Every day after school, hundreds of children head to Off the Street Club in Garfield Park, to socialize, learn, and play within the safe and trusted walls of the Chicago institution. Opened in 1900, the club has offered a sanctuary for children seeking a brief escape from the violence prevalent in the surrounding Chicago neighborhoods.
In 2016, Off the Street Club and Էներգիա BBDO pursued a new fundraising approach for the club, which continues to be supported entirely by private donations. The result was an emotionally resonant, multimedia campaign that propelled the organization into the national spotlight. In just over three months, it garnered enough donations to cover the club’s operating costs for more than a year.
The campaign, “Kids Are Tougher than the Streets,” earned an impressive six Effies at the 2018 Հյուսիսային Ամերիկայի Էֆի մրցանակներ in a wide range of categories: Small Budgets (Services); Government, Institutional, & Recruitment; Branded Content; Brand Experience: Combination (Live, Virtual, 360); Carpe Diem – Services; and Positive Change: Social Good (Non-Profit).
Մենք հարցրինք Elke Anderle, SVP Group Strategy Director at Էներգիա BBDO, what it took to capture enough hearts, minds, and dollars to keep over 3,000 kids safe and off the streets.
Ամբողջական դեպքի ուսումնասիրությունը կարդացեք այստեղ >
Ի՞նչ նպատակներ ունեիք քարոզարշավի համար:
EA: Because of news media, many Americans fear violence in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. But more American’s are killed in Chicago each year than Afghanistan and Iraq combined. And, devastatingly, over 300 of Chicago’s victims each year are children.
Off The Street Club is Chicago’s oldest boys’-and-girls’-club, whose mission is to give children a safe place to play. We’ve worked with the Club for many years and our goal has always been the same – to keep these kids safe and off their violent streets. But this is easier said than done.
While our big picture goal was to keep kids safe, our reality was that we needed to raise money to keep the Club open. To keep the Club open for a full year we needed to raise $583,000. But, unfortunately, the Club’s group of macro donors (those donating over $100) was shrinking. So our annual goal was to fund the Club for a full year by engaging a broader group of donors. To do this, we needed to spark an ongoing conversation that tapped into the nation’s passion and outrage over American gun culture and the effect it was having on our children.
Մեկ նախադասությամբ ո՞րն էր ձեր ռազմավարական գաղափարը։
EA: The toughest people in Chicago aren’t gangsters, they’re children who choose hope instead of the streets. On the surface they are gentle, smiling children. But beneath the surface, they are tough as nails.
Ո՞րն էր ձեր ստեղծագործական մեծ գաղափարը:
EA: Our creative idea was to fight back against stories of violence in real-time with timely declarations of hope from the Off The Street Club. The consistent rallying cry of the campaign was “Hope is Tougher”.
First, we drafted off of gun violence conversations online. When people commented on news articles about feeling helpless in the wake of gun violence, we responded to them personally and gave them a way to help immediately by clicking “Donate Now”.
Next, we aimed to generate micro-donations (<$100) through evocative storytelling and innovative experiences that helped people feel a personal connection with the kids. It all started with a bullet hole. We removed a real bullet hole from the Club and “transplanted” it alongside the famous building fragments of Chicago’s iconic Tribune Tower, surprising more than 2 million passersby with stories of hope. People could scan the installment with their phone to activate an emotional video about one of the toughest kids in the Club, and donate on the spot. A film of the activation was shared and targeted via promoted posts to spread the word nationally and encourage micro-donations.
On Veterans Day, we released a documentary-style film, “The Toughest Letter,” where a group of veterans shared personal stories about living in warzones. We then asked them to read letters written by another group with similar experiences – the OTSC children. The emotional story provided an unexpected look into the toughness required to see hope in even the direst circumstances. To drive donations, we promoted the film on Facebook and local news networks.
Finally, we brought hope home by creating a touching holiday luncheon. In addition to the 665 patrons who attended past luncheons, we welcomed 150 additional donors into the fold. The luncheon included an art auction, raffle and emotional video about the toughest kids in Chicago. But most importantly, it provided a platform for the OTSC kids to share personal stories from their lives and the tough choices they make every day.
Կա՞ն դժվարություններ ձեր գաղափարը կյանքի կոչելու համար: Ինչպե՞ս հաղթահարեցիք այդ մարտահրավերները:
EA: The biggest challenge was to get people to actually pay attention. Every day Americans wake up to stories of children being shot. And for some twisted reason, our culture has become tone-deaf to these stories. Instead of turning their outrage into action, most just swipe to the next story and move on. So our mission was to get people to stop and feel something so they would internalize the reality of these children’s lives and take action.
Ինչպե՞ս եք գնահատել քարոզարշավի արդյունավետությունը:
EA: In the end, people took action. We increased the overall number of macro donors by 23%. And, importantly, we invited 1,686 micro-donors (those donating <$100) into the family. As a result, we raised the most money in the Club’s 116-year history – over $700,000. This provided enough money to keep the Club open for over a full year. Meaning that 3,000 kids won’t be as subject to violence on their gun-ridden streets.
What impact has the campaign’s success had on the culture at Off the Street Club? What do you hope its lasting effect will be?
EA: The biggest positive change really lies with the kids and the pride it fueled in their tough choices. The Boy-of-the-Year said it best as he closed out one of the fundraising events:
“I am tougher. We are tougher. Hope is Tougher.”
Through our experience, we learned that we can all find small ways to make a big difference. And to never give up hope. But, that said, the biggest lesson we learned is a timeless truth: Never, ever underestimate the strength of a child.
Elke Anderle is an EVP Group Planning Director at Energy BBDO where she’s led strategic planning for Wrigley/Mars, Kohl’s, Ocean Spray, Kerrygold, Dial for Men, Quaker and Off The Street Club. She’s a regular guest professor at Northwestern University and loves to collaborate with start-ups and local brands like Half Acre Brewing, M22, This Little Goat and SmallBar.
