Opportunity
Bob Hellman and his family donated $75,000 to help build a youth ballpark near his childhood home in Waterloo, Iowa. The ballpark was a hit. He realized that if he and other community-minded citizens could build a ballpark there, then a ballpark could be built anywhere there is a need. So Bob established Build Our Ballpark, a nonprofit organization that helps build and restore ballparks across the country.
Strategy
The Hellman ad agency created a big-league brand identity for the start-up Build Our Ballpark, establishing instant credibility. Then the Hellman PR department took the field to pitch stories about the nonprofit and its upcoming projects.
Solution
Build Our Ballpark has been a hit with grantors and donors too, thanks to ongoing public relations and grant-writing efforts. In 2010, the Black Hawk County Gaming Association awarded $50,000 to the Dane Complex in Waterloo. Also in 2010, Hellman family members rode hundreds of miles across Iowa on their bikes to raise money and awareness. In 2009, Tibbitts Complex in Waterloo was chosen as one of 30 youth fields to receive a $15,000 renovation grant through the Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Plant-A-Seed Promotion. It was among thousands of nominations and won, in part, due to receiving 25,000 online votes.
