Community Housing Partnerships: Reaching More Donors and Raising More Money
Community Housing Partnership (CHP) is the only San Francisco nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to providing permanent, supportive housing to formerly homeless individuals and families. CHP develops and operates high quality permanent affordable housing, integrating optional support services, job training and community organizing. CHP strives to break the cycle of homelessness by strengthening community, encouraging self-determination and involving tenants in every aspect of the organization.
Zeke Weiner, Development and Communications Director, believes there were several keys to CHP's 2010 Fundraising Challenge success:
- CHP focused on building and strengthening relationships with some of their key donors (yea, relationships!)
- They took their year-end fundraising ask online-- a small idea that produced major results. 2010’s online fundraising ask reached more than 13,000 people. (11,500 more than they had received by just mailing their ask--and their donations more than doubled!)
- Zeke also believes that by putting together some dynamic materials reflecting the organization’s most vital impact areas, paired with a year of increased media attention in San Francisco, people recognized the great work CHP was doing and were more likely to give.
To garner media attentions and to highlight their twentieth anniversary of success in addressing the crisis of homelessness, CHP launched a new marketing tool in 2010. Rather than produce a lengthy organization history video to show at their annual event, CHP used the same resources to produce a high-impact 30-second PSA to tell the story of their work clearly, concisely, and compellingly.
With concerted publicity that got the PSA placed on major TV outlets, mentioned in media commentators’ articles, and placed as a featured video on YouTube, Community Housing Partnership managed to expand its recognition significantly. Their first PSA was so successful that they’re producing a second right now. Visit their website, www.chp-sf.org, to view the commercial – take 30 seconds to see what CHP is all about.
