Impacting Nonprofit Fundraising Campaigns Through Earned Media

The Franco team works with nonprofit clients on a variety of fundraising campaigns throughout the year – some big, some small – all equally important in generating donations and brand awareness in the community. Never underestimate the power of earned media and the impact that one media placement can have on a nonprofit’s fundraising campaign.  

Here are two examples of successful earned media placements we secured for our nonprofit clients:

Southwest Solutions (now MiSide) tasked Franco with promoting its annual school supplies drive, Backpacks for Dreams. The nonprofit had a goal of collecting 1,300 sets of backpacks and school supplies to support students during the 2023-2024 school year.  

Franco sent targeted media pitches featuring a local mother whose children had received backpacks in the past. A reporter from the Detroit Free Press expressed interest in the story and Franco went to work. Since English was her second language, the Franco team worked with a Southwest Solutions’ translator to coordinate an interview with Ms. Sanchez. She shared her personal story of how Southwest Solutions gave her children a great start to the school year. 

Thanks to the Detroit Free Press article, Southwest Solutions saw an immediate bump in donations – which resulted in a 44% increase, raising more than $10,750. Southwest Solutions used the funds to purchase 600 backpacks and school supplies for children in Wayne County.  

Volunteers of America Michigan (VOAMI) partnered with The Sam Bernstein Law Firm, Detroit Red Wings alumnus Darren McCarty and Bad Pig Customs for a third year to support Michigan veterans. The nonprofit raffled off a one-of-a-kind Harley Davidson Street Glide motorcycle with proceeds benefitting VOAMI’s veteran services. Franco’s role was to secure media coverage about this initiative.  

Franco pitched media interviews with Mark Bernstein and McCarty to promote the third season of The Call Sam Chopper Shop, as well as to increase VOAMI raffle ticket sales. We coordinated a live in-person segment on FOX 2 Detroit’s The Nine, where Bernstein and McCarty discussed how the community could purchase raffle tickets to support Michigan veterans.  

Immediately following the FOX 2 segment, phones were ringing off the hook from supporters eager to purchase raffle tickets. The nonprofit saw an immediate uptick in raffle ticket sales, which set the tone for the remainder of the campaign.  

Upon conclusion, VOAMI nearly doubled raffle ticket sales from the previous year – selling 1,056 tickets and raising $19,000, a 36% increase from 2022.  

Does your nonprofit organization need assistance in promoting a fundraising campaign? Contact us to learn more about our integrated approach to nonprofit communications.