Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre
Lives Begin
The Calgary Drop-in & Rehab Centre is a local non-profit organization that has been serving Calgary for over 50 years. Often referred to as ‘The DI’, it is the largest organization of its kind in North America. In order to bring in donations during the holiday season and create awareness about homelessness, our team created a compelling multimedia strategy centered around a powerful video. This approach tackled the societal issues and misconceptions surrounding people experiencing homelessness. The result was a large increase in donations, even though the city was experiencing a heavy economic downturn in the province.
The Challenge
Every year the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre runs a holiday campaign. This particular year, Calgary was in the middle of an economic downturn meaning the DI needed more support than ever, but also that people weren’t able to donate like they usually could. They needed a campaign that would not only convince Calgarians to donate, but also that would raise awareness about homelessness in our city.
People aren't born on the street
Our team came together and settled on a direction and artistic tone for a video depicting the story of how homelessness begins and how it can also come to an end. In preparation for the shoot we created custom camera rigs and started casting, making sure to include people from the DI community. We also created a custom designed website oriented towards the goal of donation and executed a television and digital marketing campaign that reached thousands of Calgarians.
Helping to make giving contagious.
A Spotlight On Homelessness
Despite the challenge of the economic climate in Calgary, the DI experienced one of the most successful donation campaigns ever. Our diverse content reached thousands of Calgarians on multiple platforms, delivering an ROI in two key areas – donations and awareness. Not only did the DI see their donations increase, a conversation was started throughout Calgary about homelessness in our city.
Views
630,000
online & broadcast
Engagement
Website traffic
increase of 69%
Donations
3X
industry average.