EPCOR
Heart + Soul Fund
Generate earned media for EPCOR’s Heart + Soul Fund for its financial support of arts, culture, recreation and charitable organizations in Edmonton during COVID-19.
To support community recovery from the impacts of the pandemic, EPCOR launched a new granting program in the fall of 2020 called the Heart + Soul Fund. The community investment initiative was created to support arts, culture, recreation and charitable organizations deliver important programming in support of community vibrancy and well-being.
EPCOR announced $1.25 million in financial support in 2020. Over three months, 47 organizations accessed small, medium and large grants to help bring new creative work to life, support others and strengthen their financial sustainability. Due to the success of its program, EPCOR decided to invest an additional $1 million through its Heart + Soul Fund in 2021. To date, another 40 organizations have accessed grants.
Shift Consulting worked closely with EPCOR and its executive team to host launch events to announce the Heart + Soul Fund in 2020 and its recapitalization in 2021 to generate awareness with key stakeholders including potential applicants, government officials, employees, media and more. Shift ran the technical online platform, prepared the agenda, secured media attendance, and supported the EPCOR team with speechwriting and more.
In addition to supporting each launch event, Shift was tasked with generating earned media with top-tier news organizations in Edmonton by creating newsworthy press releases that highlighted the organizations that received funding from EPCOR. To do this, we identified common story lines shared by recipients and a pitching strategy that showcased these efforts. Consistent coverage was secured in the Edmonton Journal, Global, CBC, CTV, CKUA and more.
The result was consistent media stories and earned media exposure for EPCOR across a range of media outlets including television, radio and print for 10 months. Shift continues to support EPCOR announce the recipients of this new funding in 2021. DDB Edmonton developed the Heart + Soul Fund creative and marketing campaign.
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