Silver
2023 Best Consumer-Activated Corporate Donation Initiative
Bringing Communities Together In Nature - Sun Outdoors &
National Park Foundation
Sun Outdoors and the National Parks Foundation joined forces in 2022 to bring awareness and funds to America’s National Parks by capitalizing on Sun Outdoors’ customers’ interest in camping, RV experiences, and cabin camping.
OBJECTIVE
Sun Outdoors offers more than 170 locations for RV, cabin and tent camping with resort-style amenities, many around national parks. Sun Outdoors and the National Parks Foundation share a mission of ensuring that all people enjoy, feel connected to and create relationships with the great outdoors, especially America’s parks. The NPF has seven mission pillars, and its Outdoor Exploration pillar helps ensure all people see themselves in parks and feel welcome there. That is where the two organizations focused.
METHOD
Sun Outdoors and NPF partnered to offer consumers three opportunities to leverage their camping experience in support of outdoor exploration:
- Each time a customer in the Sun Outdoors loyalty program reached a new level, Sun Outdoors donated $25 to the National Parks Foundation.
- During National Parks Week, Sun Outdoors rebranded and donated $2 to the NPF for each like, share or comment of the Sun Outdoors Facebook posts. During the same time period, $10 was also donated to the NPF for all reservations made.
- Between Black Friday and Giving Tuesday, 5 percent of every Sun Outdoors reservation was donated to NPF.
By appealing to consumers who already have an affinity for outdoor recreation, Sun Outdoors and NPF’s partnership allowed NPF to strengthen relationships with outdoor enthusiasts. This collaborative campaign informed Sun Outdoors customers of the company’s support of NPF and why that support is critical to ensuring all people feel welcome in our parks. The campaign also invited customers to personally engage in NPF’s mission through their own purchasing power.
RESULTS
Throughout the year, Sun Outdoors used campaign messaging to keep consumers up to date on the mission, and the importance of ensuring that all people have access to public lands. Consumers responded with a 35 percent open rate of emails that included info on the Sun Outdoors partnership with NPF and how each consumer can support the cause. Two million social media impressions were garnered across all three donation opportunities, and $233,000+ was raised. Most telling may be the 16 percent increase in new customers during the Black Friday through Giving Tuesday “Get Out. Give Back” donation opportunity.
Across the three donation opportunities, Sun Outdoors earned over 2 million social media impressions and an above average email open rate of 34.5 percent. The $250,000 annual commitment from Sun Outdoors allowed NPF to fund 8+ ParkVentures grants in 2022-the program’s inaugural year.
CAMPAIGN GALLERY
