Do you feel your blood pressure rise just before you hit send on your e-mail campaign? Relax. The kind folks over at Vertical Response just provided a handy, dandy checklist for those of you utilizing e-marketing campaign tools. This should help keep your health in check and your e-mails too.
Trio recently had the opportunity to work with the Kiawah Island Community Association (KICA) to promote the purchase of Parcel 23 to their members. The purchase of this land will allow the association to secure a one-of-a-kind piece of real estate on the island. This plat of land is approximately 15.3 acres with natural buffers on all sides and home to a variety of native wildlife. This distinctive piece of real estate is the only one of its kind centrally located on the island. Unfortunately, this land is at risk of being developed and is presently zoned to accommodate up to 67 residential units. We are excited to know that KICA received their quorum of votes but we won’t know the outcome until after Dec. 18, 2008 at 5 p.m. The economy may hurt them in getting this passed but it will be nice to know that if it does pass, another large tract of land will be conserved and if developed in the future will be used for parks or however the property owners see fit.
Nashville, Tenn — Gabe’s Chemo Duck program, a program of the nonprofit organization, Gabe’s My Heart, is raising money to buy 500 stuffed ducks that will help children suffering from cancer. Lu Sipos, founder of Gabe’s My Heart, created Chemo Duck in an effort to help her son, Gabe through his battle against cancer. Chemo Duck is a stuffed yellow duck dressed in blue hospital scrubs with a bandana around its head, a chemotherapy port on its chest and an immobilizer on his arm. Sipos wanted to help her son understand what was happening to him, as life quickly became a never-ending round of doctor and hospital visits. This month marks the 5-year anniversary of Gabe being cancer-free and to celebrate, Gabe wants to give Chemo Ducks to other children dealing with the disease in hopes of bringing a sense of comfort during a very difficult of time. To help Gabe this holiday season, visit www.chemoduck.org and sponsor a duck for a child in need for only $25.
Chemo Duck has become a powerful and therapeutic teaching tool to familiarize thousands of children around the world with cancer protocol and procedures. The goal of Gabe’s Chemo Duck program is to enable hospital staff and parents throughout the country to prepare children for chemotherapy treatment and eliminate the fear of the unknown. In a gentle, age-appropriate manner, children are exposed to life during cancer treatment and now have a friend so share the experience with. In turn, children can use Chemo Duck to help friends, siblings and classmates to understand and empathize with their experience.
“My son was so young when we received his diagnosis and it was very hard for me to explain what was happening to him,” explains Sipos. “Gabe obviously didn’t know the medical terms and was very afraid of the medical equipment. But when Chemo Duck arrived and we began doing role-play with it, Gabe quickly began to understand the procedures and his fear subsided.”
Lu adds, “Thanks to the specialists at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville and with the help of Chemo Duck, my son was able to overcome a very traumatic time. And now that Gabe is a bit older, he realizes the importance that Chemo Duck played in his life and he wants nothing more than to give that gift to other children who are going through the same experience.”
Gabe’s My Heart, a Nashville-based nonprofit organization, was established in 2004 to provide education and comfort to children living with cancer through medical play using therapeutic tools. In addition, Gabe’s My Heart helps parents identify their role in their child’s recovery by offering them specific techniques to help them cope with this life-changing situation. To learn more about Gabe’s Chemo Duck program or Gabe’s My Heart, visit www.gabesmyheart.com.
A good friend just shared this with me. I think it’s worth posting to share with others.
McGraw-Hill Research: Research shows that maintaining, and even increasing, your marketing investment during an economic downturn is one of the best investments you can make. McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies from 1980-1985. The results showed that business-to-business firms that maintained or increased their marketing expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession realized significantly higher sales growth, both during the recession and for the following three years, than those that eliminated or decreased marketing. By 1985, sales for companies that were aggressively marketing during the recession years had risen 275%. Those companies that didn’t keep up their marketing grew just 19% in this same period. This fact has held true for all post-World War II recessions, starting in 1949, as studied by The American Business Press.
Finally, someone agrees with what I have been thinking for years. Stop with the acronyms! Bill Sweetland with Ragan.com outlined it perfectly. Read this article and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
October has arrived. Do you know what that means? Yes, crisp fall weather is on its way and it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll top last year’s Halloween costume. But more importantly, The Nonprofit Nook’s October workshop is just around the corner!
Join us on October 15 from 5:30 until 7 p.m. for our workshop on the benefits of setting up an annual marketing budget and how to measure your results. Great economy or horrible economy - these benefits are important to realize and put into action. Jessica Munday, president of Trio Solutions Inc., will be hosting the workshop and will discuss not only the benefits of a budget, but will also show how to measure your return on investment dollars, as well as how to monitor your budget. Visit The Nonprofit Nook to register or call us at (843) 216-0442 for more information.
We have been non-stop since 8 a.m. this morning and we are knocking projects out! I have completed the coupon book for LEEP and designed the Web site for Field to Families. We are continuing to finish up the design for Camp Good Times… many more hours ahead of us, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I can’t wait for everyone to see our finished products! They are going to be awesome! To see the clients reaction will be worth all the effort everyone is putting in tonight.
Are you into Twitter? Be sure to follow Trio Solutions Inc.’s CreateAthon progress. Lots of great creative juices flowing.
Trio Solutions is proud to be kicking off our annual CreateAthon project to benefit some of the Lowcountry’s most important nonprofits. We will be offering free marketing services to five local organizations who have little or no marketing budgets during a 24-hour, work around-the-clock creative blitz. This year’s projects include two Web sites, one logo, one communications plan and the design of a fundraising coupon book. All hands are on deck and we’re ready roll!
Congratulations to the 2008 CreateAthon beneficiaries:
Camp Good Times
Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy
Family Resource Center for Disabilities and Special Needs
Fields to Families
Lowcountry Environmental Education Programs (LEEP)
And many thanks to the 2008 CreateAthon team:
Brad Caricofe
Jennifer Cherock
Brian Dadin
Jordan Freeman
Roxanne Hicks
Nancy Lyons
Jessica Munday
The Cultigraphic Girls!
The Trio team is thrilled be supporting such worthwhile causes and we can’t wait to see what we come up with throughout the day and night!
December 29, 2008 
December 8, 2008 
October 2, 2008 
September 18, 2008