creative, interactive PR efforts best whet the appetite of desired audiences.
Then the Allstate employees stepped in. Delivering a six-lesson curriculum in classrooms across the country, the volunteers emphasized to students the finance basics in fun and
accessible ways. The PR team also timed its supplementary media-relations initiatives with April 15 - "Tax Day" - and April 26, "Teach the Children to Save Day." Timing is
everything, especially in PR: In this case, the well-thought-out schedule made the initiative more relevant, thus garnering more attention in the news cycle.
With more than 100 million measured media impressions and 10,700 volunteer opportunities, JA Worldwide and Allstate taught the 'tweens a thing or two about the importance of
financial know-how: Post-lesson surveys show that, on average, between 84% and 86% of students consistently answered three of the four content questions correctly, a vast
improvement from pre-lesson results.
Crisis Management
Campaign: "Media Relations Turns Kettle Crisis into Fundraising Bonanza"
Winner: The Salvation Army
More than any Christmas carol or "ho ho ho"-ing Santa Claus, the jingle of the Salvation Army bells calling for donations signifies the true start of the holiday season.
The 114-year-old fundraising tradition, long since dubbed the "Red Kettle Campaign," operates at storefronts across the country to collect change from generous shoppers.
The tradition continued unfettered until 2004, when Target Corporation made a sudden decision to ban the Salvation Army from soliciting donations in front of its stores. While
Target had a company policy forbidding any storefront solicitations, the Red Kettle Campaign was always the exception; thus, with the retail behemoth's unexpected decision, the
number of donations would be hit hard during the fundraiser's most profitable season.
What's more, Target's actions prompted several California retailers to follow its example. The Salvation Army's PR department faced an unprecedented crisis mere weeks before
the holidays.
Acting quickly, the team set out to raise public awareness of the Red Kettle Campaign's history and to stem the negativity that could affect donations.
The PR team departed from traditional crisis management approaches, bolstering their efforts by making personal pitches to specifically targeted reporters who had pull with the
desired audience. One such journalist proved to be a San Francisco Chronicle reporter who wrote three consecutive page-one stories detailing the predicament and
editorializing in favor of the Salvation Army.
The PR team's targeted pitches paid off. Hundreds of concerned citizens heard the news and called the Salvation Army headquarters to make donations and to cite their support;
several local businesses did the same. Two businesses that originally banned Red Kettle solicitations reversed their decisions.
When all was said and done, the Red Kettle Campaign in San Francisco received $232,000 in donations - a 47% increase from the previous year. The Golden State division topped
off at $2.1 million, compared with $1.6 million in 2003.
Event PR
Campaign: "AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day"
Winner: American Kennel Club
You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks - but you can teach veteran canine owners new ways to please their pets. In a nationwide initiative dubbed "Responsible Dog
Ownership Day," the American Kennel Club (AKC) sought to do just that with pet-friendly events all across the country. But before the AKC could top the success of the
previous year's event, its PR department had to effectively communicate and coordinate with local AKC units across the country.
The game plan? Hometown markets were key to the event's success, so cross-country communication was best executed through the PR execs' use of grassroots mobilization.
Coordinating with local AKC managers, the PR team was able to help put them in touch with their local media outlets, thus getting the message out to interested parties through
targeted, content-appropriate vehicles.
Some of the most effective media-relations efforts involved pitching the story to local pet columnists, and then inviting them to attend with their dogs in tow. The PR line-up
also joined with local organizations that donated their products for "doggie bags."
Finally, AKC identified a key marketplace - New York City, home to 1,000,000 canines - and revved up the publicity within the community. Through detailed research and an
understanding of its demographics, the AKC PR team was able to achieve a 100.5% increase in participating clubs nationwide, and it generated more than 60 million media
impressions.
Not to mention that the day itself was a success with a combination of dog- and owner-friendly activities that included mock dog shows, obedience training, micro-chipping
(imbedding an identification chip under a dog's skin to help locate it if it goes missing) and "Meet the Breed" stations where people considering a new breed could confer with
current owners. Dog enthusiasts could mingle while their pets engaged in good, old-fashioned romping.
External Publication
Campaign: "Legacy of Heroes"
Winner: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, peas and carrots...World War II and orthopaedics? If you think the latter unlikely duo doesn't share any common ground, you may want
to consider this: While researching the specialties within orthopaedics at universities and hospitals across the country, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
(AAOS) realized the two share a historic bond, as the WWII era represented a pivotal time for developments within medical specialty.
Fast-forward to 2005. As the population of living WWII doctors and soldiers continues to shrink with each passing day, the AAOS communications staff decided it was time to take
action, and they did so by creating relevant relics that would stand the test of time - and the challenge of external publications that are too self-promotional to resonate with
their audience. By interviewing war veterans who contributed to the development of trauma care and orthopaedics, the PR team produced a documentary film called "Wounded in
Action;" a book; a Web site (http://www.legacyofheroes.aaos.org); and a traveling exhibition to educate people about the medical and historic legacies.
The external publication of note, Legacy of Heroes (see photo), contains 100 pages of photo spreads, information on orthopaedic advances and subspecialties from WWII,
and stories from surgeons who witnessed the war firsthand. By creating a tool that both effectively communicated its message and had sentimental value, the PR team turned the
initiative into something far more enduring: the National Bone and Joint Decade. Thanks in part to AAOS participation in celebrating orthopaedics, President Bush dubbed the years
2002-2011 the Bone and Joint Decade in recognition of the field and its impact on society.
The PR group's efforts paid off. Its message has reached an estimated audience of 14,373,000 people, and it has generated more than $1 million in unrestricted grants for the
orthopaedic medical field.
Fundraising and Membership Campaign
Campaign: "American Heart Association's Go Red For Women"
Winners: American Heart Association and Cone
Long thought to be a "man's disease," heart disease is actually the No. 1 killer of women. Based on staggering statistics - 8 million American women currently are living with
heart disease, and it will kill 43% of them, according to the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease - the American Heart Association (AHA), in partnership with
Cone, set out to raise awareness. But what's the best way to get a woman's attention? Fashion, of course.
The AHA's PR team came up with a universal symbol to represent the fundraising campaign: a pin in the shape of a red dress that would go to each woman who joined. With the
tagline "The Dress is to Die For. The Cause is to Live For," the fundraising campaign had a "Sex and the City" feel to it, urging women to "Go Red" with their girlfriends. The PR
staff set the campaign up for success with a recognizable brand that could be cross-promoted any which way.
In addition to generating camaraderie among the movement's members, the AHA PR team publicized the fundraiser on a national level with events that perpetuated the established
brand: a "Roll Out the Red Carpet" event at Radio City Music Hall; an Empire State Building lighting ceremony; a fashion show at Macy's Herald Square featuring the symbolic red
dress; a National "Wear Red" Day; and the designation of February as Heart Month, conveniently coordinating it with Valentine's Day festivities.
The fundraising and membership campaign achieved national recognition through its creative branding and messaging as well as via its notable partnerships with celebrities that
included Toni Braxton, Daryl Hannah, Vanna White and Melanie Griffith. "Go Red for Women" has 300,000 members, and more than 7.5 million "red dress" pins have been
distributed.
Fundraising and Membership Campaign
Campaign: "IFAW's 2004 Seal Hunt Campaign"
Winners: International Fund for Animal Welfare and Edelman Public Relations Worldwide
It's not an uncommon sight: A poster or commercial shows a baby seal with sad eyes and droopy whiskers, urging the animal-friendly to stop the slaying of our Arctic friends
through generous donations. Sadly, the ubiquitous advertisements have jaded viewers to the point that they hardly even notice them, leaving the International Fund for Animal
Welfare (IFAW) with quite a predicament: how to generate media attention and make people care about stopping the Canadian baby seal hunt that takes place annually.
That's where the IFAW PR staff stepped in. To fund its opposition to the Canadian government's decision to allow the slaughtering of 350,000 seal pups for use in consumer
products, the PR team had to find a way to elbow into the mindshare of legislators who could vote to ban the import and sale of seal products. The method: target 16 journalists in
highly influential marketplaces and send them to the Canadian ice caps to see the killings for themselves.
The strategy worked. After witnessing the mass killings, the journalists spread the word in publications that included the New York Times, the International Herald
Tribune, the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. Traffic on the IFAW's Web site increased, viewers signed petitions, the number of monthly donors skyrocketed
and tens of thousands of seal-hunt opponents sent personal e-mails to U.S. senators and to the Canadian prime minister.
Thanks to well-targeted PR efforts, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands introduced legislation to ban the import and sale of seal products, while the U.S. Senate passed a
resolution condemning the seal hunt. With a budget of $200,000, the IFAW PR department raised an estimated $3.2 million and acquired nearly 58,000 new donors.
Internal Publication
Campaign: "2004 PGA of America Annual Report"
Winner: The Professional Golfers' Association of America
Thanks to personalities like Michelle Wie, Anika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods, the sport of golf is hotter than ever. Pro golfers have become household names, and it is
increasingly trendy to hit the fairways, even if you don't have a penchant for plaid. The PR pros behind the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) kept abreast
of this facelift and channeled it into the PGA of America Annual Report 2004, making the publication as readable - and informative - as ever.
The PR team directed the report's content so it hit the key issues in the golf world and, most impressive, it addressed changes that impacted the sport. The report's
"Interactive Media" section highlighted new interactive Web applications, including newly forged partnerships with eBay and iCongo, showing the heavy-lifting powers of new media
in PR. The "Marketing" section acknowledged corporate alliances and sponsorships that increased brand awareness, a move that also bolstered the PR team's corporation
relationships.
In the vein of good employee relations, the front of the annual report had letters from the officers and the CEO of the PGA of America. The CEO's letter informed employees of
business developments and new career benefits, facilitating good internal PR in the form of employee communications and transparency.
The annual report's combination of relevant golf news and necessary employee information made it a useful document, but its overall presentation made it an award-worthy
success. A consistent message of "play golf for business and life" reinforced the brand's mantra, and the section that underscored grassroots efforts showed the association's
philanthropic side.
The internal publication illustrated the cutting edge of golf and demonstrated the PGA of America's ability to keep with the changing times in public relations and on the
putting green.
Media Relations Campaign
Campaign: "Weber Shandwick Namaste Charter School"
Winner: Weber Shandwick Chicago
The childhood-obesity hysteria has spawned documentaries, diet products and now...a charter school? Namaste Charter School in Chicago aims to combine academics with
physical education and nutrition information. In 2004, Weber Shandwick took on a pro bono project aimed at driving enrollment and securing funding for the
school.
The campaign would have to address two audiences: Parents of prospective students needed to hear about Namaste's unique educational mission, while potential donors had to be
sold on the idea of Namaste as a nationally relevant response to issues of education and obesity.
The PR team gathered statistics on obesity and physical education, building a solid story that depicted Namaste as an institution apart from other schools. To disseminate the
story, the team created marketing materials aimed at parents and donors, publishing this material in both English and Spanish.
A year of "media moments" guided the campaign as the school moved through its inaugural year. A grand-opening event kicked off the effort, followed by relentless media pitching
as opportunities arose throughout the year. Whatever the particulars of the pitch, the underlying message remained the same. Namaste is different, the story went, because of its
absolute devotion to integrating mental and physical wellness as equal parts of a child's education.
It was a theme that resonated among diverse publications. Locally, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune both jumped on the story. On the national scene,
People, Life, NPR and the "Today" show highlighted the school's efforts.
What drove success? In this case, it was more than just the virtue of the school itself. The PR team drew media attention by pairing the novelty of the client's offering with a
hot national trend, a combination that proved a potent force in the effort to garner attention for the school.
Organizational Brand Marketing and Communication
Campaign: "Mzansi Account"
Winners: Banking Association of South Africa and Fleishman-Hillard South Africa
Excluded from the formal banking system for generations, 13 million South Africans have learned to literally hide their money under mattresses.
To turn the tide, in September 2004, the Banking Association of South Africa tapped Fleishman-Hillard South Africa (FHSA) to create an awareness-and-acceptance
initiative. Research showed an uphill road, though, with many stakeholders skeptical of the existing system and its lack of competitiveness.
With this in mind, FHSA set out to touch government, organized labor and the media with information about banking opportunities for people of previously disadvantaged
backgrounds. The ultimate goal was to encourage this population to take advantage of new accounts, called Mzansi accounts, which were being made available to redress past
inequities.
To help mold opinions, the PR team arranged one-on-one interviews between a Banking Association spokesman and key opinion leaders. When positive outcomes arose, these leaders
were asked to publicly endorse the Mzansi initiative by attending the program's launch event and by speaking to the media.
Dubbed "a new day in banking," the launch event was held at sunrise at a central commuting point in Soweto. Thousands of morning commuters passed through the mini-bus station
at the time of the event, which offered presentations on the new initiative. Mini-buses are the primary form of transportation for the un-banked, thus making the event directly
accessible to the target audience.
Similar launch events were held in public places nationwide, attended by trade union leaders as well as by government and church officials. Media attendance was high, with a
top morning TV shows devoting more than two hours of live coverage of the event.
The bottom line? Within three months, some 250,000 South Africans had opened Mzansi accounts (see photo).
PR on a Shoestring
Campaign: "Happy Tails"
Winner: Collier County Government
Can you ever have too many puppies and kitties? You can if you are Collier County, Fla., where the animal-services department has been taking into its shelters some
8,000 animals a year. The county's communications and customer-relations staff took notice of this number while preparing the county manager's annual report. Startled, department
leaders came up with a plan to showcase available pets and discuss such animal issues as the spay/neuter program, the importance of vaccinations, licensing, obedience training and
basic pet care.
They took to the tube, launching the bi-weekly TV show "Happy Tails" to help reduce pet homelessness and to promote pet adoption. The 30-minute show, which first aired in June
2004, now reaches nearly 100,000 households.
No department had budgeted for this initiative, so the communications staff had to work creatively, spending just $1,000 to produce the show, including advertising. The staff
created a studio at the county's animal services facility using an existing 10-ft.-by-6-ft. display as a backdrop. A county graphic designer created all the illustrations used on
the set, and props were purchased at a local store for less than $100. All shooting, editing and production of the show is completed by county employees and the show is broadcast
on a government channel.
The communications team promoted the show by sending 10,000 informational cards to local veterinary offices, animal hospitals and pet-supply shops. Local media took an early
interest: Before the first "Happy Tails" broadcast, a local Fox station aired a three-minute segment promoting the show.
The numbers demonstrate the success of the effort. Animal services has swelled from 12 to 43 volunteers since the show went on the air, while adoptions rose from 962 in the
period July through December 2003, to 1,230 for the same period in 2004.
Public Service Campaign
Campaign: "Knock Your Socks Off"
Winner: American Podiatric Medical Association
It's like the old saw: "Don't judge a man's glucose until you have walked a mile in his shoes."
Seriously, diabetes often can be spotted in the feet, where early symptoms are apt to emerge. It was with this in mind that the American Podiatric Medical Association
(APMA) set out to educate the public on the benefits of regular foot exams.
The "Knock Your Socks Off" campaign aimed to inform patients and primary-care physicians about the importance of foot screenings in diabetes care and prevention. It looked like
an uphill climb, though. An APMA online survey showed that 73 percent of respondents had not had their feet checked during regular visits to the doctor.
The campaign kicked off in the fall of 2004, in an effort to piggyback on the attention that would be generated by National Diabetes Month in November. The communications
strategy needed to hit on several key themes: It would warn patients of potential diabetes warning signs, it would alert them as to the severity of diabetes complications, and it
would position podiatrists as key stakeholders.
The multi-level attack included a PSA with an APMA spokesman, sportscaster James Brown; a print ad in The Diabetes Educator magazine; and Web banners on FastClick and
USAToday.com. A news release went out on a national newswire, and a feature was distributed via NewsUSA.
In addition, campaign materials were sent to health professions at major conferences by such groups as the American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Family
Physicians.
The results? A PSA that ran 897 times; an online campaign that delivered almost 8.3 million impressions and 12,000 click-throughs; and a feature story that appeared in
newspapers nationwide some 620 times. With a PR budget of just $75,000 and another $50,000 for advertising, this media attention, combined with direct outreach to physician
groups, helped put foot care on the map as a significant diabetes-related issue.
Volunteer and Member Communications
Campaign: "Empowering Volunteers With Public Relations Resources"
Winners: National Association of Investors Corporation and Anne Klein & Associates, Inc.
When you rely on volunteers, you can't wait for them to come to you. A solid outreach program - including a multi-function Web site - is a major asset, as the National
Association of Investors Corporation (NAIC) has shown.
A national nonprofit organization, the NAIC provides investment education to some 200,000 members. NAIC relies on some 1,200 volunteers to provide this support nationwide.
In spring 2004, the group set out to improve communications with its chapters in order to support volunteer recruitment and retention. It turned for help to PR firm Anne
Klein & Associates, Inc.
Surveys at the chapter level showed that local leaders saw member communications and recruitment as a corporate NAIC responsibility. At the same time, local leaders said they
would welcome more PR support from headquarters. To that end, the PR team set out to help local leaders generate new media attention, especially through promotion of their local
events. To make it happen, the PR professionals created a Web-based PR resource to share information and to facilitate the exchange of ideas among local chapters and their
publicity volunteers.
AKA contracted Philadelphia-based Solution Media to develop the site's content management system, and there was plenty of content to manage. The communications team then
created a step-by-step introduction to PR for NAIC chapters. That guide included details on how to plan PR strategically, with topics that include setting publicity goals and
handling media interviews. A "tools" section is home to template news releases about NAIC's methodology and corporate structure along with a fact sheet and ready-to-use logos and
artwork. A bulletin board offers a place for chapter directors to exchange PR ideas.
So far, buy-in has been strong. Since going live in August 2004, the site has drawn users from 71 NAIC chapters, accessing media advisory templates, news releases and other
materials, all of which have helped local chapters leverage PR in the service of volunteer recruiting and retention.
Web Site
Campaign: "Building the Fort-to-Sea Trail"
Winners: Lewis & Clark National Historical Park and Conklin Fiskum & McCormick Inc.
How better to trek the Great Northwest than via the Internet?
Oregon's "Fort-to-Sea Trail" project will fulfill a 50-year dream by creating a six-mile hiking trail that replicates the path trekked by members of Lewis and Clark's Corps of
Discovery during the winter of 1805-06. Besides marking such a historic journey, the project has given rise to a public/private partnership of historic dimensions.
Along with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Parks Services, Portland-based engineering firm David Evans and Associates has gathered together designers,
engineers and a public affairs consultancy, Conklin Fiskum & McCormick Inc. (CFM).
The communications aims of the project are manifold: to raise public awareness of the trail; to reach out to potential donors; and to win buy-in from stakeholders in federal,
state and local governmental agencies. Much of this was to be accomplished through an official Web site (http://www.nps.gov/focl/).
Research began in July 2004 on the components of the Web site including style, content, navigation and other areas. CFM designer Josh Spivey worked with other partners to
gather art. Along the way the communications team found that a series of stylish icons already existed to promote various sites in the region, though these had not been highly
used. A new icon for the trail project, therefore, was added to these and became a central visual element on the new Web site.
Conceived as a magazine, the Web site posted new features each month. Thanks to the use of digital cameras on site, a rich library of photos was developed. The team sent emails
to 300 stakeholders and media when new content was posted on the site.
The site has undergone 10 iterations over time and has attracted a steadily growing audience. The number of page hits has grown from 896 in September 2004 - the first full
month of operations - to 4,440 in July 2005. In helping to raise awareness of the project, the site also contributed to a successful $3.2 million fundraising campaign.
Honorable Mentions
Advocacy Campaign and Lobbying Efforts
"Saving Illinois Parks and Wildlife," Public Communications Inc. Turned $45K in private donations into $50M in savings
"The Campaign for a Better State Test for High Schools," Stony Point Communications New tests will save Michigan schools and taxpayers $6M per year
"Separate and Unequal: Changing the Face of Healthcare in America," Hyde Park
Communications Spurred new legislation while gaining endorsement from 32 national organizations
Corporate Partnerships
"The American Nurses Association's Take Action for Healthy Blood Pressure Tour," Ruder Finn 350 nurse volunteers treated 5,000 people in 57 hours during a 9-day period
"East Side House Settlement Gala Preview of the 2005 New York International Auto Show," Sharp Communications Event raised $1M for children using educational programs at the East Side House Settlement
"Switch to Cold," Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance Original goal of 20,000 Web-site hits turned into 122,281 unique visitors
Crisis Management
"ASHP Responds to Flu Vaccine Price Gouging Crisis," American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Instances of price gouging stopped after message reached more than 103 million people
"YPCincy's Cicada Escape Zones," Cincinnati USA Regional
Center What was once a hated and feared insect now is the official city ambassador
Event PR
"The Big Picture Project," Professional Marketing for Hospice of Michigan Nearly $1M was raised for Hospice of Michigan through media-inspired donations
"Que Nada Nos Detenga (Let Nothing Stop Us!) Voter Registration Campaign,"
Edelman 300,000 new registered voters turned into a pivotal voting bloc during the 2004 election
"The U-505 Experience: Moving a National History," Museum of Science
and Industry Media coverage of WWII submarine unveiling resulted in new donors and sponsors for the Chicago landmark
External Publication
"Boy Scouts of America - Flint River Council," McRae Communications Friends of Scouting brochure helped increase donations while attracting leaders and volunteers
"La Mirada Community Calendar," City of La Mirada
(Calif.) This listing of events serves as a tool for community participation, pride and spirit
"Wildlife Advancing Africa," American Wildlife Foundation Annual report garnered private donations along with bolstering private and government partnerships
Fundraising and Membership Campaign
"The Eamonn Coghlan Team...Running to help of Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children," Fleishman Hillard Runners raised more than $1.3M in six months for the hospital and a related foundation
"Big Brothers Big Sisters Celebrates 100 Years," Porter
Novelli Centennial campaign built a donor database while developing new sponsorship packages
"Living Generously Does a World of Good," Jewish Federation of Palm Beach
County Annual campaign raised $28.3M, established a brand and garnered five ADDY awards
Internal Publication
"County Life," Palm Beach County Public Affairs Department Two-color employee house organ keeps county staffers informed at all levels
Media Relations Campaign
"Big Brothers Big Sisters Celebrates 100 Years," Porter Novelli Birthday events resulted in more than 2.5 billion (with a "b") media impressions worldwide
"Chihuly in the Garden," The Reynolds Group, Inc. Met or exceeded media objectives, in part due to more than 91 million total impressions, while generating $4M from new visitors
"Shining A Light on HIV,"
STOP AIDS Project More than 80,000 targeted San Franciscans saw critical HIV prevention messages
"Thanks & Giving National Campaign," Ketchum Unique Web visitors to the St. Jude Children's Research site soared by 165% with the help of celeb Marlo Thomas
Organizational Brand Marketing and Communications
"Housing Virginia Pilot Campaign," Housing Virginia and Carter Ryley Thomas Campaign proved that not just the poor need, and should have access to, affordable housing
"Improving the Reputation of a VA Medical Center," Carl T. Hayder
Medical Center More than two thirds of Phoenix residents now recommend this healthcare provider
PR on a Shoestring
"America's Favorite Zoo," Tulsa Zoo A zero-budget contest entry ended up winning a $25K Microsoft grant
"Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund," Sightline Marketing Grassroots program gives out as much money as comes in to needy families
Public Service Campaign
"Get Up, Get Out, Get Moving!" American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons A 20-fold free-advertising return from broadcast and print lifestyle PSAs translated into $$7.1M
"Shining A Light on HIV," STOP AIDS Project Video project got the San Francisco gay community talking about AIDS/HIV again
Web Site
"Bob Quits and Mary Quits Smoking Campaign," American Legacy Foundation The Mary campaign impressed Internet bloggers, totaling 40% of the message's hits
"Materials for the Arts Website Database," Friends of Materials for the
Arts New online processes increased donations by 34%, meaning more supplies for recipient groups "
http://www.usepropane.com," Propane Education & Research Council with Porter Novelli
Visitors looking for propane dealers increased 316%, generating sales for the propane industry