Membership, Nonprofits, Economic Development
A statewide membership organization dedicated to serving the diverse nonprofit sector through advocacy, training, and resources, MNA serves nonprofits to advance their missions.
Challenge
Reaching the undercounted on the 2020 Census.
When everybody counts, everyone wins! We worked with Michigan Nonprofit Association on its “Census 2020 Michigan Nonprofits Count” campaign to reach historically undercounted populations across Michigan to educate, engage and empower them to fill out the 2020 census. Knowing that one of the barriers to census participation was fear, we shared how the census is secure, and why everyone's participation is critically important to receive public funding that benefits their communities.
our process
An integrated approach.
This involved two parts: a nonprofit-focused campaign with a BeCountedMI2020.com microsite that offered resources for nonprofits to use in reaching and educating their constituents, plus a consumer campaign that used targeted print, digital and social content to reach historically undercounted populations and drive them to the MIVoiceCounts.org microsite to learn more. This fully integrated campaign included media relations, digital and social advertising, radio and TV commercials, billboards, collateral and more.
Public & Media Relations
Quality versus Quantity
Our campaign reached people through the media they read and watched -- trusted sources in their communities. This hyper-targeted media relations campaign, launched during an all-time high of government distrust, included messaging around the importance of the census as well as a tie to COVID-19. It generated 38 million earned media impressions.
Web Design & Development
Two informative microsites
We developed not one, but two great sites for the census. We launched BeCountedMI2020.com so census “hubs” -- trusted organizations within the communities – could provide their stakeholders and constituents with credible information about the census. We later launched MIVoiceCounts.org, a public-facing site that educated people about the importance of the census and encouraged them to fill it out.
Social Media & Content Marketing
A team, a Mosaic
We encouraged people around the state to submit photos of themselves for a “social media mosaic.” Launched Jan. 1 and completed April 1 -- Census Day -- the mosaic was shared on MNA’s social media channels to raise awareness about the census.
Video Production & Editing
Multi lingual in varying locations
We developed a series of videos that showed how the census helps to support important programs for adults and children. The videos ran on broadcast and cable television, Hulu, Gas Station TV, social media and in Secretary of State branch offices. The videos centered on medical, school and food programs; roads and bridges; workforce development; and confidentiality.
Award Winning!
Marketing & Advertising
Myriad resources
Through 23 distinct and different media, we reached the historically undercounted populations where they lived, worked and shopped. The hyper-local campaign included billboards, digital ads, posters, yard signs and even the back of cash register receipts.
