Advocacy starts in our communitiesWeber Shandwick is committed to supporting the communities in which it operates through pro-bono community outreach programs around the world. These efforts are an important part of our company culture and provide another way for our employees to deliver advocacy – in this case, for community organizations worldwide.
We recognize the significant contributions of our colleagues' pro-bono efforts, which are as varied and diverse as our offices, through Weber Shandwick | Making A Difference, our annual, internal awards program.
While all of the work submitted this year was impressive, we are proud to announce the three winning campaigns.
The Moyer Foundation: Camp Erin Awareness – Bringing Bereavement Camps to Kids Nationwide (Seattle) – Weber Shandwick's Seattle office partnered with The Moyer Foundation, a non-profit that serves the needs of children in distress, in December of 2007. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife Karen founded the organization. The couple enlisted Weber Shandwick to execute a nationwide launch of a program initiative for Camp Erin; bereavement camps for children and teens that have lost a loved one. The plan was to open camps in 10 new cities in 2008. Weber Shandwick began extensive research on bereavement trends to support the need for the expansion of Camp Erin. After conducting this research Weber Shandwick partnered with bereavement experts to strengthen Camp Erin's message. An appearance calendar was then created in conjunction with Major League Baseball's spring training and Moyer's regular season schedule with the Phillies. Weber Shandwick overcame all of these scheduling hurdles and successfully garnered over 40 million media impressions in local and national outlets, secured unsolicited donations of over $10,000 and raised both local and national awareness about Camp Erin and The Moyer Foundation.
Habitat for Humanity Australia: Bidwill Blitz Build (Sydney) – The need for affordable housing solutions in Australia has never been greater for the country has the most unaffordable housing in the English speaking world. Habitat for Humanity Australia (HFHA) decided to create a tangible solution to this problem by building a five-bedroom house for a deserving family in just 12 days. Weber Shandwick Australia was brought on board to showcase HFHA's mission and attract media attention to this project. Weber Shandwick's campaign focused on raising brand awareness and sharing the story of the 12 day build. This was accomplished through assertive pitching and the support of a National Rugby League team, the Wests Tigers. Through this outreach, the build received key broadcast placements on Australia's four main free-to-air channels. This translated into tangible results for HFHA. Inquiries from families seeking to become HFHA partner families dramatically increased, Web site hits more than doubled and the Australian housing minister agreed to meet with HFHA to discuss how they can work together to create more affordable housing.
War Child: Heroes Album Launch (London) – SLAM public relations partnered with two other PR agencies to work with War Child; an organization that works with children affected by war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. SLAM was asked to make War Child's compilation
Heroes CD the must have album of the year and ultimately drive sales. This task was part of a larger campaign surrounding
Heroes which included the promotion of limited edition Paul Smith t-shirts and a concert to raise money for the organization. SLAM positioned the compilation CD as the must have album of the year by issuing a press release and sending out sample tracks to a number of key music journalists. SLAM's efforts were a success for they secured War Child widespread coverage in a variety of prominent publications.
Other examples of Weber Shandwick's exceptional pro-bono work include:
- Citizen Schools: Citizen Schools Apprenticeship Program (Cambridge)
- David Ortiz Children's Fund: David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic (Cambridge)
- Fondazione De Gasperis: Il Cuore di Milano – “The Heart of Milan” (Milan)
- Habitat for Humanity: Increasing Awareness, Combating Poverty Housing (Singapore)
- Hedge Funds Care UK: Preventing and Treating Child Abuse (London)
- La Cocina: Food for Thought Workshops (San Francisco)
- Raisa Gorbachev Foundation: 3rd Annual White Tie Ball (London)
- Share Your Story: Philanthropy Day (Cambridge)
- STARBASE Minnesota: STARBASE: The best kept secret…until now. (Minneapolis)
Click
here for a snapshot of work Weber Shandwick has done over the years.