ISSUE:

Pushing the Envelope, Inc. (PTE) served as the agency of record for Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida (JASWFL), a local office of the national organization Junior Achievement, whose purpose is “to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.” Annually, JASWFL hosts a business Hall of Fame event, serving as its main fundraising source to continue operating throughout the year. The event recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs, called laureates, who serve as role models for youth in Southwest Florida. 

Like many nonprofits, the annual Hall of Fame event was impacted by COVID-19. The event was canceled in 2020 and held virtually in 2021, negatively impacting Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida’s revenue. Due to this, fewer programs were being offered, and volunteers were getting less involved. Going into 2022, JASWFL planned an in-person Hall of Fame event on April 19 and set a fundraising goal of $50,000 and a lofty attendance goal of 500. The team at Pushing the Envelope was tasked with event promotion to support both goals.

OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIES:

PTE created a plan to reach two primary objectives:

1. Create awareness/support for the event to fundraise more than $50,000 the night of the Hall of Fame event. 
2. Increase event attendance by 50% (or 96 people) compared to 2021. 

To accomplish these objectives, PTE employed the following strategies:

1. Utilized JASWFL communications channels to educate the target audience (and potentially others) on the upcoming event. This included social media (paid and organic) and emails. 
2. Executed grassroots efforts to make target audiences aware of the upcoming event. 
3. Leveraged local media (in-kind and earned) to educate target audiences of Hall of Fame. 
4. Counseled JASWFL’s staff about how they could additionally promote the event in their scope of influence. 
5.  The team leveraged visual communication to feature the honorees during the Hall of Fame.

RESULTS:

The event was a hit, exceeding the fundraising and attendance goals, and better enabling JASWFL to fulfill their purpose.

1. JASWFL raised $79,000 at the Hall of Fame event, greatly exceeding the $50,000 fundraising goal for the event night. With other donations, sponsorships, and registrations leading up to the event, a total of $276,000 was raised. 
2. The event yielded a nearly 123% increase in attendees compared to 2021 (191) for a total of 427 attendees in 2022. This was technically short of JASWFL’s lofty attendance goal; however, attendance increased over 2021 and met the stated objective. 

The efforts made during the promotion of this event greatly impacted the outcome of the event. PTE’s strategy and execution yielded a tremendous return on investment for JASWFL.
As a standard practice at Pushing the Envelope, everything in this event promotion was tested and measured to ensure success. The estimated ROI of this campaign is a staggering 1,352%, based on the $276,000 total generated compared to the campaign expense.