The Minneapolis Foundation

► Issue:

Deleted for Budgetary Reasons was launched in 2003 to promote public dialogue and informed choices in addressing the state's budget crisis. The goal of the campaign was to promote genuine public dialogue about strategies for addressing the budget deficit and make the best possible choices for Minnesota. The campaign was co-sponsored by the Minneapolis Foundation and the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits.

► Action:

The focal point of the campaign was eye-catching print advertisements that appeared in newspapers throughout the state that told the story of how the cuts would impact a wide range of community services. The campaign cited four constituencies that would be most deeply affected by the cuts: counties and cities who provided services such as fire, police, and public works; working families who depended on resources such as childcare, healthcare and job training; kids who rely on after-school and intervention programs to keep them off the street; and finally, programs that help keep seniors “healthy and independent.” The campaign’s call to action was for everyday Minnesotans to speak up and contact their state legislators to remind them that “people’s lives are hanging in the balance of the budget.”

The campaign also conducted media training workshops that helped the nonprofit organizations articulate the impact the budget cuts would have in their local community. Langer explained that one of the key findings discovered was that many nonprofits were under the assumption that working with the media meant merely sending out a press release. Through the media trainings, the nonprofits learned how to both begin a dialogue and build a stronger relationship with the media. As a result, editorial board meetings were conducted throughout the state where “real people” told their stories of how the lack of the programs would affect their daily lives.

► Results:

Despite the intensive efforts of this public information campaign and strong support of Minneapolis Foundation CEO Emmett Carson, the Minnesota legislature voted to cut many of the services provided by nonprofits. While the campaign reached a large audience and succeeded in encouraging citizens and lawmakers to speak out against the cuts, Minnesota was facing the biggest deficit in the state’s history and Governor Tim Pawlenty had signed a pledge for “no new taxes.” However, it is apparent that this short-lived campaign can be considered a success as it increased public dialogue throughout the state about the importance of public services and the significant role that nonprofits play in providing these services to each and every community.

► Critical Lesson Learned:

Langer explained that the biggest obstacles in facilitating the Deleted for Budgetary Reasons campaign were obtaining timely accurate information on which to base the campaign, and the time frame in which to develop and launch it. Because the timeline was determined by the calendar of the legislature, the campaign had to work rapidly to mobilize the community to press for change.  Working with a budget of only $100,000, which included advertising, meant that it was absolutely critical to clearly define the audiences and objectives for such a short-lived campaign.  For a campaign of this sort to be successful, a longer timeframe both to develop a comprehensive campaign and to influence the public and decision makers, as well as a budget that would have allowed it to take its course would contribute to its effectiveness. 

The Great Valley Center

► Issue:

The Valley Futures Project was launched by the Great Valley Center to provide a unique perspective on educating the public about local issues by utilizing actual narratives that contemplate life in the Great Central Valley in the year 2025.

► Action:

The Great Valley Center and the Global Business Network worked together to create 12 stories describing possible futures for the Central Valley of California. One hundred people from throughout the region, including reporters, were brought together for the story development process. Scenario teams developed outlines of four very different futures for the three sub-regions of the Central Valley: the San Joaquin Valley, the Sacramento Region, and the North Valley. The GBN team then further developed four narratives from the outlines. The narratives speculate such questions as whether we will choose our future or whether the future will happen to us.

Recognizing that releasing yet another dry report about the future of the community would not grab the attention of citizens, policymakers and young people, the Great Valley Center centered their campaign on an alternative way of providing information about multiple issues in the area. One of the primary goals of the campaign is to find a creative way to move the story and spark dialogue among future leaders of the community. Therefore, these fictional narratives were not only printed in the press in serial form, but were produced on multiple formats to reach a larger audience. Compact discs used for public radio, DVDs for distribution to community groups, and booklets released to newspapers provide an array of opportunities for the public to engage in the fictional narratives.

► Results:

It is clear that this public information campaign has launched a different type of dialogue that typically surrounds public information campaigns. While most initiatives prompt a call to action to produce immediate and tangible results, the Valley Futures Project challenged community members to begin a thoughtful dialogue surrounding the issues in their local area. By daring youth to contemplate life in the year 2025, the Valley Futures Project broadens the outlook for what tomorrow will mean for the Central Valley.

► Critical Lesson Learned:

One of the important lessons that Cummings learned was that ancillary materials such as the high school curriculum and guides keep the project alive and active. Because the stories take place in the future, their shelf life extends beyond today and can continue to influence the community for years to come.

 

Ogilvy Communications for The California Wellness Foundation

► Issue:

Unlike most teen pregnancy public information campaigns, the Get Real! About Teen Pregnancy focuses on educating policy makers versus teens. This $60 million ten-year campaign centers on three key messages: teen pregnancy is also an adult problem, everyone can do something to prevent teen pregnancy, and there are a variety of specific actions adults can take to directly impact the issue. Research conducted by the California Wellness Foundation determined the key tenets of teen pregnancy prevention: adult-teen communication, access to contraception, comprehensive sexual education, and youth development/life opportunities.

► Action:

One of the key components of the campaign is the “AdvoKit,” a toolkit for all California adults, which provides information and instruction on engaging in the issue on a local, regional or state level. The kit contains an informational booklet, a VHS tape containing PSAs and educational videos, a CD with templates and sample documents and PDF files of all campaign advertising and research documents. The audience for the toolkit includes policy makers, decision makers, constituents, parents, educators and youth-serving organizations. Nearly 2,000 kits have been distributed throughout the state to policy and decision makers and at important events and conferences throughout the state. The kit will also be available to order on the campaign Web site.

Other components of the campaign include workshops to train community organizations how to use the toolkit as a community engagement tool. The workshop, “Rules of Engagement,” explains how the kit components can be used to create community activism around the issue. The Web site also serves as a clearinghouse of information that allows visitors to view advertising materials, read press releases, and obtain ideas about what parents can do to become more informed.

► Results:

Wilcox explained that the initial results have come back very positive. She stated that one of the main reasons the campaign has been so successful was due to the fact that there were so many elements to the campaign. These elements, such as a $25,000 grant provided to college aged students to study health-related issues, enabled the campaign to have a greater impact on the community. She noted between 1991 and 2002, the teen birth rate in California declined by more than 40%. Based on these results, it is clear that the Get Real! About Teen Pregnancy campaign has played a key factor in both educating the public about teen pregnancy and playing a role in its reduction.

► Critical Lesson Learned:

Get Real! About Teen Pregnancy was a vast initiative launched by Ogilvy Communications for the California Wellness Foundation with a budget of $1.6-$1.8 million a year. Nearly $500,000 was spent annually on advertising alone making this one of the largest public initiatives throughout the state of California. The intended demographic included teens, parents, and policy makers creating a wide net for outreach. In evaluating the campaign, Wilcox indicated that the one area she would have conducted differently would be in involving the policy makers and decision makers sooner in the campaign process to make sure they were an educated audience. Furthermore, she explained, it is important to identify any policy goals before undertaking a campaign.


 

The Winnipeg Foundation

► Issue:

In an effort to increase awareness and raise the profile of the Winnipeg Foundation and its activities, the foundation launched a general information campaign entitled, Did You Know? The campaign centers on answering the questions of: who we are, what we do, how we do what we do, and who is affected by what we do.

► Action:

In 1998, a survey questioned the community about what they knew of the Winnipeg Foundation. Only 45% had heard of the foundation and less knew of their work. Many did not know the how to define a community foundation or their activities. Therefore, the Winnipeg Foundation began a relationship with the local print media to create a story of 250 words that would run every second Saturday in the paper. These short stories highlight charitable agencies that have received a grant from the foundation. The print media coverage was highly successful and encouraged the foundation to partner with a local television station to produce one-minute monthly TV spots on organizations funded by the Winnipeg Foundation. These “advertisements” serve as a vehicle for smaller agencies that lack the budget for marketing to obtain community exposure on a large scale.

Both print and television coverage directs the public back to the Winnipeg Foundation Web site which serves as hub of activity surrounding the campaign. A design feature puts a Did You Know? story into random rotation on every page and the video from the TV feature can be viewed on the site. The site also contains an archive of over one hundred Did You Know? vignettes that can be reprinted or downloaded.

► Results:

A later survey of the foundation conducted in 2003 revealed that the Did You Know? campaign increased name recognition to 71% of respondents. In addition, the number of people who were unfamiliar with the purpose of the foundation decreased from 74% to 31% during the same time period.

The Winnipeg Foundation has found a unique way to tell their story by emphasizing the good work of charitable organizations. This campaign provides a link between the foundation’s name and the idea of philanthropy by harnessing the power of the media to deliver their message.

► Critical Lesson Learned:

Lovlin explained that the key lesson the foundation learned is that informal awareness venues can help create a greater understanding of the charitable community. In fact, the frequency of communication of the Did You Know? campaign in media outlets moved the public to not only recognize the foundation, but demonstrated the impact of local nonprofit organizations within their community. In looking back, however, Lovlin did explain that it would have been useful to have more in-depth focus group testing of objectives and tools used before the campaign was launched.