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Setting the stage for the most successful charitable fundraising event
in Chicago history.
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The results are in: dreams realized. #investinachild
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Some stories deserve to be shared...and media placements don't just happen.
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Facilitating blog contributions that rightfully position
Big Shoulders as a thought leader.
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This is why we come to work. #investinachild
Nonprofit Fundraising: How an RFP for a banquet video became a fundraising campaign
Everyone loves an underdog story. Well, that describes The Big Shoulders Fund perfectly! The fund provides support to Catholic schools in the neediest areas of Chicago, and has raised more than $200 million since its inception. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Big Shoulders asked TeamWorks Media to make a video for their banquet. Here’s the cliff notes version of that conversation.
Big Shoulders: All our big donors will be there; this is a big “thank you” to them.
TeamWorks Media: Do you need donations generated at this event?
Big Shoulders: Yes.
TeamWorks Media: How often do you get all these donors in one room?
Big Shoulders: (laughing) Every 25 years.
TeamWorks Media: Would you be interested in not just thanking them, but also inspiring them to give more, to further invest on their investment?
Big Shoulders: Yes, if done tastefully.
TeamWorks Media: If we put a new proposal in front of you that was more robust than just a banquet video would you look at it.
Big Shoulders: Yes, but we have budget limitations.
TeamWorks Media: Cool. Let’s meet next week.
How We Did It and the Solution
Our team went to the drawing board. We then met with Big Shoulders and agreed upon new goals, new deliverables, and a new way to approach gratitude and donations. Here’s what that looked like:
- A PR campaign leading up to and following the 25th anniversary event that would cover print, digital, TV news coverage, social media, and more.
- A short film about Big Shoulders that not only celebrated its 25 years (accomplishing the “thank you” element) but also challenged the Foundation to move forward.
- A trailer of the film to be shown at a special event with 100 key targeted donors and stakeholders.
- Re-assembling the structure of the banquet so that the film would provide the biggest impact at the most critical time of the evening (when the audience’s attention was undivided).
- A plan to make the short film easily shareable to be shown to future donors in person or online, giving it a shelf life significantly longer than the banquet.
Impact
The Big Shoulders 25th Anniversary Gala raised more than $6 million, making it one of the most successful fundraising events in Chicago history. While we can’t say that the video we created was 100% responsible for this amazing level of fundraising – we can say that it played a significant role in telling the story that needed to be told to the audience who needed to hear it. One of the best parts of the project for us was watching the film at the banquet and seeing and hearing the audience react to stories that their money, time, and investment make possible!
