Nonprofit Multi-Channel Digital Campaign
Top 3 Takeaways
Digital Cultivation Campaign from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Purpose of campaigns don’t always need to focus on fundraising. Goals should also include cultivation and awareness.
Use a microsite to direct multi-channel traffic to the campaign
Repurpose and adapt content on different channels to continue promoting the campaign
Transcript
People across the nation have seen and felt an impact in their life because of this organization. Patients, survivors and supporters fill each state. They all have a personal story to share.
Like the stories, this campaign takes you to many different places from, website, to email, to social media and back again. At the heart, though, is hope. Grab your Big Gulp and buckle up, it’s time to take a trip Behind the Campaign.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
The United States of St. Jude campaign is from none other than St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
For those unfamiliar with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, their mission is to find cures and prevent life-threatening diseases. They do this through research and treatment. Their founder, Danny Thomas, said “no child should die in the dawn of life.”
Families never receive a bill from St. Jude. Generous supporters cover treatment, travel, housing and food so no family has to pay. Since the 1960s, St. Jude has helped to increase the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80%.
Before getting into some of the great designs and experiences St. Jude provides, I need to mention the goals and purpose of the campaign.
St. Jude focuses on two main goals. The first goal is cultivation. This campaign shows its impact through the years and across the U.S. They build relationships with people, developing loyalty with current and future supporters.
The other goal is brand awareness. St. Jude uses this campaign to expand their reach and explain more about the work they do.
I imagine they will increase donations through this campaign, though it is not their main objective. As you will see, they make subtle donation asks on the website pages and email.
With any good digital campaign, we will start with the website.
Microsite - United States of St. Jude
This website is a microsite. It exists separately from the St. Jude main website to highlight this campaign. Why use a microsite instead of the main website? It is easier to find detailed information related to the campaign. The main website has too many options and people will wander and get lost.
When you first arrive, this entry page welcomes you and explains the reason for the website. I also love the outline button design, it is a nice touch.
Start the journey and each state is highlighted when you move the cursor over them. A brief summary appears for some context. Each state features a story, some you read and others you watch. They include more stories at the end of the feature story.
They also add a way to interact with the pages. If you like the story click the heart, over here. This is, one, a great way to get people to engage on the website. Two, it provides social proof for the stories. People will read stories that others have liked. This also is a great way for St. Jude to see which stories get more reactions. It helps them know which ones to post on social media or email.
Now, we will travel to the email.
Email - United States of St. Jude
St Jude has an intriguing subject line, whether you know about the website or not. How can I virtually tour the US? Makes me want to open and read more. They explain more about the email with a hidden preheader.
Love the use of a gif. The image toggles through a map of the United States and people from different states. Organizations use gifs to add to the message in a fun and clever way. Gifs in emails produce higher click rates.
This is a letter-style email and they begin with first name personalization.
The email explains the United States of St. Jude campaign. Stories that inspire. If you feel overwhelmed by the options, they recommend you read about your state first. Then explore the rest of the map.
They close the email by making it about the reader. It is not only about inspiration. It is about finding people like you who make it all possible. They even bold this one statement to make it stand out.
The main goal of the email is to direct people to the website and read stories. St. Jude adds a donation box at the end of the email. This is great for current supporters who know about the research hospital and who will give without having to go to the website first.
Time to make a stop to view their social media posts.
Social Media - United States of St. Jude
St. Jude uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to promote this campaign, cultivate relationships and build brand awareness.
A recent study found that people spend about 2 and a half hours on social media every day. Nearly half (45%) of people spend their time on social media for brand research. Meaning people are looking at nonprofit pages and posts and making decisions based on what they see. This is why part of a good cultivation strategy includes posting regularly on social media.
Even before the launch of the website, they posted about it on social media to build excitement. On each social media site they posted a short promo video.
Then they posted about it again on the day of the launch.
The copy on each site is different. It is important to remember to write and adapt copy for each platform. The audiences and intent defer.
Twitter and Facebook the tone is conversational and light. They use a professional tone for posts on LinkedIn.
The purpose and call to action is the same with all posts. St. Jude changed the copy slightly to better speak to the expectations of each audience.
St. Jude uses two hashtags for this campaign #UnitedStatesofStJude and #StJudeInspire. This makes it easy for others to get involved and share posts on their pages.
At the beginning of the campaign St. Jude directed supporters to the website. In the following weeks, they continue to post about the campaign but now it focuses on the individual stories. The posts have more images
Not all their posts on social media highlight this campaign. They post enough about it to keep people engaged and direct them back to the website.
Conclusion
St Jude Children’s Research Hospital has put together a digital campaign that builds relationships and develops loyalty and trust. Most of all the campaign inspires. As a result of the United States of St Jude campaign they will see an increase in new supporters. Supporters willing to get involved, to share, to promote, and to donate, now and in the future. It is a long trek for an individual new to an organization to become a regular supporter.
We finished the trip. Hopefully, you didn’t need to yell at the kids too many times. This campaign is one stop on that all important journey.
Bravo, St Jude Research Hospital for the inspiring United States of St. Jude campaign. Bravo!
