Presbyterian Night Shelter
Challenge
Presbyterian Night Shelter has worked to eliminate the chronic cycle of homelessness since 1984 through a 360-approach designed to help get clients back on their feet. Presbyterian Night Shelter is Tarrant County’s largest provider of services to people struggling with homelessness. But this vital organization has long flown somewhat under the radar amid the large Fort Worth nonprofit community. Balcom was challenged with developing a campaign to assist in fundraising while also positioning the shelter through bold, arresting creative to help raise the shelter’s profile.
Solution
The team reviewed current research about homelessness in our community and beyond to understand perceptions of the problem and uncover the lesser-known issues at play – all with the goal of creating that “aha” moment capable of compelling our audience to action. Creativity In a break with the look and feel of much of the marketing material in this space, the team created a stark, graphic and even gritty visual style that works to dramatize not just the conditions of homelessness but also the many life events that can lead to it. Through digital display banners, social media advertising and billboards, the campaign tells the story of how the Presbyterian Night Shelter focuses on breaking chronic cycles of homelessness, no matter their root causes. Technology To make the most of this nonprofit’s limited budget, the media team developed a plan that combined highly targeted display advertising with the broader tactic of out-of-home to amplify the campaign’s message. Additionally, the team maximized the budget by repurposing animated banner ads as video placements, capitalizing on the known conversion power of video without the budget demands of a full-fledged production.
Results
As a crucial part of the fundraising efforts, the campaign helped increase online giving by 83% in its first month and 42% at the close of 2019 (compared to the same time periods in the previous year).
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