[ THE SITUATION ]

  • OPERATIONAL LEAD: U.S. Army Central California Recruiting Battalion
  • SECTOR: Military / Community Relations / Event Logistics
  • TIMELINE: November – December 2023

The U.S. Army Central California Recruiting Battalion manages a complex Area of Operations spanning 48,549 square miles, encompassing 6 recruiting companies and 33 stations. Partnering with Operation Homefront, the battalion secured holiday relief for military families, resulting in a surplus of 1,800 physical toy assets. I was tasked with leveraging this physical surplus into a high-visibility, zero-budget community relations campaign to drive local brand awareness.

Having overseen last year’s toy drive and through personal contacts, I expanded this year’s drive from one organization to three different organizations. I chose Valley Children’s Hospital Child Life Program, Boys & Girls Club of Sequoias, and The Open-Door Network, a non-profit organization helping homeless people. There was no budget as toys were donated and the timeline was November to December of 2023

GOALS

From there, my goals were to;

  • Build a relationship a relationship with all three organizations by donating toys to each.
  • Gain positive local brand awareness for the battalion within the Central Valley.
STRATEGY

Below are the tactics that were used.

  • Social Media: I created a social media post after the donation that showed U.S. Army recruiters donating toys to each of the organizations. I then strategically shared that post on 16 different Facebook and Instagram accounts within the Central Valley.
  • Social Media Influencer: I had Valley Children’s Hospital share photos from the donation to their followers on their Facebook account (62K followers).
  • Event Management & Logistics: After speaking with both Fresno and Bakersfield Recruiting Company leadership, I organized a one-day trip where I drove with 1,200 toys in my car from Bakersfield to Fresno, where I met with local recruiters in each city at each of the organizations.
  • Event Photography: At each toy drop-off, I met with local recruiters, and had them take photos with each organization’s representatives.
  • Media Relations: After the event, I pitched local media in both the Fresno and Bakersfield area.
RESULTS

Below were the final results.

Community Relations: we were able to donate 400 toys each to each organization. An extra surprise was The Open-Door Network wants to work together with the local Bakersfield Army Recruiters. So, by donating toys to them, we were able to open a new contact in Bakersfield.

 

Media Relations: A large media outlet called KMPH Fox26 was able to cover the event and post on their website a few days before Christmas.

 

Overall, it was a very successful event. The Battalion Commander was very happy with the results and we are already making plans to make the donation event bigger this year.

AWARDS

This campaign won an award in 2024.

  • Public Relations Society of America “Image Awards” – Award of Excellence: Community Relations