Creative made 2009 campaign shine

I’ve heard it said before that “those who tell the best stories will do the best in fundraising” – and helping their cause.

The public loves a good story. The Salvation Army has an awe-inspiring record in our Maritime and Canadian communities dating back 125-plus years.

The challenge is capturing the attention and the imagination of the public in today’s age of ‘a million-channel universe’.

That’s where the creative team at Revolve 360 Branding came in. Their job was to define how to get the public’s attention and then tickle their heart-strings in a mass media campaign, in print, on the web and elsewhere.

I think we out-did ourselves in the “attention-getting” department this year. Coupled with JIVE – James Ingram’s peerless photography, and full-colour treatment in the newspaper, our candidates leaped off the pages while waving The Salvation Army banner.

The public loves to be entertained too. Revolve’s notion of The Elf News Network and our own “Wolf Blitzer” Elf-anchor seemed to heighten the excitement of an election campaign and election-day just before Christmas.

Who was that “Wolf” in elf-ears anyway?? Hmmmmmm. See if YOU can match the Wolf-Elf and a member on our Revolve team. Otherwise, his secret is safe with us.

=8-)=

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

Wadih Fares elected Great Stocking Stuffer of 2009

Media release: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Support doubles in growth for unique Salvation Army Christmas campaign

The Salvation Army elected Halifax developer Wadih Fares “The Great Stocking Stuffer” of 2009, while doubling funds raised over last year’s campaign. Halifax car dealer Kathy Scarff came in second. Together, both raised more money than last year’s entire campaign.

12 community champions campaigned to see who could raise the most for The Salvation Army’s winter relief efforts in The Great Stocking Stuffer Election. In a combination of mass-media, grass-roots and on-line promotion, over $140,000 was raised across Atlantic Canada, shattering last year’s record of $68,000.

“This campaign isn’t just about raising money,” says Diane van der Horden, Public Relations Director for the Maritime Salvation Army. “Thanks to the support of The Chronicle Herald, The Halifax Mooseheads and others, we were able to promote our story to a large audience, many of whom may be unaware of the important role The Army plays in their communities.”

Other unique features of the campaign included several children and financial institutions which promoted the effort across Atlantic Canada. Seven year-old Nick Gentleman of Halifax and 11 year-old minor hockey player Ellen Oldfield of Dartmouth inspired the public to give thousands of additional dollars to The Army’s winter relief efforts.

“Creative marketing is essential in today’s fundraising world,” says van der Horden. “The public loves a good story and likes to be creatively involved.”

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

Dog team pulls clicks

Back some seven or eight months ago, I was in Jamie Davison’s boardroom at Modern Media discussing web development for the campaign.

All of a sudden, something was sniffing and writhing around my ankles. And, I was in love! It was “Stella”, a six-month old bull dog puppy.

Well now, I’ve worked in an agency with a dog-mascot before.

Dogs are a great reality-check for when the pressure’s on. You may be busting a blood-vessel working to deadline on some web-code…but Stella will be there, lying on her side with a nonchalant look as if to say, “take a break, man. You’re way too serious.”

Stella and that type of temperament must have come in handy, because giving up valuable in-kind services with so many paying customers chomping at the bit isn’t always easy to manage.

And yet, Jamie, Stella and the team at Modern Media did just that. They helped engineer a magnetic “Election Centre” that helped pull the public’s heart-strings on behalf of The Salvation Army with thousands of new clicks and dollars for the most vulnerable.

Hey. It’s almost Christmas. Time to relax, guys. Have some chow. Drool a little.

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

Mooseheads on power play for Stocking Stuffer campaign

This year’s scramble has reached new heights thanks in large measure to Halifax’s QMJHL hockey club, The Mooseheads. Majority Owner Bobby Smith (star of the 1986 Stanley Cup Canadiens) hails from North Sydney, Cape Breton, where The Salvation Army’s roots are broad and deep.

Bobby was in attendance at our last celebration lunch for this campaign. Soon after, The Army was in cahoots with Shannon Slaughter and Brian Urquhart in the team’s front office enlisting star forward Gab Desjardins in a unique match-up involving minor hockey’s Ellen Oldfield and The Dartmouth Whalers. Together, we’ve raised the profile of at-risk kids and families assisted by The Salvation Army at this demanding time of year.

Game after game this December, while Gab was donating dollars for The Army for every point he scored on-ice, The Mooseheads were ensuring that thousands of fans were seeing and hearing all about The Great Stocking Stuffer Election. Providing banner space, airtime for our campaign YouTubes and now, a cool promotion on The Mooseheads’ new Facebook fan page, where fans will be able to win Lunch with Gab, while promoting the Army campaign.

On the ice and off, The Halifax Mooseheads have helped take the awareness of this campaign and the work of The Salvation Army to a younger and broader audience. We’re grateful for being on the same team.

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

All in the family

The Great Stocking Stuffer campaign isn’t just an on-line campaign. Candidates really get out there to raise as much money and awareness as possible at this critical time of year for The Salvation Army.

In the case of seven year-old Nick Gentleman, his entire family has embraced the effort and appears to be having a jolly time. It’s not surprising; granddad Gerard Murphy has helped with The Army’s Kettle fundraising efforts on the Halifax waterfront for years now.

The Great Stocking Stuffer Election bolsters The Army’s fundraising efforts; assisting thousands of kids and families at risk through the winter.

Fortunate families helping families in need. It’s a great match, and we hope you’ll “vote” on-line or in person if you happen by one of our candidates in public.

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

Chronicle Herald continues colourful support of the 2009 campaign

Wow! Check out our campaign ad on page F4 of the Wednesday, Dec. 9th edition of The Chronicle Herald.
-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

Kids helping kids; KOOL!

Nancy Regan gave us a great idea last year; get the kids involved! 

Her son Matt did just that and it touched the hearts of so many. Turned out it really fired-up Matt's imagination and the passions of his extended family, not to mention a whole community. 


Now, seven year-old Nick Gentleman (Murphy's on the Water family) and eleven year-old Ellen Oldfield (Dartmouth Whalers) are in the act. 

They're on the radio capturing imaginations across town, thanks to Salvation Army partner KOOL FM. Click on the image at right to have a listen.

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

Signs that our campaign is building…awareness

It’s not all about raising money. Raising the profile and awareness of The Salvation Army is a key goal of The Great Stocking Stuffer Election. A lot of that is happening at the “grass roots” level.

There’s a tremendous amount of in-kind services from our media and creative partners like The Chronicle Herald, Revolve, and KOOL FM. But there’s also a lot of extra promotion by many of our individual campaigners.

Check out many of the signs, sites and web sites in our photo album at the right.

This is all adding up to a phenomenal amount of buzz and exposure for The Salvation Army and its important work. 

In the Halifax area alone, The Army assists about 2,500 families and over 4,000 children during the Christmas season. Many of them in desperate need of the basics.

Getting the word out is a big part of the battle in “Giving Hope Today.”

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division