The challenge: Social Venture Partners was presenting its second competition for social entrepreneurs, but would successful ticket sales and great attendance repeat? The stakeholders: 100+ entrepreneurs, mentors, judges, and investors. The purpose: Build awareness of Social Innovation Fast Pitch (SIFP), increase the quality of applicants, grow the pool of grant and seed money, drive sufficient ticket sales so the event covered costs. The creative challenge was to make the story of impact investing and social entrepreneurship compelling. So we created a marketing plan to engage our audience through social media, online advertising, radio, and other earned media. The result: I pitched and secured a short segment on nationwide TV through Al Jazeera America. And there was a marked improvement in the quality of applicants, attendance was strong, more investors participated and the program became financially sustainable.
