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CHALLENGE: Raise awareness of the issue of military suicide, create a credible brand from the ground up, grow supporter base, and become a thought leader.
STRATEGY: DO NOT target the Veteran in need. They were usually unable to realize they needed help. Instead I targeted family members, advocates and military supporters. We used Facebook as a free and social tool to create brand, awareness and education.
RESULTS: >Created a Facebook following of 290,000 engaged advocates
>Generated consistent donor-driven fundraising campaigns for monthly income stream
>Won a $10,000 Google Ad Grant
>Grew the nonprofit to a credible, self-sustaining team of 10+ people with a bricks and mortar office in just four years.
>Became the recognized expert of military suicide.
>Frequently interviewed on national news channels.
>Supported by celebrities such as Gary Sinise, The Rock, Charlie Daniels and Scott Eastwood
>Asked to be part of a movie that won national awards (Almost Sunrise)
>Generated consistent donor-driven fundraising campaigns for monthly income stream
>Won a $10,000 Google Ad Grant
>Grew the nonprofit to a credible, self-sustaining team of 10+ people with a bricks and mortar office in just four years.
>Became the recognized expert of military suicide.
>Frequently interviewed on national news channels.
>Supported by celebrities such as Gary Sinise, The Rock, Charlie Daniels and Scott Eastwood
>Asked to be part of a movie that won national awards (Almost Sunrise)
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BRANDING/EDUCATIONAL VIDEO
"THE TOUGHEST WAR WE'VE EVER FACED"
"SOMEDAY WE'LL STOP VETERAN SUICIDE"
The first iteration website immediately allowed people to choose what they needed: To get help or give help.
Brochures were used at events, fundraisers and as general awareness.
(inside and back cover of brochure below.)
Heavyweight paper and rounded corners for a credible yet approachable feel on our business cards.
Social media success: We were authentic, people knew we cared deeply and we created bonds and trust with our audience.
+Quickly grew to 269,000+ engaged Facebook followers/advocates
+Posts with 1 MILLION impressions and engagements of thousands of likes and shares
+Twitter got celebrity attention from "The Rock", astronaut Terry Virts, actor and veteran advocate Gary Sinise, country musician Charlie Daniels who did a video for us, and scores of political figures.
+Pinterest drove 11,000 monthly visitors.
+On Facebook alone, donors started fundraisers bringing in an average of $1500 to $3000 each month.
+Partnered with two movies that created awareness of the issue and of our cause.
+Quickly grew to 269,000+ engaged Facebook followers/advocates
+Posts with 1 MILLION impressions and engagements of thousands of likes and shares
+Twitter got celebrity attention from "The Rock", astronaut Terry Virts, actor and veteran advocate Gary Sinise, country musician Charlie Daniels who did a video for us, and scores of political figures.
+Pinterest drove 11,000 monthly visitors.
+On Facebook alone, donors started fundraisers bringing in an average of $1500 to $3000 each month.
+Partnered with two movies that created awareness of the issue and of our cause.
FACEBOOK DROVE EDUCATION, AWARENESS, DONATIONS AND CALLS FOR HELP
Posts were always around the brand mission and covered topics of posting pictures of those who had lost their battle with suicide to show how very real the problem is, offering supportive inspiration, showing our team's involvement in larger projects like the movie Almost Sunrise, sharing news stories and more. We knew what our Tribe was interested in and we gave them what they continued to come to the page looking for.
PINTEREST DROVE 11,000 MONTHLY VISITORS TO OUR MEMORIAL WALL AND WE INTEGRATED IT INTO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE
TWITTER BECAME A PLACE FOR CELEBS TO SUPPORT.
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Supporters got involved
Supporters wanted to help, so we let them. The 22 in 22 Challenge engaged entire states as well as Veteran groups, wives of Veterans lost to suicide, and donors to raise awareness and funds.
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At events we handed out cards with real Facebook page posts so people could get a sense of the tragedy we were dealing with every day. On the back was a donation card.
Many clients did not want to be used as testimonials for privacy reasons, however, as we could, we got the stories out of those we'd supported and helped through suicidal thoughts. Their stories made it ok for others to step up and ask for help. We also used these at events.
