EYE Case
Empower YOUNG EXCELLENCE (EYE)CASE
Pun intended. I love a good play on words for titles and tags, brand titles and tag lines that is. The EYE Case was one of divine chance. Read along.
Spring 2019, I don’t remember if there was a reason for the occasion but we never need one when brunch is on the agenda. My girlfriends were visiting my house one afternoon and we each ended up going around the circle and sharing our personal goals. Diane, therapist and, now, founder of Empower Young Excellence (EYE), mentioned that she really wanted to have a mental health book drive for the children of Haiti, her home country. Diane expressed her hesitation and reason for not sharing her desire sooner. We all quickly assured, especially Jontice Tanae, being the thorough believer and advocate of self-love, the total benefit of sharing against her doubt. One of Diane’s worries was that she didn’t even have a name. It took me a few seconds, however, my response “yes; you do…. EYE for Haiti.”
An International Cause For Good
What’s marketing without connecting the dots? I always try to connect initiatives with partners of mutual benefit. This case was no different. I had been in contact with local and international nonprofit, Books For Earth, and knew right away that each organization could find benefit in partnering, as EYE’s book drive initiative aligned completely with Books For Earth’s total overarching mission, vision, and existing connections in Haiti.
As the partnership and initiative were under development, along the way I created the marketing plan, the sponsorship prospectus for soliciting funds, website integrated sponsorship forms, automated sponsorship coordination, and sponsor benefit fulfillment. Sponsorship is more than finances; it shows support in action for the mission. Upon agreement to sponsor, organizations were asked, amongst other requests, their reasoning for support of this cause. Responses were intentionally gathered for content event marketing and signage for the day of the event.
EVENT MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA COLLATERAL
Emails are a great way to reach out formally and informally. Leveraging a database of approximately 3,000 registered non-profit organizations in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan area, I created a “micro-email campaign” to introduce EYE and let other neighboring organizations know who EYE is. Not sure if I made up the term “micro-email campaign,” however, I call it such because it consisted of only about 3 emails; an introduction, an ask, and a follow-up, all with appropriate CTAs nonetheless. The email distribution sustained an open rate of 83% and a click rate of 21%, both above marketing industry benchmarks.
The event turned out to be such a wonderful experience, with high energy, for a noble cause.
Check out some of the photos below.
