“Even though it looks like a campaign like this could cost a lot of money, if you have a strong concept and you can sell it to sponsors, it’s not going to necessarily cost the agency,” says Patricia Gray, community relations manager at Alliance member Wellspring Family Services, Seattle.
In the planning phase, Wellspring Family Services identified potential sponsors who, in the end, entirely supported the project. A local ad agency donated its services to develop and design the campaign, staff agreed to allow their own children to be photographed, the photo shoot was donated by Getty Images, and additional sponsors picked up the tab for printing and cutting.
Don’t be afraid to also leverage the connections of a volunteer board of directors, says Dan Magnuson, president and CEO of Alliance member Pathfinders, Milwaukee.
It was a Pathfinders board member who, inspired by the idea for the campaign, suggested the organization host a special event to raise funds to cover the costs of the project. Attendees of the event got a sneak peek at the campaign and were so moved that in one night enough money was raised to entirely underwrite the project.
It was also a board member who facilitated the connection with Serve Marketing, which covered all expenses related to the campaign’s creative services.
It may not be feasible for all organizations to benefit from the services of an ad agency. But, when it is possible, both Magnuson and Gray agree that the outside perspective is invaluable.
“Ad agencies bring a perspective and an expertise that is not naturally in the skill set of a typical Alliance member organization,” Magnuson says. “The ad agency is looking for that single message that is going to touch somebody in the heart.”
Printer-friendly version
