Deploy Peace: Establishing a national media presence
When we met Karen Gulino and Barbara Donaldson, it was clear that they were two dedicated women with a great idea: Supporting returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans by creating and selling jewelry made from retired Vietnam-era combat planes.
But a great idea isn’t enough. They needed to move beyond selling jewelry at the local Swap Meet. They needed get the word out….in a big way.
We helped Deploy Peace develop their message. We helped them create an attractive Web site to tell their story and market their products. And we helped them establish a social media presence through blogs, Facebook and MySpace.
Soon social media activity translated into significant traditional media attention. In recent months, Karen and Barbara have told their story nationally on CNN, Fox News and in the pages of the Ladies Home Journal.
The results? Their sales have boomed and – most importantly – they have continued to be a source of support for the Fisher House Foundation, which provides shelter and assistance for the families of injured service members.
Colorado Department of Human Services: Facilitating collaboration, promoting change
Ensuring the safety of Colorado’s children is a big job – so big that it requires the well-coordinated efforts of the Colorado Department of Human Services, its 63 county child welfare agencies, and the Colorado State Judiciary.
But in Colorado, like in most states, effective collaboration among systems has been hard to achieve. One reason? Social workers, judges and attorneys often receive separate training and have little understanding of the each other’s perspectives, roles and responsibilities.
To begin to bridge the gap among systems, we worked with key players in the child welfare and judicial systems to create Colorado’s annual Summit on Children, Youth, and Families.
Now the premier event of Colorado’s training annual training cycle, the Summit recently brought together close to 1000 social workers, judges, attorneys and foster parents to learn together, share their perspectives, and deepen their commitment to work together on behalf of children and families.
Equally important, the Summit has laid the groundwork for future collaborative efforts, which will facilitate and enhance an ongoing partnership between the state’s child welfare and judicial systems.
Catalina Foothills School District Foundation: Raising money in tough times
How can we raise enough money to prevent State budget cuts from severely damaging the quality of our local schools? And how can we do that in a two-month period?
That was the problem the Catalina Foothills School District Foundation brought to us. And that was the problem we helped them solve through the use of a high-powered, social media-driven fundraising campaign.
We created the 30/60 Challenge to inspire families to commit to raising $500 to save 30 teachers in 60 days. To support the effort, we developed a compelling Web site, a blog, a grassroots toolkit, and a Facebook Cause page.
The results were stunning. In eight weeks, the Foundation raised over $250,000, expanded its donor base, and jump-started critical conversations in classrooms, in living rooms, and in the press about the importance of maintaining low student-to-teacher ratios to support quality education.
Brain Injury Association of Arizona: Helping families grasp a difficult message
When an individual sustains a traumatic brain injury (TBI), life changes rapidly – both for the survivor and for his or her family. Family members must absorb a tremendous amount on new information, while dealing with their fears and concerns for the injured individual.
To help TBI survivors and their families understand and cope with the lifelong consequences of an injury, we worked with the Brain Injury Association of Arizona to create a user-friendly Web site and a companion online video guide.
The video guide features professionals, family members and TBI survivors addressing critical questions about in injury, the rehabilitation process, and living with brain injury. The interactive site also includes downloadable documents and useful links.
Users have commented:
“This is awesome to see. I applaud all of you who have helped with this endeavor…”
“This site is going to be helpful in explaining to the whole family what may be happening to our son, and helping everyone understand his actions as well as their own perceptions…Thank you!”