Integrated Marketing

Communication Plan
Prepared for:
Tamara Doerksen
Professor Todd Green
Prepared By:
Andrew Huynh - 5423231
Andrew Martin - 2968444
Faizan Malik - 5401898
Gurjot Romana - 529666
Naa Mensah - 5424296

Table of Contents
Executive Summary ......
..2
1.
Situation Analysis...
...
1.1.
Company Background..
...
1.2.
Current Marketing Communication Efforts..
...
1.3.
Target Market Selection.
..
2.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.
...
2.1. Strengths.....
...
2.2.
Weaknesses.6
2.3. Opportunities....
...7
2.4. Threats..
..
3. Competitive Advantage....
..
4.
Objectives9
5.
Amplifying the Brand..
..10
5.1
Online Presence.....
..10
5.2
Leveraging
Connections..12
5.3
Marketing Options.
..14

3
3
3
5
6
6

8
8

6. 365 Days of Smile...

..16
6.1.
Current
Standings.17
6.2.
365 Marketing
Plan..17
6.3.
Annual
Gala.....17
6.4.
Monthly
gathering/concerts..18

Social

6.5.
Volunteer/Partnerships..20
7.
Partnerships with Heart.......
.21
7.1.
Attaining Partnerships..
..21
7.2. Maintaining
Partnerships.22
7.3. Partnership
Opportunities24
8.
Kids Helping Kids..
..20
8.1. Streamline Identity ..
..25
8.2. Promotional Objective......
.26
8.3. Strategy: Increases
recognition..26
8.4. Personal Selling....
.....27
8.5. Internet marketing: Interactivity..
..28
9.
Conclusion.29
10.
Limitations.30
Appendix......
..32

Works
Cited...35

Executive Summary
Lonnys Smile is looking for growth in both their donation base as well as frequency.
Furthermore, there is an interest in amplification of their brand, making it more known and
recognizable. This will require a well thought out marketing plan in order to be successful. To
make this happen, we have looked at many different factors that will affect the success of
Lonnys Smile. Some of these factors we looked into include their target market, current
marketing efforts, a SWOT analysis, as well as their competitive advantage.
As an outcome of this, we have come up with several recommendations that
follow along with the organizational four pillars that have been set out. These pillars are as
follows:
1) Amplifying the Brand: With this we discuss ways in which the organization can leverage
current and new connections. Also discussed is how to use the unique focus of the
organization in addition to Lonnys story.
2) Partnership with Heart: Here we look at how based on the unique story behind the
organization, businesses looking to develop their corporate social responsibility
campaigns may see a good return on investment by working with Lonnys Smile. Also
reviewed is solutions to maintain current relationships and year-round donors.
3) Kids Helping Kids: Looked at here is how Lonnys Smile should leverage other children
and volunteers to help amplify the brand. We look at a way to create a connection and
understanding of Lonnys Smile.

4) 365 Days of Smile: Finally we discuss how to maintain donors as well as interest in the
organization all year, not just seasonally. This can be done with events, marketing, and
volunteer efforts.
By implementing these efforts, we believe Lonnys Smile will be able to increase not
only just brand awareness, but also total donations and fruitful partnerships.

Situational Analysis
Company Background
Lonnys Smile is a registered charity formed in 2010 to help benefit children
suffering from Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). Tamara Doerksen, CEO, founded the charity to
honour the memory of her brother, Lonny Doerksen. Lonny had a congenital heart defect which
prevented him from doing many of the things that other kids could do, and things that many
parents may take for granted. Lonny was only 5 when he passed away in 1971, and because of
this, the organization strives to empower children whose lives are challenged by this medical
condition. The organization hopes to allow children with CHD to enjoy all the normal elements
of childhood, such as playing with friends, laughing, and enjoying adventure. Lonnys Smile
also encourages other kids to help and lead fundraisers, as well as to help the children with CHD
enjoy their youth to the fullest. Lonnys Smile operates with the following vision:
To provide a sense of normalcy to children whose lives are challenged by medical conditions.
We want to empower these children so that they can experience the wonders of childhood such
as a sense of play, friendship, laughter and adventure (Lonnys Smile 2010).

Current Marketing Communications Efforts

Lonnys Smile is currently utilizing a number of different strategies for its

marketing communications. Much of their current marketing is done through online channels
such as their website, Facebook, and Instagram. They also participate in several promotional
activities, such as volunteer receptions, and an annual gala.
Lonnys Smile currently has a website that has information about the
organization, links to pictures and more information, and most importantly a link to a secure
donations page. While the website does provide adequate information about the charity and a
place for donations, it appears outdated and is not updated very frequently. There is also
nowhere to find up to date information on monies raised and upcoming events. Also, there are
clickable links that are now dead which need to be removed or mended. This website fails to
draw in donations due to a lack of clarity and an out-of-date look.
The Lonnys Smile Facebook page is similar to their website, in that there are
relatively few updates. There are also currently under 200 likes, so there is little traffic visiting.
Facebook is meant to be an interactive spreadable media, and Lonnys Smile page does not invite
this.
Lastly, there we will briefly discuss Lonnys Smiles Instagram account. This
account has only 18 followers and even fewer posts than the Facebook account. It appears to be
an unused account and the links to the website are incorrect, and thus lead you nowhere. There
is also a lack of branding and no mention that this is a charitable foundation raising money for
CHD.
We will now briefly look at an overview of the promotional activities that Lonnys
Smile organizes. Lonnys Smile runs a number of these annually. There is an Events Benefit

Gala as well as Volunteer Receptions. Neither of these are well advertised, and ticket sales
appear to be declining based on information provided by Lonnys Smile (Table 3).

Target Market Selection

The target market for Lonnys Smile would ideally be anyone with the ability to
donate. This will, however, be broken down into several more specific groups. The first market
that will be targeted will be that of young families. This market is particularly beneficial to the
organization as this market is the one that will directly see, or be in contact with, children
affected by CHD. As Tamara Doerksen stated, 1 in 100 children born today will be affected by
CHD; there is an untapped potential market for advertising towards young families who may also
be having children. Lonnys Smile is more likely to strike a chord with families that may be in
similar situations as themselves.
The next target market would be adults aged 55 and over. In a 2013 survey, it was
found that adults in this age group accounted for only 34% of the population aged 15 and over,
yet contributed over 45% of all donations made during the year (Chart 1). This group contributes
the most donation money and is therefore one that must be actively targeted. Furthermore, with
each passing year, donations given to non-religious groups has been steadily increasing (Table
2). As it we can see, it is the 55 and over population doing this, thus making this a vastly
underutilized market segment. This market also tends to be highly educated with higher
incomes, so you could segregate further and focus on looking at advertising around schools,
professional buildings, hospitals, and in more affluent neighborhoods. This market is more
particular about where they donate so a strong brand image is important. Now this moves into
the last target market, that of corporate sponsorship.

Corporate sponsorship provides an opportunity for both Lonnys Smile, and the
company to benefit. Philanthropy and giving by companies is generally looked at as beneficial
to the company. The company will be seen as caring, and this will in turn boost their public
image. Lonnys Smile will also benefit. This is because these corporate sponsors may be able to
help in ways that volunteers and donation monies cannot. Corporate sponsors may be able to
provide greatly discounted, if not free, products, services, and resources that Lonnys Smile may
never otherwise have access to. Consequently, corporate sponsorship is a market segment that
must not be ignored.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

Strengths:
Loyalty: Lonnys Smile has a strong loyal following by both family and friends
of the late Lonny as well as the members of the organization itself. Furthermore, the strong story
on which the organization is based gives current contributors warm and inviting feelings to help
them continue their loyalty to this organization.
Fundraising Gala: This event is an excellent tool to gather like-minded people
to help support the organization. This event creates a platform where people are more open to
donate and help to broaden the reach of Lonnys Smile. Events such as this also act as
advertising, because a successful fundraising gala can echo past the event itself, and will entice
others to become involved and donate time or resources.
Unique Charitable Cause: Lonnys Smile is unique in that it only focuses on
raising funds and resources for children with Congenital Heart Disease. Lonnys Smile is one of
very few organizations with such a narrow focus.

Weaknesses
Online Activities: Lonnys Smile is lagging in the current online world. Modern
technology is all around us, and most organizations take full advantage of the relatively cheap
and easy medium of online promotion and advertisement. Based on the organizations limited
advertising budget, using Facebook, Instagram and the website to its full potential will be crucial
in raising awareness of Lonnys Smile.
Brand Awareness: Lonnys Smile is relatively unknown outside of those directly
involved with the organization. There are many different health related charitable organizations
that have been able to create a brand image, and these are the ones that are able to receive the
greatest funding. Lonnys Smile must create an image that people will recognize and want to
contribute towards. The lack of brand image may also deter people from donating, as they will
not know where their donation dollars are going, or may not have confidence in the organization
as a whole.
Opportunities
Growth in Brand Awareness: Creating a well-known, recognizable brand is
fundamental when trying to attract donations. This is important, as Table 4 shows that knowing
where ones money is going has a large impact on donation amount.
Collaborative Opportunities: A relatively young charitable organization such as
Lonnys Smile has great potential for growth through corporate sponsorship and generating
volunteers. Corporate sponsorship gives an organization the potential for funding as well as
resources that they would never have access to normally. Also, there is the potential to attract
volunteers to the organization. Volunteers are a good source of resources, and also can help to
spread the name of the organization and promote Lonnys Smile.

Threats
Timeframe: There are several things that must happen in order for Lonnys Smile to
increase their donations. If these things take too long, the organization may not be able to keep
moving and potential donors and volunteers may lose interest.
Ability to create new relationships: As there are already many number of
charities all vying for volunteers, donations, and corporate sponsors, Lonnys Smile must work
extremely hard to stand out and actually be able to create the new relationships necessary to
continue.
Alternate Charities: Lonnys Smile must ensure that they do not undermine
already established connections between the public and other charities. They do not want to burn
any bridges or create any animosity within the charitable community.
Economic Fluctuations: With all that is currently going on in the world, the
tendency of the public to donate disposable income is declining, and people are instead more
conservative with savings.
Lack of Brand Awareness: Lonnys Smile is relatively unknown as a charitable
organization. This makes it very difficult to compete with the larger, established organizations
who already have a sound donation and volunteer base.

Competitive Advantage

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Lonnys Smile does have advantages that it must use in order to move forward
and ensure future success. The first being the distinctive charitable cause. Their vision is to help
children with CHD live normal, happy, fun lives. While there are many childrens charities
available to donate to, there are extremely few as focused as Lonnys Smile. This focus and
dedication is what helps to set this organization apart from the rest.
The next advantage that must be utilized is the unique brand image that they have
begun to create. They have created an image around the tricycle, which is a unique childrens
toy in itself. Lonnys Smile also has the powerful story as to how the charity came to be. This
story creates a welcome feeling and helps to put a face to the organization. It also shows the
passion of the people involved with the charity. This is a type of passion that is not often seen
with larger more corporate charities. Lonnys Smile has a personal feeling about it.
Lonnys Smile also has a large connection to music. They have been able to
secure celebrity spokesperson Murray Foster, famous from the band Great Big Sea. He also
portrays the organizations values of passion, integrity and commitment. This partnership is
unique to Lonnys Smile and will surely be advantageous as the brand image grows.
Lastly, there is the relationship between Camp Oki and Lonnys Smile. This
relationship creates a unique opportunity for children with CHD to go to a summer camp. Camp
Oki has specialized staff that are able to properly assist children with CHD. This creates a
feeling of safety for the children, and allows them to have fun and enjoy camp.

Objectives
Currently, Lonnys Smile is facing the issue of a lack of partners and
sponsorships. Due to this, one of their main objectives is to improve this aspect, which will not

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only improve donations but also help to achieve year-round coverage. In order to do so, it is
imperative for Lonnys Smile to achieve effective behavioral objectives. The reason for this is
that in the perspective of Lonnys Smile; the donors, partners and sponsors can all be viewed as
consumers through cash flows. In return, Lonnys Smile must then appropriately use these funds
to address their mission statement. Thus, behaviour objectives come into play as Lonnys Smile
must take a marketing approach in which they are attempting to increase awareness and sales,
which in this case would be donations. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important for Lonnys
Smile to emphasize and promote behaviours which are beneficial to their cause and increase the
flow of charitable donations. With this, Lonnys Smile can then begin breaking down specific
behavioural objectives. In this case two objectives which are critical to increasing and
maintaining year-round donations are identified.
1. Developing greater Brand Trial
2. Increasing Commitment through Increased Frequency of donations by becoming a
partner/sponsor
On the other hand, Lonnys Smile also wishes to improve awareness on both Camp Oki
and their Kids Helping Kids program. Naturally in order to do so, Lonnys Smile must develop
effective communication objectives in order to increase awareness while at the same time, send a
message which will elicit proper emotions and thoughts on these two subjects. With this
mindset, communication objectives can be broken down into three major subjects: Brand
Awareness, Brand Attitude and Purchase Intention and Facilitation. These three would naturally
become the objectives for Lonnys Smile. What is most important however, is how to achieve
these three objectives.
1. Improve Brand Awareness

12

2. Select and Develop the correct Brand Attitude

3. Develop a procedure for Purchase Intention and Facilitation
As it is seen, these objectives are mutually dependent on amplifying brand awareness.
This can be accomplished through an increased focus on the online activities of Lonnys Smile.
This includes updating both their website and participating in different forms of social media.
This will in turn help to transform Lonnys Smile from a charity, to a charity with a complete
brand identity. Due to this, there will be a broader target audience with increased security
afforded to those donating.

Amplifying the Brand

The first pillar in the Lonnys Smiles mandate is Amplifying their brand.
The goal here is to amplify what makes them special so that they can have a
broader reach and bring in more donors. Lonnys Smile has a couple things
going for them which make them special. This would be their unique and
specific cause, their connection to the music industry and Lonnys Story.
Online Presence

Despite the organizations current connections and unique story the

brand is practically nonexistent online. Currently there are less than 200
Facebook likes, and the page is seldom visited as there was 7 page views in
the month of October. For any organization, this is far too low. Social media
feeds also appear to be dead which does not reflect well on the organization.
YouTube has not been updated in more than 4 years and the website has not
been updated since 2013. For someone just finding out about the
organization it would appear as if Lonnys Smile may no longer be active

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since management has not done a good job of maintaining an online

presence. Since all the feeds are dead it may dissuade a potential donor from
donating.
Lonny has a unique and powerful story. His story is integral to the
organization as it is the reason that it exists and he is the namesake. When
Tamara talks about Lonny she does a very good job of telling his story and
making him real. Despite this the organization does not do a very good job of
conveying his story in non-personal communications. The organization needs
to do a better job of conveying who he was and what made him special,
since he is a symbol for all the kids at camp Oki with CHD. They could go
about this by putting up more information about Lonny on the website since
there is a page about him, but there is only 2 lines of text about him
accompanied with some pictures of him. His story can be used as an
opportunity to educate potential donors on what CHD is and how it affected
Lonny since it would affect other children in a similar manner.
It is our understanding that the organization is currently collaborating
with Ryerson University on creating a solution to stay connected with
stakeholders year round. We believe that identifying and investing the time
and money needed for a solution that would keep their site and social media
running is a key first step in developing and amplifying the brand.
Leveraging Connections

The next step in amplifying the brand should be to leverage their

connections in the music industry. The charity is linked to number of notable
artists and groups such as Geddy Lee from Rush, Blue Rodeo, Walk off the

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Earth and Great Big Sea. Great Big Sea would have the strongest connection
as Murray Foster from the band is the organizations celebrity endorser.
Despite these connections, for people who do not know about Lonnys
Smile it would be very hard to find the organization, even more there is
minimal information on the organization on the site. For potential donors,
they do not do a very compelling job of conveying what they do and why
someone should donate to them. There are opportunities online for them to
post videos from the camp to show where the donations go, they could also
feature some information on what CHD is and how it affects children.
Roughly 300 000 Canadians have the disease but it is not given as much
attention or resources as other types of cardiac disease (Facts and issues,
2015). Educating people is another step that they should take towards
creating awareness for the brand.
Information about what CHD is and how it affects people as well as
what the charity does is present in a video featuring Tamara on the site. This
video is not a very well executed however. The issues with the video stem
from its age and length. The video seems very dated as it was shot in 2010,
in comparison to what even a cell phone camera is capable of in 2016 it
looks very low quality and old. A newer video with updates on what the
organization has done the past couple years would go a long way towards
building and amplifying the brand. Another thing that would need to be
addressed for a new video would be length. The video that is currently being
used it around 13 mins long, which is far too long to be used in most
contexts as most consumers are looking for quick little bits of information

15

before they can move on to the next thing. A video that long may even
discourage people from even starting to watch. Instead it would make more
sense to make multiple videos featuring the various aspects of the
organization such as the camp, Lonny, and CHD. One direction they could go
with their videos would be to use Murray Foster in them since he would have
a celebrity appeal.
Another way that Lonnys Smile could leverage their connections is to
use their patient ambassadors. By highlighting a patient ambassador and
how they were positively affected by the charity it would be another way to
create credibility for the organization. It would create fresh content that
shows donors that the organization is still active and more importantly it
would be another way to highlight the impact that any donations would
have. They would also be able to use the patient ambassador as a catalyst
for increasing awareness. One way to go about this would be highlighting a
patient ambassadors story on their social media page. This creates
something that can be shared easily on Facebook and Instagram for example
if people like or share the story. The family of the patient would likely share
the story about their child and that would create a ripple effect of their family
and friends sharing the story. This creates increased awareness for what the
organization does and leads people back to the social media page and
possibly the website. Again, the site would need to be updated and kept up
to date if this option is selected since it is important to keep a consistent
image throughout marketing efforts since people are usually more open to
more of the same.

16
Marketing Options

The suggestions thus far would not cost the organization any money to
execute as they are just updating existing social media accounts and website
which they already pay for. They may need to hire someone for content
creation and publication, but it is possible for them to do it with the existing
staff since the site is word press based which is easy to use. Lonnys Smile
needs year round promotion since they have very little brand awareness.
They also have a very small budget so they would need to decide which of
the following decisions seems most viable to them.
Lonnys Smile could go with digital marketing. This would allow them to
reach a larger audience with a reduced barrier of entry and an easier way for
the target audience to get back to the site. There are two options when it
comes to using Facebook marketing.
The first option would be to go with CPM which is cost per 1000
impressions. This costs anywhere from 3.90 to 13.35 depending on the
industry. There is no specific rate for charities but we assume it would be
near the median point of 5.61 since they are focusing on a smaller more
specific demographic group than a national campaign that would reach
everyone on Facebook in Canada since the charitys key demographic is 55
and old. This method would provide a lot of exposure for the charity as they
would have 1000s of views for a given post. This method does not guarantee
any click through but the hope is that the high exposure would lead to
increased traffic on the Facebook page and website. The only caveat to this
form of ads is that they will be charged regardless of how much response is

17

generated. Assuming the whole budget was used for this medium roughly
890,000 people would be reached. If we use the median donation amount for
Canadians of 123.00 (Charitable giving by Canadians, 2012) only 40 people
would need to donate to break even. Less than .0001% of the targeted
group. If 1% of the group that is reached donates 5.00, there would be
44,500.00 raised. This would almost double the highest year for donations
and nearly triple last years total of 15,512. This method provides a return on
investment of 790%. The best option for this type of marketing would be to
feature the stories of patient ambassadors, since it would illicit an emotional
response from Facebook users. Even if only .5% of those reached donate
5.00 there would still be 22,250 raised online alone, which rivals total efforts
for the best years.
The other option is to use cost per click through where Facebook
charges based on how many people actually clicked the link and went to the
site after seeing it. This is a safer option because it only charges based on
how many people visit the Lonnys Smile site. The cost for this option ranges
from .16-1.01, again we will assume the median since we believe for this
option there needs to be a specific audience. In this instance, it would be
people who listen to music by artists like Murray Foster and their other
celebrity connections. In this case the advertisements would use them for a
celebrity appeal. The median is .40, this means that 12,500 people would be
reached for 5000. Once again they would have the same breakeven of 40
people at the national average of 123.00. If 5% of the population donate 5.00
this only yields 3,125.00. 5% was used in this case because these are people

18

that are already on the website and more inclined to donate since they cared
enough to click through. If this is the choice there would need to be larger
donations per donor than 5.00, possibly something closer to the median for it
to be viable.
There is also the option of using advertisements in public transport but
ultimately we do not believe this is very viable either as production in most
cases would eat half the budget leaving only two to three thousand dollars
for actually running the campaign. This would buy 4 weeks of placement
(Flack, 2010)

365 Days of Smiles

One of the pillars to Lonnys Smile is the 365 Days of Smiles. The 365 Days of Smiles
refers to a year-round platform that collaboratively works with volunteers, supporters and donors
to raise funds and awareness. The purpose of the platform is to create a ways of extending our
reach to everyone all year round through different methods of action. The two factors that are
affecting them tremendously are (1) not being able to obtain donations and (2) not being able to
retain existing donors. These two factors play a large component to the success of the non-for
profit organization. To solve such a problem requires a 365-day marketing plan. Along with that,
they also require a peer-to-peer fundraising program. Currently, Lonnys Smiles presence in the
market is very low but they need to focus on being able to achieve a stable environment where
donations are not dependent on the time of the year.

Current standings

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Lonnys Smile Foundation isnt doing a lot during the year other than Camp Oki and a
few social events. Theyre wasting a lot of valuable time. Instead of trying to retain existing
donors, they seem to always be reaching for new donors. Research has said that it costs five
times more to find a new customer than it takes to retain an existing one. With that being said,
the foundation really has to put their focus towards reaching out to existing donors and
appreciating their donations. Aside from that, they are not doing a lot to attain new donations,
sponsorship or even partnerships. Finding ways of tackling these issues can make a huge impact
on the success of Lonnys Smile.
365-day marketing plan
To achieve overall success and raise funds, the foundation has to implement events and
gatherings that specifically target individuals that are able to donate to the cause. These events
can be anything from building a toy using craft to getting together in a local community to enjoy
an evening concert. With the current goal being to increase the awareness of the non-for-profit
organization, they have to attract both male and females in every age group possible. Creating
awareness about a disease doesnt have to be targeted to those who are affected by the condition
but, to those who have the ability to donate. Camp Oki is held during the summer and for the rest
of the year, there isnt much to do. With that being said, these events have to be organized to
occur throughout the year.
Annual Gala
Implementing a year-round fundraising model that involves individuals, families, groups
and corporations is an excellent way to raise awareness meanwhile raising funds for Lonnys
Smile Foundation. A very common practice amongst non-for-profit organizations is an annual
gala. The purpose of this gala will be to bring the community that supports the foundation

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together to raise money. The funds collected from selling the tickets will go towards paying for
the banquet hall while the remaining funds will go towards supporting Lonnys Smile. Not only
will they be able be to spread the message of CHD to the community but, they will also be able
to support local businesses and network with potential sponsors/partners. This will also help the
local banquet hall that they pick as it will bring business to their venture. With all that being said,
a lot of preparation has to be involved in getting this event up and running. The procedure of
running this gala will require a lot of volunteers who are able to work with each other to
accomplish goals such as (1) sending out invitations, (2) booking a banquet hall, and (3) finding
sponsors. The first item on the list would be to contact a local banquet hall that has enough space
to occupy the intended audience. Secondly, invitations would have to be sent out to the local
community in the Greater Toronto Area. The community can consist of government
representatives, employees of majority corporations, representatives from local charity events
and even those that want to donate to the organization. Thirdly, a team of volunteers will be set in
charge of getting sponsors to donate specific gifts to be won from raffle tickets. These sponsors
can be anyone from individuals or company representatives whom are able to donate to the
cause. Along with all of that, the volunteers will also be responsible for making sure the event
runs smooth.
Monthly social gathering/concerts
Aside from hosting an annual gala, another fundraising model that the organization
should consider is a monthly gathering for kids and their parents who are directly affected by
CHD. This social gather will consist of a full day of enjoyment for both the kids and their
parents. One Saturday from each month will be dedicated to this gathering. In the morning, there
will be a little Kid Jamboree which will consist of campfire sing-a-long along with teaching

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kids camping skills. On the other hand, parents will be invited to attend a concert in the evening.
These concerts will have a different person leading the show each month to keep the excitement
going. The purpose of the event will be to show appreciation towards those who donated
meanwhile keeping the kids with CHD happy to be around those with the same disease. Looking
at this from a business standpoint, the social gathering will help retain existing donors and
hopefully spread awareness of CHD to others suffering from the disease. Spreading awareness
will also result in getting new donors. The reason behind this is that the more the community
hears of the non-for-profit, the more theyre going to feel the need to donate. Along with that, the
organization has to focus on maintaining their current donors and trying to hold them as long as
they can. With regards to the concert, the musicians who will be performing will vary month by
month. To implement this event, the fundraiser will require a few volunteers. First step of
implementing this gathering will be to book a specific location to accommodate for the morning
and evening event. For the morning half of the event, they will have to find a location like a
church with a nearby outdoor fire pit that can hold the intended audience. The purpose of this
location will be to teach kids camp skills while doing a few sing-alongs next to the fire. The
camp skill that these kids will have the opportunity to learn will change month by month to keep
them entertained. With regards to the evening concert, the performers would be individuals that
are looking to perform in places to gain fame. The whole purpose for this is that it will help
artists display their talent to a large crowd of individuals. This will also help Lonny Smile in the
long-run because majority of the upcoming artist will be willing to perform for free. Along with
that, these artists will be changing on a monthly bases to open doors to others in the community.
Being able to give back to those that helped donate to The Lonnys Smile Foundation will make

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them feel special and appreciated. In the long run, this helps the organization retain existing
customers all while getting new ones.
Volunteers/Partnerships
Hosting these events year round are important as they impact their overall success. With
that being said, a lot of Lonny Smiles success comes from the help they get. They completely
dependent on their volunteers, partnerships and sponsors to help support them in collaborating
these social gatherings and events. A good way to get volunteers is by calling upon high school
students who are interested in getting their 40-hours of volunteering. By doing so, they will have
the ability to get extra help while helping students with their high school requirements. Both the
students and the organization can see this as being a win-win situation. These students will
have the opportunity to learn a lot from volunteering with Lonnys Smile. Aside from student
volunteers, they can also approach business with employees who are seeking to give back to their
community. These volunteers will have the same responsibilities and duties as the student
volunteers. Furthermore, they can reach out to parents of kids suffering from CHD to help make
these events and social gatherings a little more exciting to attend. Looking into partnerships in
specific, Lonnys Smile can benefit from working with other companies for a lot of reasons. A
major advantage to a partnership is that a lot of costs associated with running certain events are
either completely covered or partially paid for. Along with that, partnerships on the other hand
are excellent ways of doing business as it is always better to have two heads than one. Finding
sponsors is also a valuable asset to have. Sponsors in this case will be the ones that will be
responsible for donating goods to be won from raffle tickets. Corporate social responsibility is
important and a lot of companies will find it important to support local charities. With that being

23

said, Lonnys Smile has to focus on penetrating companies like PepsiCo due to their reputation in
the market for having a huge CSR presence.

Partnerships with Heart

Currently Lonnys Smile is in need of both sponsors and partners in order to sustain an
effective year-round program. What first must be recognized is that sponsors and partners are a
separate entity from donors. The reason for this can be easily elaborated through the view of a
business in which a donor would be similar to a consumer, where as a sponsor/partner will
naturally be another business and therefore be categorized into a business to business market.
This is an extremely important factor as it will add a new dimension to the market and therefore
require a different plan than dealing with solely donors; the prime example of this would be
corporate social responsibility.
Attaining Partnerships with Heart
To begin with, Lonnys Smile is finding itself in a situation where they have little to no
year-round coverage. In order to improve this, Lonnys Smile must be able to effectively draw in
and maintain strong relationships with partners/sponsors. The easiest and most direct method
would be appealing to businesses that are currently developing their corporate social
responsibility strategy. The best way to do so would be to leverage Lonnys unique and touching
story. All charities have a story behind them; therefore, they would find themselves competing in
an emotional manner in order to distinguish themselves. Lonnys Smile can place itself in a
significantly more competitive position by making effective use of images ranging from Lonny
himself with his red tricycle, to an image with his former nurse and the journey to reclaim his
tricycle. The story itself should be made as short as possible but convey the arduous journey

24

travelled through imagery and music. It can then be shared through social media and gain
traction across its user base having a good potential to becoming viral. Comparisons can be made
to Terry Fox himself. Although reaching the same scope and legacy will be extremely difficult,
such a story can will elicit strong emotions across all societal demographics. It must also be
noted that through eliciting emotional changes within a target market would naturally be the
highest level an emotional appeal such as this can reach. This is what makes an emotional appeal
such as this extremely effective in dealing with charitable causes and thus should be made of use.
Further reasons for this is that besides story, the goods offered by Lonnys Smile is essentially
the same across all charities making emotional appeals that much more important as there would
be little else to differentiate. Naturally in order to maintain and prove the validity of the story,
legal testimonies should be attained in order to prevent any sort of doubt. The crux of the matter
lies in the fact that a businesss corporate social responsibility strategy will be naturally looking
for a partner whom will best leverage their image in order for them to improve their public
relations. Meaning, Lonnys Smile and its story would naturally become the best choice among
other charities. It must be noted that such a plan although effective with a businesss corporate
social responsibility strategy can also be applied to donors as well. Furthermore, such a plan will
have a great trickle effect in that it would help develop a very strong brand image and naturally
help in the marketing plans of all other pillars especially brand awareness.
Maintaining Partnerships with Heart
The next step in effectively reaching out towards sponsor and partners would be to
maintain a strong relationship between one another. This can be done through several methods
such as offering music concert tickets to partners. By doing so, it will give partners the ability to
gain a sense of return on investment. Although the purpose of the partnership/sponsorship was

25

done out of a charitable cause or a desire to leverage a better corporate image it is still important
to properly thank and show how their efforts have materialized. On top of this, the natural course
of action would be for the business to distribute the tickets among its employees as a sort of
employee benefits package or bonus. This would allow Lonnys Smile to really reach a greater
audience whom may never would have gone to such an event and create a potential for more
donors. This is due to the fact that many employees will naturally make use of the ticket once it
has been received despite not having an adherent interest in it due to its free proposition. On the
other hand, Lonnys Smile can also reach out towards businesses and offer their Camp Oki as a
sort of service. Through this, the businesses can use Camp Oki as a sort of employee benefits
package in order to help employees who may have relatives or friends suffering from congenital
heart disease. Such a benefit would be a lifeline to those with children suffering from such a
disease and naturally will help it spread through word of mouth. This will allow Camp Oki to
gain traction while at the same time giving it a significant opportunity to broadcast itself as a
haven for those suffering from congenital heart disease. It would help in attracting new donors as
well as new business partners. Furthermore, Camp Oki can be symbolized as a sort of
manifestation of a partners/sponsors efforts and giving a significantly stronger emotional
fulfillment. This relationship will naturally help Lonnys Smile achieve greater commitment
from both partners and sponsors while also act as a method in further enticing other businesses.
Allowing for greater year-round coverage due to the fact that donors are typically limited to one
time donations whereas a strong relationship with a partner and or sponsor can easily result in
consistent support throughout a fiscal year. In addition to all the support a partner/sponsor will
offer Lonnys Smile through funding and the donations of goods or services for charity auctions,
Lonnys Smile must also be prepared to effectively support these businesses. That is to say,

26

Lonnys Smile should actively list businesses supporting them and displaying their logos in order
to help them attain greater levels of exposure. This would therefore help the businesses of
partners/sponsors reach a greater audience while at the same time achieving a better product
position for their goods. Naturally through the typical long-term corporate social responsibility
campaigns businesses put out, Lonnys Smile would be benefiting as well. Thus, a long-term
relationship will see the development of a rebounding synergistic effect where Lonnys Smile
would help enhance and spread a partner/sponsor while receiving the same treatment.
Opportunities for Partnerships with Heart
A potential ambassador and key figure who can help in the development of Camp Oki
and the attracting of companies offering building supplies would be Les Stroud. As a Canadian
who is famous for his outdoor endeavours and his near celebrities status, Les Stroud could easily
become a key figure in developing a strong outdoor presence in Camp Oki as well as attaining
camping sponsors and partners. This can be combined with the fact the Les Stroud, although not
well known for, also has a significant music background. Due to this, it would give Lonnys
Smile a way to develop a sort of collaboration between Les Stroud and Murray Foster to both
improve the current music foundation but at the same time leading to the eventual branching
move into camping supplies. It would allow for the greater amplification of Lonnys Smile by
attracting Les Strouds current fan base, especially from his Survivorman series. This series will
become pivotal in a development of a survivor slogan for children surviving congenital heart
disease. This would perfectly play into the fact that Lonnys Smile already has an established
music foundation with Murray Foster giving Lonny the opportunity of solving two problems
with a single action.

27

Kids Helping Kid

Streamline Identity
The second for Lonny Slimes is to increase the awareness of their Kids Helping
Kids fundraising program. Kids helping kids itself is a separate organization in of itself, one that
no longer runs and has not been inactive for over 4 years. With that being said it runs a bit of
confusion with the idea of Lonny Smiles implementing their kids helping kids program. Not to
mention the fact that there are numerous organizations holding the same program under the same
name for kids with health disabilities.
To increase the objective of brand awareness, a new brand identity must be set for
the idea of implement a better kids helping kids program. Creating a new logo and a new name
for the programs creates a new look and a better connecting to the whole organization. Also,
steering away from the clutter of the name itself.
With the story itself and the connection of the program objectives, a better name
for this program mimic the already publicized video explain the organization, Kids Have the
Power - You Can Make a Difference!. A name that may seem long but holds more of a
meaningful connection to the company and to the individuals who partake in the program. It
keeps in context of the original name by letting those know that the program is for kids and is
run by kids. As the story of Lonny and the cause itself connect more to kids than it does adult,
the name sells the idea and promotes more to the audience of kids by allowing them to envision
what they could do for the organization. Creating a message that makes an individual question
why and ask how.

28

Promotional Objective
The current weakness for this program is the lack of valuable advertisement. The
organization has absolutely no advertising whatsoever that promotes the program (only a short
section dedicated to the program that has a small amount of informative content). As stated on
their Press section of their page, the Kids Helping Kids program is an important part of the
Lonny Smile vision. In 2015 the organization ended with $0 in profit for school fundraisers, the
objective was to create a communicative platform to enhance awareness to the program by
advertising to a targeted group. By promoting the program to the targeted audience will allow for
an increase in donation dedicated to their profit of school fundraised donation. Although it is
believed that one must pay to create and advertisement, this sort of tactic allows for a single
message to transmit to a large group (however not all advertisements comes with a price). In this
case, students (elementary, middle, high school, & possibly high school) school officials, as well
as parents. This method will allow for a cost efficient, cost/ brand- effective campaign resulting a
higher rate of interaction.

Strategy
Increases recognition
As mentioned, the main objective for this pillar is to increase the interest for the
Kids Helping Kids program, by increasing recognition of the program. In order for this to happen
the Lonny Smiles organization must craft a creative promotional method that sells the idea of
creating a fundraiser for their company. Because there is no sale department within the
organization, recognition is the only way to earn donation profit for the program. With that being
said, this creative advertisement, must connect to the targeted audience through a personal and

29

authentic level. Creating a conversation that allows the audience to feel a sense of connection
and aspiration.

Promotional Message Strategy and Tactic

Personal Selling
The story behind the organization is the main selling point for increasing
recognition. In order for Lonny Smiles to achieve a certain amount of recognition, they must
present the themselves to the targeted individual and create an emotional connection between
them and their audience. The most beneficial tactic for this type of promotional method is
personal selling. The use of personal selling allows for a face-to-face communicative message to
be received by the targeted individuals. This promotional method allows for a company to use
skills and techniques for building personal relationships with the targeted party, resulting in both
parties obtaining value of the product (or this case the program).
The main target group for this a mention should be students. There is a total of 41
school around the location of the Lonny Smile main office. That allows for 41 potential schools
to participate in the program. However, as statistics Canada concluded that most charitable
donation form students ranged between the age of 15-19, making high school students the best
target for a success fundraiser (table 5). From the 41 schools mention, 20 of the school are high
school. This however does not mean that the program should be limited towards mainly high
school student, it simply shows a group of individuals who have more of a reasoned to
participate and implement this kids helping kids program within their school.
Personal selling allows for a connection between the audience and those
presenting. In this case, creating awareness of the Lonny Smiles Foundation. Telling the story of
Lonny and teaching students about CDH and how it affects the life of children with the disease.

30

This can be done through high school visits (assemblies). This type of marketing has no cost,
allowing for a cost free promotional method for the awareness of the organization and the
program (minus the equipment, visuals, or props used). Within this presentation, the selling point
should be the connection as I mentioned. Taking the story of Lonny as well as the story of other
kids with CHD to create a connection between those kids and the audience of kids. A
representation of what they story of Lonny could looks like can mimic the already made video
the organization released on YouTube. Within the video Tamara (the founder) mention idea that
Lonny is just like any other kids, hes just like you but he wasnt any other ordinary kids, he
had a heart disease. These sort of message allow for the connection of the organization, the
program and the audience.
To increase more participation from the audience. The organization can create a main
activity, that center around the whole point of the organization. A simple yet effective activity in
this case is the creation of the fundraiser. The program looks into schools to create the fundraiser,
by getting them to actually present a mock up (or even the real fundraiser).

Internet marketing
Interactivity
The program as mentioned not only targets students, but individual between the ages of
7-19 to participate in the creation of a fundraiser. With that being said, changes in the current
website section of the program needs to be taken, in order to provided information to those who
are interested and have no access to the promotional campaign. Or for those who had the chance
to view the campaign but needs further information.
The current website page dedicated to the program lacks appeals, but most importantly
lacks the ability for those to understand and explore what a typical fundraiser may be. It simply

31

states who can partake and how. Leaving out the benefits, if theres any additional cost towards
them, and a simple building plan to implement the program in school.
To insure that those who visit the site will retain the information they need and have more
a persuasive moment while on the site, the company needs to implement a Builder a
Fundraiser starter kit. The kit will provide an example of a fundraiser, testimonial form those
who have participated in the program in the past, as well a template to build their fundraiser. This
starter kit can be done online, or will give the option to print and create.
The only disadvantage of expanding the website is cost itself and having someone maintain the
website. Other than that, this simple tactic is do able, and will benefit the program.

Conclusion
In conclusion to the report, Lonnys Smile is a charity that possess many different
strengths. This ranges from their unique and touching story, to the powerful programs such as
kids helping kids, and the Camp Oki program. Through these assets it is possible for Lonnys
Smile to make a significant impact on their target market. However, the problem arises from
their lack of funding and time which has led to numerous problems as well. This ranges from a
weak social media presence to a near empty website. The goal of this report was to remedy these
deficiencies by recommending more effective ways of utilizing their already existing strengths,
all the while minimizing their weaknesses. This includes the development for a better method to
leverage assets such as Murray Foster and ways to enhance their website and unique story. By
following these recommendations, Lonnys Smile will effectively increase both their brand's
image and its brand awareness. Thus, improving brand trial among both markets. This is due to
the fact that this report has identified two key markets for Lonnys Smile to target in order to
effectively reach their goals of establishing a year-round camp program. These two markets are

32

categorized as donors those who are simply donating, and therefore be categorized similar to that
of a consumer. On the other hand, partners and sponsors would be categorized more as a business
and therefore be considered a sort of business-to-business market. This distinction has been made
in order to effectively tailor a marketing plan for each respective market. Besides this, the
development of each pillar was done individually, in order to allow the diversification for both
markets. This also allows for the customization and selection of individual pillars to either
exclude or focus upon based on the judgement and needs Lonnys Smile currently faces. In the
end, this report has developed a strong marketing communications plan that will effectively
develop greater brand trial and awareness at the same time, offering steps in order to maintain
and increase the frequency of donations/partnerships.
Limitations

Lonnys Smile has a few major limitations, these are budget,

organizational size and lack of existing online presence. To begin, there is
only 5000.00 to work with for the year due to a combination of a small
donation pool and the goal of using as much of the available funds for the
organization as possible. The small budget means that marketing efforts
need to be as efficient as possible, especially if the intent is to create year
round coverage of the organization. This is where the other limitations also
come into play. Due to the already very small reach the organization needs a
very large promotional effort, and they will need an extended promotion
because the Lonnys Smile needs to be introduced and reinforced over an
extended period so that people will begin to recognize and accept the brand.
The small budget also means that there is no room to hire someone
who is skilled with social media to take over the accounts for anything

33

outside of a small part time role and expand the organizations social media
reach. Even here the budget comes back into play as they would need to pay
someone who is skilled with social media, while also needing funds to use
paid advertising on the selected social media platform.

34

Appendix:
Table 1

Table 2

35

Table 3

Table 4

36

37

Table 5
Table 2
Volunteer rate, by sex and age Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 2 Volunteer rate Volunteer rate, 2013, 2010, 2007 and
2004, calculated using percentage units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Volunteer rate
2013

2010

2007

2004

percentage
Age
15 to 19

66Note *

66Note *

65Note *

65Note *

20 to 24

42

48Note *

47Note *

43Note *

25 to 34

42Note *

46Note *

40Note *

42Note *

35 to 44 (ref.)

48

54Note

52Note

51

45 to 54

45

45Note *

48Note *

47Note *

55 to 64

41Note *

41Note *

40Note *

42Note *

65 to 74

38Note *

40Note *

40Note *

39Note *

75 and over

27Note *

31Note *

29Note *

23Note *Note

Note *
significantly different from reference category (ref.) at p < 0.05
Return to note *referrer
Note
significantly different from 2013 at p < 0.05
Return to note referrer
Sources: Statistics Canada, General Social Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating,
2013, and the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, 2004, 2007 and 2010.

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