Paralyzed Veterans of America Mission: ABLE

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), a veterans’ service organization dedicated to maximizing the quality of life for its members and all Americans living with Spinal Cord Injury/Disease (SCI/D), enlisted Cone in late 2009 to create a multifaceted, sustainable national fundraising and awareness campaign to expand and diversify consumer and corporate support. The campaign needed to grow PVA’s aging donor base, evolve the organization’s heavy reliance on direct mail fundraising and expand upon its limited and undefined corporate partnership opportunities.

To build national awareness and increase online engagement, Cone focused on the following elements:

• Push Period Message Optimization: Developed communications and messaging plan to focus promotional efforts around relevant, patriotic times (e.g., Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Veterans Day).
• National Public Awareness Campaign: Developed TV, print and radio messaging to raise awareness about the program and drive visitors to the Mission: ABLE microsite.
• Major Market OpEds: Released OpEd series by PVA experts and executives to increase support for paralyzed veterans and promote Mission: ABLE as the next phase in PVA’s efforts to empower its members.
• PVA Awareness Week Events: Infused the Mission: ABLE messaging into existing local chapter events, including sports circuits and open houses.
• Diverse Communication Channels: Included Mission: ABLE content in existing efforts, including: PVA’s website, annual report, e-newsletter, direct mail pieces and ongoing PR/media outreach.
• Mission: ABLE microsite: Created a hub for campaign activities, promoted throught PVA materials and communication channels.
• Engagement Mission Briefing: Created step-based activity list to recruit participants to take increasingly more intensive actions on behalf of Mission: ABLE.
  

Mission: ABLE launched in April 2010 with the following results:

• Developed an overarching campaign identity, brand messaging guidelines and corporate sponsorship strategy
• Created buy-in materials for overarching campaign to introduce PVA’s 19,000 members, PVA’s executive leadership and board of directors to Mission: ABLE
• Develop corporate sponsorship strategy and sales presentations
• Secured more than 6 meetings within first two weeks of program soft-launch
• Secured multiple NASCAR celebrities and influentials to promote Mission:ABLE, including: Richard Petty, Kasey Kahne and Elliot Sadler
• Developed integrated plan to launch campaign during National PVA Week in mid-April
• Finalized lead partnership with Sprint in which the sponsor will coordinate efforts to raise awareness for Mission: ABLE at NASCAR races on 4^th of July and Veterans Day weekends
• Secured promotional partnership with rock band O.A.R., in which the band is donating the proceeds of their latest hit, “Light Switch Sky,” to Mission: ABLE