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Catholic Charities is one of the largest and longest-running social service organizations in Arizona with some 600 employees that serve more than 210,000 people in need every year. So, what was the problem? The public didn’t know much about the organization and we wanted to find out why. Our team conducted market research using focus groups and interviews with community leaders. We found out that the general public associated the previous name—Catholic Social Service—with a governmental organization, not a charity.

The solution: we aligned the nonprofit closer with its national parent organization, Catholic Charities USA. In January 2006, Catholic Social Service became Catholic Charities, and we launched a major public relations campaign to get the word out.

The results have been astounding. The amount of news coverage Catholic Charities received grew exponentially. In 2005, the organization received relatively little coverage, amassing a total PR value of about $370,000 for all 55 programs in Northern and Central Arizona. During the first six months of 2006 alone, Catholic Charities enjoyed media coverage valued at more than $1.04 million, nearly triple the PR value for the entire 12 months of 2005. We accomplished this by focusing on Catholic Charities’ key programs and results achieved by the organization, often tying these programs to issues of current concern in the public domain. We also secured regular features and news articles in both print and TV media. For instance, during May, National Foster Care Awareness Month, we were able to get Catholic Charities’ foster care program featured on KTVK-TV Channel 3, in addition to several local newspapers. The employees, clients, donors and general public are now taking notice and the once “nameless” organization is becoming a regular name in the media and is now recognized as a leader in caring for the poor and disadvantaged in Arizona.

Watch the full 10 minute Catholic Charities video WMV - 39.3 MB