Wings of Change
Inspired by constituent research and a PSA campaign, Easter Seals finds a new, donor-centric voice.
August 2006 By Abny Santicola
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Easter Seals. Everybody knows what it does, right? After all, it’s been around almost 90 years, and it has an instantly recognizable brand that’s been valued at upward of $5 billion.
But rewind to 2004, when the much-loved Chicago-based organization had just wrapped up a research project it embarked on to create a public service announcement campaign.
With more than 550 affiliates around the country, Easter Seals provides lifestyle-enhancing services to children and adults with disabilities. The project’s goal was to gain a better understanding of its donors, their motivations for giving and involvement, and how they relate to the Easter Seals brand — sentiments that then were to be incorporated into the campaign’s messaging.
“Typically in the past, as probably most nonprofits do, we would sit around and decide, ‘What do we need to tell people about our organization, what do we need to tell them about our cause, what do we need to tell them about people with disabilities and the services that Easter Seals provides?’ And this time we turned the tables to say, ‘Let’s hear what they say. What are they saying about us and what are their motivations?’” says Jeanne Sowa, senior vice president of marketing and corporate relations for the organization.
“One of the first things in marketing is if you’re going to communicate with somebody, you need to hear what they have to say first, so you can communicate in ways that resonate with them,” she says.
Over 18 months, Easter Seals had worked with Chicago-based brand consultancy BrandTrust to conduct one-on-one research and Internet surveys of philanthropically minded consumers and its own donors. And the information they gathered was surprising.
The research yielded two major findings — one practical and one emotional, says Sowa, who oversees messaging and brand positioning for the organization. On the practical side, it found that while participants had a great deal of trust in the organization, they weren’t sure what it actually did.
“They would say, ‘Yes, Easter Seals is a great organization. I’ve given to them for years. They do a lot of good.’ But when probed, they couldn’t articulate very well what we did,” Sowa says.
Recognizing the need for stronger branding, Easter Seals partnered with Minneapolis-based advertising agency Campbell Mithun to overhaul its logo in a way that brought it back to its roots. Founded in 1919 by Ohio businessman Edgar Allen and originally named the National Society for Crippled Children, the organization launched in spring 1934 its first-ever fundraising campaign, which featured stamps that donors could place on envelopes and letters to show their support. The stamp campaign became an annual event; soon, thanks to the ongoing and overwhelming support it received from the public, the organization underwent a nationwide expansion.
But rewind to 2004, when the much-loved Chicago-based organization had just wrapped up a research project it embarked on to create a public service announcement campaign.
With more than 550 affiliates around the country, Easter Seals provides lifestyle-enhancing services to children and adults with disabilities. The project’s goal was to gain a better understanding of its donors, their motivations for giving and involvement, and how they relate to the Easter Seals brand — sentiments that then were to be incorporated into the campaign’s messaging.
“Typically in the past, as probably most nonprofits do, we would sit around and decide, ‘What do we need to tell people about our organization, what do we need to tell them about our cause, what do we need to tell them about people with disabilities and the services that Easter Seals provides?’ And this time we turned the tables to say, ‘Let’s hear what they say. What are they saying about us and what are their motivations?’” says Jeanne Sowa, senior vice president of marketing and corporate relations for the organization.
“One of the first things in marketing is if you’re going to communicate with somebody, you need to hear what they have to say first, so you can communicate in ways that resonate with them,” she says.
Over 18 months, Easter Seals had worked with Chicago-based brand consultancy BrandTrust to conduct one-on-one research and Internet surveys of philanthropically minded consumers and its own donors. And the information they gathered was surprising.
The research yielded two major findings — one practical and one emotional, says Sowa, who oversees messaging and brand positioning for the organization. On the practical side, it found that while participants had a great deal of trust in the organization, they weren’t sure what it actually did.
“They would say, ‘Yes, Easter Seals is a great organization. I’ve given to them for years. They do a lot of good.’ But when probed, they couldn’t articulate very well what we did,” Sowa says.
Recognizing the need for stronger branding, Easter Seals partnered with Minneapolis-based advertising agency Campbell Mithun to overhaul its logo in a way that brought it back to its roots. Founded in 1919 by Ohio businessman Edgar Allen and originally named the National Society for Crippled Children, the organization launched in spring 1934 its first-ever fundraising campaign, which featured stamps that donors could place on envelopes and letters to show their support. The stamp campaign became an annual event; soon, thanks to the ongoing and overwhelming support it received from the public, the organization underwent a nationwide expansion.
Easter Seals
230 West Monroe St., Suite 1800,
Chicago, IL 60606-4803
Phone: 312.726.6200
Web Site: www.easterseals.com
Annual Revenue: $812,692,000 (2004)
Contributed Income: $147,277,000 (2004)
Mission: Easter Seals provides exceptional services to ensure that all people with disabilities or special needs and their families have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities.
Founded: In 1919 by Edgar Allen, an Ohio businessman, as the Ohio Society for Crippled Children — the first organization of its kind to help children with disabilities. It was renamed Easter Seals in 1967.
Services Provided: Medical rehabilitation; job training and employment; child care; adult day services; and camping and recreation.
230 West Monroe St., Suite 1800,
Chicago, IL 60606-4803
Phone: 312.726.6200
Web Site: www.easterseals.com
Annual Revenue: $812,692,000 (2004)
Contributed Income: $147,277,000 (2004)
Mission: Easter Seals provides exceptional services to ensure that all people with disabilities or special needs and their families have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities.
Founded: In 1919 by Edgar Allen, an Ohio businessman, as the Ohio Society for Crippled Children — the first organization of its kind to help children with disabilities. It was renamed Easter Seals in 1967.
Services Provided: Medical rehabilitation; job training and employment; child care; adult day services; and camping and recreation.
Companies Mentioned:
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Art & Science of Multichannel Fundraising
