Division B - Printed Tools of Public Relations
Category 2 - Annual Report
A Place Of Hope …
Heather Biddulph, Simone Kassianides, Cindy Marfori
Award of Distinction
Judges' Award
Research/Situation Analysis:
For domestic violence (DV) victims, Harbor House – Orange County’s
Center Against Domestic Violence – offers protection, empowerment and
safety. Sheltering more than 1,000 women and children each year,
counseling more than 900 survivors, and assisting with more than 4,000
court injunctions – Harbor House (HH) is the only facility in Orange
County that provides these life-saving services. But, in recent years,
cuts in funding prevented HH from effectively communicating its message
of assistance and prevention. Meanwhile, DV occurrences continued at
alarming rates. Statistics indicate one in four adults in intimate
partner relationships will be abused. Statewide, Orange County ranked
second for DV-related murders and HH was forced to turn away more than
1,000 survivors seeking shelter. In addition to empowering survivors to
reclaim their lives, HH educates the community in hopes of preventing
DV and generating awareness.
HH has never distributed a formal
year-end summary. (In 2005, HH created one; however, it was poorly
written and designed, so it chose not to distribute the report.) In
2006, as part of a strategic communications plan, HH hoped to create a
professional annual report that people would want to read; however, no
funds had been set aside for this tool. Costa DeVault (CD) agreed to
produce HH’s annual report pro bono. Prior to creating the report, CD
interviewed HH staff to make strategic content recommendations. In
addition, we interviewed a survivor to communicate an emotional,
real-life situation.
Objectives: To 1) create a piece that could
double as a year-round marketing tool and an annual report; 2)
communicate key messages identified in the marketing plan targeting
decision makers, donors and media; 3) design a piece that conveyed the
seriousness of the subject matter in an inviting manner; and 4)
generate awareness that would increase in-kind donations and volunteers
by at least 50%.
Implementation: Before beginning the annual
report, we had to figure out how to produce it on a shoe-string budget.
After approaching a commercial printer to assist with production, CD
developed an attention-grabbing, inviting piece that conveyed a serious
message. We chose a refreshing color palette – complementing the yellow
and purple from HH’s logo with green, orange and blue accents. Bright,
warm illustrations contrasted the dramatic, serious black and white
photos – which conveyed the topic’s serious nature. Dreamlike imagery
painted a picture of a better life.
The annual report opened to a
letter from the executive director and the Board president, which
explained the need for community unity and support. Each subsequent
headline – and corresponding article – reinforced HH as a place to go
for hope, healing, peace, and a new start. Based on our discussions
with staff and informal research, we concluded the community didn’t
realize the vast array of services HH offers. As a result, the first
article gave readers an overview of HH’s services and statistics about
the number of people served the previous year. In the second article,
KB Home’s donation of a second shelter was featured. This article also
revealed HH’s long-term site plans and explained the need for
additional financial support from community partners. Next, survivor
Ann Marie recounted her domestic violence experience and explained how
HH had saved her many times and was always willing to stand by her.
Finally, the report closed with financial information and a list of
contributors. The annual report was distributed to community leaders,
politicians, volunteers and donors (both current and potential).
Evaluation: Cost-effective and commanding, the
annual report met all the objectives. HH received positive feedback
about the design of the report – specifically the balance between the
serious subject matter and the inspirational, approachable design. The
content incorporated the key messages identified in the communications
plan. By using the piece as a marketing tool as well as an annual
report, Harbor House was able expand its reach – sharing its message
with a broad, influential audience. The annual report was an integral
component of a campaign that significantly increased awareness within
the community, as illustrated by additional volunteer hours logged
(123% increase) and in-kind donations (162% increase). To date, FY
2006-2007 in-kind donations are valued at more than $250,000 – compared
to just $94,000 in all of FY 2005-2006. In the words of HH’s
Development Director, “These numbers are incredible. I hope everyone at
Costa DeVault truly knows what a difference you’ve made.”
Budget: HH did not budget anything for the
creation of an annual report. CD donated all its creative, writing and
design services – totaling more than $7,500 of pro bono work. HH did,
however, have a modest printing budget. Therefore, CD secured
significantly reduced printing on behalf of HH – less than $2,000 for
1,000 copies of the 10-page, four-color annual report. Raising
awareness about domestic violence and setting a new standard for Harbor
House’s image – at less than a quarter the market rate – the annual
report proved to be an enormous value and a highly successful marketing
tool.