1. Successful Marketing & Awareness Building of your Reuse Program Denise E. Bennett, Director Project MEND Operations & Development

2. We will discuss: Designing & Running a successful campaign Building Partnerships Social Media Strategies Fundraising Events Community Outreach

3. But first… Who is Project MEND? Established in 1992, we’ve been serving Texas for 24 years Provide DME and AT to low income clients Donate, repair, refurbish, sanitize, redistribute No other agency in Texas does what we do Only licensed nonprofit medical equipment reuse facility in Texas

4. Project MEND Medical Equipment Network for the Disabled Served 1413 clients in 2014-2015 fiscal year Issued 2390 pieces of DME

5. Designing & Running a Successful Campaign

6. Know your Brand… Build your Brand

7. Brand: a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature makes you distinct from anyone else.

8. Do you have a brand? If YES 1.Use it everywhere. 2.Be consistent with your message. 3.Don’t stray. 4.Create stories that match your brand. If NO 1.What business am I in? 2.Who are our “clients”? 3.What is our vision in one sentence? 4.How are we different from our competition?

10. Everything stays on Brand Flyers, Brochures, Printed Materials, etc… Simple messages Easy to reproduce PDF Versions to share with others Accessible Use on social media Distribute Everywhere!

11. Be Clear and Concise How can you can help Project MEND? Donate time, money, and/or medical equipment Provide information to clients, customers, vendors and others Volunteer to help in Project MEND’s warehouse Schedule a Project MEND presentation for your organizations’ staff, volunteers, and/or clients Place information or a link about Project MEND on your agency’s Web site Host a company-wide medical equipment donation drive Distribute information to assist Project MEND raise awareness of the services provided Learn more about disability issues in San Antonio Ask Project MEND for an article to include in a staff or client newsletter Include Project MEND in a company fundraiser Tell all your friends about Project MEND

12. Building Partnerships

13. Who are YOUR Partners? If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas. -George Bernard Shaw

14. Community Partners Whose mission is similar or complimentary? Who serves the same clients? Where do our donations come from and what other organization may be accepting similar donations?

15. Using your Board of Directors A Board Member should be able to: Clearly relay the Mission Comfortably refer clients Converse about the Programs you have available Convey that you are Unique Communicate their story of why they are involved

16. Social Media Strategies

17. Get Started Dynamic Website using keywords http://www.projectmend.org/ Facebook page Project MEND Twitter https://twitter.com/ProjectMENDSA Instagram Tools: Hootsuite

18. Get ready Create Hash tags i.e. #MEND #ProjectMEND #Mobility #Move Use the hashtags on EVERYTHING YOU POST Preschedule posts 2 weeks in advance Keep a file full of pics, stories, snippets, related interest items, designated days, months (Wheelchair Month, ADA Anniversary, etc) Create short stories Put together a social media schedule

19. Telling Your Story Who? Who do you serve What? What is AT Reuse Where? Where does the program take place When? When is your service needed Why? Why is your service important Client Stories are Critical

20. Social Media Snapshot Week One June 21 - share a recipient story June 22 - share your greatest need at that moment June 23 - Did you know? … something about what you do June 24 - Share a snippet about your history June 25 - Share a volunteer story June 26 - Post something that relates to this day in history June 27 – Share a client’s story

21. Social Media Snapshot Week Two June 28 – Share a common interest link June 29 – Share an employee story June 30 – Share a fact about your work that relates to a client July 1 – Share a story about something fun that’s going on in your community July 2 – Share a client story July 3 – Share a donor story July 4 – Share a story about the holiday

22. Example Post Urgent NEED. Hello friends, supporters, community members! We are in need of wheelchairs! Our supply is extremely low and we will not be able to serve clients in need of wheelchairs. If you have one hiding in your garage, or in a closet, please call us for a pick up, or drop it off at our warehouse. If you would like to contribute toward the purchase of a new wheelchair to be given to a person in need, please click on this donation link. The average cost of a new wheelchair is $200. Http://www.projectmend.org Http://www.projectmend.org ‪#‎DONATE‬ ‪#‎DONATE‬ ‪#‎MOBILITY‬ ‪#‎MOVE‬ ‪#‎PROJECTMEND‬ ‪#‎MOBILITY‬ ‪#‎MOVE‬ ‪#‎PROJECTMEND‬

23. Example Post Meet John. John is a dedicated Project MEND volunteer. He is retired, and loves volunteering at Project MEND repairing rollators. His background in bicycle repairs makes him perfect for the job. Recently, he got his own "office" at our warehouse where he is in charge of refurbishing used donated rollators to be issued to clients who are in need of a mobility device. ‪#‎MOVE‬ ‪#‎MOBILITY‬ ‪ ‪#‎MOVE‬ ‪#‎MOBILITY‬ ‪ #‎PROJECTMEND‬ #‎PROJECTMEND‬ ‪#‎MEND‬ ‪#‎MEND‬

24. Example Post Julia lives with chronic pain and immobility due to the longterm effects of diabetes. Her legs simply no longer work. A social worker from ARC suggested that Julia reach out to Project MEND. We provided Julia with a wheelchair and her mobility improved immediately. Julia says that without her wheelchair she wouldn't be able to do anything, not even in her house. "I would be stuck in bed and at home all the time." In addition to the wheelchair, we were also able to assist Julia in getting diabetic shoes. ‪#‎MEND‬ ‪#‎MOVE‬ ‪#‎MOBILITY‬ ‪#‎PROJECTMEND‬ ‪#‎MEND‬ ‪#‎MOVE‬ ‪#‎MOBILITY‬ ‪#‎PROJECTMEND‬

25. Marketing through Fundraising Events

26. Fundraising Events aren’t just Galas Year-end giving campaign Program-specific events (Veteran’s event) Open Houses Volunteer appreciation events Volunteer recruitment events Specific need drives Smaller gatherings i.e. Salons, tours of your facility, etc. Galas (Toast of the Town) Capital Campaigns

27. Client Stories Create a story bank Every client has a story Get your clients to sign a release that you can use their story Get pictures of clients during their appointment or when they are getting their medical equipment Ask clients, in their own words, what the medical equipment means to them and how it will change their life Create video collages of clients Hire someone to professionally write the best client stories Hire someone to produce a video that reaches people at the emotional level

28. Brand everything, everywhere It doesn’t have to look like your Logo “vomited” in the room! Create a tag line and incorporate it in your language when you talk about your organization… Mobility, Independence, Quality of life Give people opportunities to “share,” retweet, snapchat, etc. Create a theme for your major events and build on that theme every year… don’t randomly pick a theme.

29. Community Outreach

30. Build A Media Kit Include: Fact sheet Organization history Client testimonials Contacts Most recent news releases Bios on the executive director and board chair Photos

31. Build Awareness Business Cards with quick, simple information about the agency Board of Directors Clients Home Health Agencies DME Companies Other nonprofit agencies Events Local Chambers, Rotary, Lion’s Club, etc. Distributed to EVERYONE!

32. Be Everywhere Community Events Health Fairs ADA Celebrations Senior Resource Events Veteran Activities Schools Government Activities City / County / State Proclamations Awards Local and State award nominations

33. Network, Network, Network Independent Living Communities Associations Social WorkersCase ManagersNurses Medical Society Real Estate Professional Clubs Rotary, Jaycees, Lions Chamber of Commerce Neighborhood associations Nonprofit Agencies Goodwill Salvation Army Catholic Charities Area Agencies on Aging

34. Discussion Questions Ideas to share Successes Utter Failures