Rebuilding Trust, Brick by Brick

It is with a heavy heart that the Brick by Brick Disaster Relief Association puts forth a new strategic communications plan which calls to action all volunteers and donors, nationally and internationally, to contribute to the relief efforts concerning Hurricane Harvey and Irma. We work with the ultimate goal of building back up the lives of the hurricane victims in Texas and Florida, “brick by brick”. Brick by Brick is a nonprofit organization founded by two college students from Boston University. It was launched in 2005 shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the lives of thousands in Louisiana.

Although the cooperative has grown to a sizeable organization with several hundreds of volunteers donating their time every hurricane season, we have come to find that while there is always a surplus of volunteers ready to donate their time and labor, there seems to be a lacking number of people who are inclined to partake in monetary donations.

After both quantitative and qualitative research was conducted via online surveys and focus groups, the media team at Brick by Brick has concluded that the lack of monetary donations is a result of a unanimous distrust in charity groups and an uncertainty surrounding the ultimate destination of where donors’ money will culminate. Brick by Brick has designed a media campaign to minimize cognitive uncertainty and cultivate an audience that is confident in its charity work.

At the heart of this campaign is a collaboration with Habitat for Humanity; a well known and highly esteemed charity organization who has already established a large loyal clientele. This collaboration will consist of a joint PR social media campaign. Through the use of our instagram, twitter, and facebook platforms, both Habitat for Humanity and Brick by Brick will tag it’s alternative in every social media post regarding efforts surrounding Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. In the captions, they will mention the opposing organization’s instagram handle and thank them for their help and contribution. T-shirts will be sold with the Hurricane Harvey/Irma relief effort campaign logo depicted on the front, with both the Habitat for Humanity and Brick by Brick logos on the back. The strategy behind this collaboration is to reduce uncertainty among the consumers by triggering a sense of schemata. In other words, Brick by Brick hopes to draw a psychological similarity between their charity organization and a previously understood credible organization.

The organization will launch a sponsorship program on its program campaign website. All families that were affected by the hurricanes and have registered for the sponsorship program can be found on the website with their own individual story. Donors can choose to donate to Brick by Brick and remain disassociated with the sponsorship program, or they can choose to help an individual family, and know exactly who their money is going to. Donors who donate over 100$ will receive a personal handwritten thank you note from the family. Communication privacy management will be a policy that is heavily considered moving forward with this branch of the campaign, and personal interviews put on the sponsorship page about the victims will only

include surface level personal information, as well as a description about how the family was directly affected by the hurricanes, as not to cross personal boundaries.

There will also be an online chat feature which can be found on the website for anyone who would like to talk to a Brick by Brick representative and receive more information about its services. This interactive strategy will be designed to speed the uncertainty reduction process and put all potential clients at ease with any doubts or hesitations they might have, using rhetorical logic as to feel out the most efficient way to reassure the audience.

Brick by Brick is also pleased to launch its first celebrity advocate program with a major name as its first ambassador leading the campaign: Miley Cyrus. We know through secondary research that well respected philanthropies like Habitat for Humanity have prominent positions as leading charity organizations because they are widely renowned and highly credible. Their large population of celebrity supporters (which is depicted on their website) have contributed both in volunteer labor and monetary donations for many years. Broadcasting the support of celebrity advocates primarily aids in the familiarization of Brick by Brick’s name among the public. Additionally, the program builds credibility, lowers cognitive uncertainty, and reassures potential donors of any monetary concerns, once they are aware that these celebrities have also made similar donations.

Finally, Brick by Brick’s social media presence will be a huge component in the campaign to build credibility. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook posts will include pictures of volunteers engaged in active labor; each time tagging the volunteer’s instagram handle in the picture. This is important in order to confirm that our volunteers are real people, and can be

traced back to their own personal instagram accounts. We will also include videos of interviews with our volunteers, as well as hurricane victims on our social platforms. This will reveal the harsh reality of the situation that Texas and Florida is dealing with. It will also help maintain a wholistic image by verifying Brick by Brick’s place among the frontline of relief efforts.

This campaign will be launched immediately. It’s primary objective is to spark an increase in monetary donations, using a strategic communications plan designed to decrease uncertainty among its audience regarding the legitimacy of Brick by Brick’s philanthropic services. Brick by Brick hopes to see a 10% increase in monetary donors by November 30th, 2017.