Services: Contact Center – Social Media
Industry: Non-Profit
01 | Problem
The state of Vermont had the lowest number of organ and tissue donor registrants in the entire country. Its official registry listed only 289 individuals, less than .001 percent of the state’s population. Although the state had very recently launched an online registry to provide an easy way for Vermont residents to register, they still faced the challenge of educating residents on the value of becoming a donor. The Center for Donation & Transplant (CDT), one of the 58 federally designated non-profit organ procurement organizations in the United States, was looking for a partner that could utilize social media to spread awareness on the need for organ and tissue donor registrants in Vermont. The CDT also wanted to inform those interested in donating that there is now an easy way to take action online by registering at www.DonateLifeVT.org.
02 | Solution
The CDT hired Dialog Direct for its creativity and social media management experience. The CDT partnered with Dialog Direct to take on a 6-month test pilot of the “Donate Life Vermont” project with the goal of increasing the number of Vermont’s organ and tissue registrants. To begin, the team at Dialog Direct designed, created and launched an informational website that linked to the registry at www.DonateLifeVT.org. They then began extensive research around the biggest online “influencers” in the state to help exemplify to their large Vermont networks information on campaigns and events. Every month, the team at Dialog Direct would launch a well thought out campaign, such as their “Thanks4giving” campaign, and use social media and their newly found influencers to take action and make the message go viral throughout the state. These campaigns would integrate local businesses or colleges and often get picked up from the local media, further spreading the message.
03 | Results
After six months, the Donate Life Vermont pilot increased the state’s number of organ and tissue donor registrants by more than 525%. The Donate Life Vermont website had nearly 4,900 blog page views and received almost 5,700 unique page views from Vermont residents, while also reaching approximately 100 cities in the state.
The Donate Life Vermont Facebook page, launched by Dialog Direct’s social media team, reached a peak of 375 Facebook fans, with more than 3,200 Facebook visits in the 6-month span. The CDT was very happy with the results of the pilot. “Dialog Direct has been an outstanding partner,” Jeff Orlowski, former chief executive officer of the CDT, said. “They were very enthusiastic and creative, and their staff also helped out at events. We’ve now seen how effective social media is at reaching new segments of the population and how it can help people make the decision to save lives.”
The Center for Donation & Transplant extended the partnership for another two years based on the impressive results from Dialog Direct’s social media team. The Donate Life Vermont campaign continued to improve the number of Vermont’s registered organ and tissue donors. As of January 1, 2013, more than 23,000 Vermont residents had made the decision to be a registered organ and tissue donor. The Donate Life Vermont social media networks continue to grow as well, with more than 450 Facebook fans and more than 900 Twitter followers.
