Media Relations for Red Shoe Day

The Challenge

Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego’s annual Red Shoe Day fundraiser poses an opportune moment to earn financial support and raise awareness of the organization’s mission – keeping families close to their hospitalized child. The community fundraiser features nearly 2,000 volunteers stationed at 150 major roadside intersections during the morning commute. NST was charged with researching, planning and implementing media and social media activities to ensure a successful 2016 event.

The Tactics

NST developed a plan that included heavy media relations, media partnership negotiation with KFMB and social media activation. To guarantee the charity’s mission was never omitted from media coverage, NST and the client identified families who had relied on the Ronald McDonald House’s services and used them in media outreach whenever possible.

For pre-event coverage, NST developed a press release to solicit volunteers and raise awareness of the event in key San Diego communities. This included reaching San Diego’s Spanish-speaking residents through Hispanic media outreach to Telemundo and Univision.

For day-of coverage, NST worked with the Ronald McDonald House to identify media-ready intersections where fundraising would be taking place and pitched local broadcast reporters to cover the event live. Additionally, NST pitched the event to traffic reporters using a news angle of commuters needing to be aware of activity on the streets.

For social media coverage, NST identified Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as opportunities to generate conversations about Red Shoe Day and the Ronald McDonald House. NST developed a social media promotion flier that was inserted into all volunteer training packets advocating for the nearly 2,000 volunteers to use the event hashtag and follow the charity on social media. NST managed social media accounts for the Ronald McDonald House leading up to the event and during the fundraiser.