Thirty people. Twenty-four hours. Seven small charities with big missions. That was Goodstock 2009 (CF&P, November 15, 2009), a creative marathon that had employees of HJC New Media and Harvey McKinnon Associates pulling an all-nighter at no charge developing new ways for those seven charities to communicate their messages.
What they did
During that long, crazy, caffeine-fuelled day, the Vancouver and Toronto teams created:
a multimedia informational campaign for Battered Women’s Support Services (Vancouver);
special event promotional materials for L’Arche Vancouver;
a fundraising strategy and an online campaign for The Small Animal Rescue Society (Vancouver);
a fundraising strategy and new communication materials for From Grief to Action (Vancouver);
an online marketing strategy and online fundraising materials for Golden Rescue (Toronto);
a communications and fundraising strategy integrating direct mail and online materials for Eva’s Initiatives (Toronto); and
a communications and fundraising strategy for Annex Cat Rescue (Toronto).
McKinnon account director Kersti Kahar now has a deeper appreciation for the small, volunteer-run charities the Goodstock winners exemplify. “All charities have capacity limitations, but grassroots charities are even more restricted,” she reflects. “It’s impressive that they’ve accomplished as much as they have, given that everyone involved has a full time job somewhere else.”
No budget, lots of freedom
For one heady day, those seven charities and the creative minds at HMA and HJC were free from the normal tight constraints that mark such organizations.
“Normally, the scope of work and its cost is specific,” Kahar explains. “But with Goodstock we had free rein because there wasn’t a budget. That gave us the freedom to brainstorm and present ideas for development far into the future as the winners’ capacity grows.”
Education and teambuilding
There were other benefits for the creative teams as well. Kahar, a direct mail specialist, learned more about the best practices and essential details of online fundraising and marketing. HJC fundraising innovation consultant Nina Tu says she gained a new appreciation for the old reliable channel of direct mail fundraising.
Another HJC staffer, Shannon Pitt, adds, “Our ideas and work are tested and developed with big budgets and big organizations. It was great to see cutting-edge work in the hands of a small organization.”
It was, of course, a great teambuilding time. Despite HJC’s expertise in the online world, the teams got together physically as much as possible. Kahar notes the intensity, energy and enthusiasm that can only come from the physical presence of other committed, hardworking people. Though the two companies share offices in Toronto, they had never worked together to such a great extent. Thanks to the marathon, Kahar asserts, “We can do anything together now.”
Getting ready for 2010
Kahar, Tu and HMA blogger Morgan Cartier are already looking forward to Goodstock 2010. They’ve challenged more agencies to get involved so that more charities benefit from expertise they normally can’t afford.
What nuggets of wisdom would they pass on to first-timers in 2010? Write copy first. Don’t eat too much. Try not to schedule it in the same week as a major fundraising conference (AFP Toronto Chapter’s Congress 2009). Remember that you’re really, really good at what you do, and there are lots of struggling nonprofits who can use a little help.
