THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
There is perhaps no single piece of equipment more critical than an ambulance. In ordinary times, WhidbeyHealth Emergency Medical Services rely on funds from WhidbeyHealth to complete their annual budget needs.
COVID-related costs hit WhidbeyHealth hard, just like every hospital. For two years, money that typically would have been set aside to replace aging ambulances has not been available. As a result, the two oldest vehicles are now in need of near-constant repair.
WhidbeyHealth set a lofty goal; to raise the $500,000 needed to replace the two aging ambulances.
The Strategy
Raising $500,000 in their small island community required a compelling value based story, powerful visuals and a sustained multi-touch campaign to engage diverse audiences and inspire them to contribute to this critical initiative.
Nurturing their current major donor base, igniting the larger donor community and creating an emotional connection with the community at large were critical to reach their goal. Launching the campaign during the holiday season would jumpstart the campaign. The return of their annual Gala after a 3 year hiatus brought the community together to push this campaign over the finish line.
The Tactics
Create a thematic campaign reinforcing the tremendous importance of having dependable, high-quality local EMS services,
Phase I: Created ‘Answering the Call’; with email, web pages, social media and 1-to-1 engagement resources to support sustained execution through the holidays and beyond.
Phase II: Develop thematic creative and messaging for their annual Gala, built on the ‘Answering the call’ story/goals with a fun ‘Stayin Alive’ theme. Provide thematic graphics, templates, social media contents/assets, presentations, and a multi-touch lead gen campaign.
The Results
The Answering the call campaign raised over $350,00 in the first 90 days, enough to buy the first of two much needed, fully equipped new ambulances.
The sold out Annual Gala – Stayin’ Alive is scheduled for May 6, 2023 and is projected to raise the additional $150,000 needed to purchase the second ambulance.
