Intro Memo

Bid for the Ocean is Reef Check Foundation’s annual online auction fundraiser. Through this annual fundraiser, the nonprofit raises the majority of its funds for the rest of the year. The fundraiser functions by having Reef Check organizers request auction donations from stakeholders, which people can bid on through a 10-day online auction. This event will take place from November 1 - 10 on the online portal 32auctions.

This document provides an overview of: Reef Check’s background, the situation analysis surrounding the fundraiser, a SWOTT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and trends) analysis of the event, an evaluation of the core opportunities and problems, the overall proposed goal and objectives of the event, the big communications idea, key publics, messages, strategies, tactics, as well as timeline.

Executive Summary

The unrestricted funds from last year’s fundraiser pays for the external social media publishing; Reef Check has a unique opportunity this year to capitalize on its social media channels of communication to reach a wider audience for its annual auction fundraiser. Reef Check can also try to target untapped communities that care about ocean conservation to increase the number of bidders for the event. This communications plan recommends crafting a three-stage approach to generate buzz/awareness, to prompt key publics to participate in the fundraising event, and to celebrate the successes of the fundraiser afterward. The social media communication will focus on a distinctive style (art nouveau-themed graphics) that show top-selling items. In addition, Reef Check can take advantage of local events, like the Seaweed Festival running from Nov 3-4, to promote the organization and the fundraiser. Additionally, internal communications can be developed so stakeholders could reach out to local organizations to request auction items and increase the fundraising potential.

Background & Internal Analysis

The Reef Check Foundation is an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1996, that’s dedicated to the conservation of tropical coral reefs and temperate kelp forests. The organization’s main goals include training citizen scientists to monitor the health of coral reefs and kelp forests; to lead restoration projects along the North American West coast; to monitor ocean-based climate change; and to share the organization’s data with the scientific community and broader general audience. 

This US foundation is a small team of 14 employees with offices in California, and it is supported by a large base of SCUBA dive volunteers and advisors. In addition, Reef Check has chapters in more than 40 countries around the world, which use the material from the main US foundation to train and implement citizen scientists to monitor kelp and coral health worldwide.

Previous Year’s Data: Bid for the Oceans

The previous Bid for the Oceans fundraiser, running from November 2 - November 11 in 2022, raised $14,435.18 – reaching 92.6% of the $15,000 goal. After expenses and taxes, Reef Check earned a profit of $13,509.91. From the 63 items donated to the fundraiser, three items were not bid on. In comparison to previous years – for example, 2018 and 2019 – the funds raised were about half as much ($30,599 and $32,594, respectively), with more total items (73 and 162 items, respectively). The Bid for the Oceans event has been held in different months over the past six years, including June, October, September and November. 

In the 2022 fundraiser, there were 91 registered bidders, including: 7 board members, 1 board contact, 41 divers, 14 from Reef Check’s email list, 7 staff, 6 staff contacts and 15 unknown. This indicates that a large majority of the bidding resulted from stakeholders closely tied to the organization who wanted to support the efforts; it also indicates that more effort could be made to communicate about the fundraiser to potential bidders outside the immediate orbit of the nonprofit. 

Considering the bidders’ close ties to Reef Check, it is not surprising that the most active bidding items in the 2022 fundraiser were closely related to kelp forests: the main area of the bidders and bidding packages. The most active bidding item was “Kelp” fine art print, which received 22 bids and sold for $140 (far exceeding the $89 value). The next three items were also related to SCUBA diving and the West Coast marine ecosystem, all of which were also overbid from the value, indicating that the bidders cared more about these items and supporting Reef Check over simply fundraising. 

• Kelp fine art print: 22 bids, $140 ($89 value) - overbid 
• Surf-fur Waterparka & Dry Bag: 18 bids, $290 ($249 value) - overbid 
• Maui Southern California Nadibranch ID Course: 17 bids, $250 ($199 value) - overbid 
• Set of Pacific Fish ID Books: 14 bids, $155 ($90.85 value) - overbid 

The largest dollar-value bid items were vacation rentals: Pacific Grove Vacation Home Two Night Stay (12 bids, $950); One week in th eSummer at a Mammoth Town House (9 bids, $1,000). Overall only three items failed to receive a bid: Lifetime Membership to Unstoppable Guitar System ($685 value, $250 starting bid); MountainGate Country Club Golf for Four ($1,000 value, $400 starting bid); PADI Discover Scuba Intro Class for Four ($600 value, $250 starting bid).

Market Research

With the economy slowing, nonprofits like Reef Check might face lower donations. “The number of donors to organizations fell by 7 percent in the first half of 2022 compared with the first half of 2021” (Lindsay, 2022). In those six months, the number of small-gift donors of “$100 or less dropped more than 17 percent, and 8 percent fewer donors made gifts of $101 to $500 (Lindsay, 2022). In addition, “Research indicates wealthy donors curtail giving in response to bad economic times”; this means that “broad support — including from small-gift donors — is critical during an economic downturn” (Lindsay, 2022). It would be wise for Reef Check to try to gain a broader range of supporters for the online auction to account for possible lower bidding.

Situation Analysis

As a nonprofit, Reef Check depends on grants to fund employee salaries and initiatives; however, grants tie those funds to specific initiatives. Reef Check also depends on donations for additional funds that could be more flexible in use cases. The organization holds several fundraisers throughout the year, but the largest fundraiser is the Bid for the Ocean November online auction. The organization relies on this event to fund initiatives outside of grants; for example, the funds from 2022 were used to hire a contractor to post social media content. Reef Check has expressed interest in using some of the funds from the 2023 fundraiser to increase its communications efforts, such as hiring a communications specialist and/or a writer. 

While a successful fundraiser means that the organization could expand certain initiatives that are difficult to fund through grands – for example, communications funds – the result of an unsuccessful fundraiser means that the small team would likely struggle to fulfill their communications goals for 2024, including continuing to publish on social media and to have a dedicated person handing other communications needs. These communication aims will be important for Reef Check’s overall goals of sharing its findings with the scientific community, of establishing itself as a resource within the field, of gaining more community around its kelp/reef/restoration initiatives, and of gaining additional funds to support the organization. Most likely the burden of communications will continue to fall on the shoulders of other employees who have other core responsibilities. 

Core Problem / Opportunity Statement

The biggest opportunity with the 2023 Bid for the Oceans Fundraiser is the ability to reach more bidders using the organization’s social media outreach and to raise more funds that the previous year so that the nonprofit can continue its social media outreach, as well as expand its communications initiatives, as well as other goals that are challenging to accomplish via specific-use grants.

SWOTT Analysis: Bid for the Oceans

Defining SWOTT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, Trends

4. Goals and Objectives

Marketing Goal

The goal of this communications campaign is to help Reef Check reach or surpass the Bid for the Oceans 2023 online fundraising goal and double the number of bidders participating in the event from 2022.

Bid for the Oceans 2023 Monetary Goal: $15,000

Bid for the Oceans 2023 Bidding Participants Goal: 180

Bid for the Oceans 2023 Items Listed Goal: 120

Communication Objectives

Some of these objectives will occur prior to the fundraising event (starting Oct. 1), while others will occur or continue throughout the Nov 1-10 fundraising timeframe. Additionally, there should be a post-event communication effort to inform the stakeholders of the fundraiser’s successes and how the funds will help Reef Check accomplish its mission.

There are various tactics that could be used to support the communication objectives. 

1. Generate social media buzz: Create unique visual graphics (art-nouveau style) for social media to promote the event’s big-ticket items.
2. Live events: Attend targeted festivals related to the mission of Reef Check (for example, the Seaweed Festival in San Diego, November 3-4) to promote the organization and the event.
3. Posters with custom QR codes: Have internal key publics/stakeholders hang posters in their communities with unique QR codes for them to access the auction fundraiser.
4. Social media influencers promotion: Leverage social media influencers in the conservation/marine/SCUBA niche to promote awareness and support with more potential target market audiences not currently within Reef Check’s reach. Pitch influencers to volunteer/donate posts to promote the event for a good cause.
5. Opinion leader promotion: Have opinion leaders within partners or similar-minded nonprofit organizations promote the event. Seek out partnerships with opinion leaders and other similar-minded nonprofit organizations to publicize the event. Pitch “quid pro quo” publicity.
6. Email notification: Send out email reminders to stakeholders to remind them of the event, and of stages of the fundraiser (the start, the middle, nearing the end, last day). Also send an email notification after the fundraiser to celebrate the successes.
7. Custom landing page: Create a custom URL for the event to provide live updates, including a post-fundraiser update on the successes of the event.

5. Big Idea, Key Publics, Messages, Strategies and Tactics

Big Idea: Be a Reef Check Hero

You can be a Reef Check Hero when you Bid for the Ocean. Support a great organization, help save coral reefs and kelp forests, and save money on dream gifts, for yourself or people you love.

• Big Idea Strategy: Promote the event in the month prior by showing items from last year’s auction items, then give “sneak-peak” glimpses into items for this year’s auction. Tie the bidding to supporting the organization and be clear about why the fundraiser is important to Reef Check.
• Message: By placing a bid on an auction item, you will be a Reef Check Hero and help the organization fulfill its mission. You can be both a savvy shopper and donate to a good cause. 
• Visual Representation: Creative illustrations that give reviews of last year’s big auction items, then sneak-peak glimpses for this year’s anticipated big-auction items. Include the slogan, event information, and the item’s starting bid cost and retail value. Also post a video explaining why this fundraiser is so important to the organization.

Revision of Reef Check's Bid for the Oceans logo:

Older logo:

Proposed revised logos:

Poster Designs

Created by Jackie Leavitt using AI image generation and edited with Adobe.

Other Social Media Post Designs

Created by Jackie Leavitt using AI image generation and edited with Adobe.

Notes: For the social media posts, the visual representation could be paired with themed music. For example: 

• I Need a Hero by Bonnie Tyler
• Hero by Mariah Carey
• Heroes by David Bowie

Key Publics

Defining Key Publics: “Segmented group of people whose support and cooperation is essential to the long-term survival of an organization or the short-term accomplishment of specific objectives” (Wilson, 2015).

Primary Key Publics

Because the main goal of the communications campaign is to reach more key publics to increase the number of auction bidders and increase the overall funds raised, the key public targeted in this campaign are people who are not directly engaged with Reef Check already, but who might benefit from or deeply care about its mission.

Because the main goal of the communications campaign is to reach more key publics to increase the number of auction bidders and increase the overall funds raised, the key public targeted in this campaign are external individuals who are not directly engaged with Reef Check already, but who might benefit from or deeply care about its mission once they learn about it, resulting in their financial support via bidding in the online auction. The segmented market of this group include:

• Contacts of Employees, Board Members and Divers
• Marine Conservationists
• People Who Live Near Kelp Restoration / Monitoring Sites
• Ocean Enthusiasts

Primary Target Market Strategy

Strategy for Reaching Primary Target Market: Social Media Outreach via Opinion Leaders

Opinion leaders (social media influencers, community leaders, conservation leaders, etc) typically have a large social media platform. If these opinion leaders share information about Reef Check’s fundraising event and why the organization matters, Reef Check could reach a much larger audience and potential bidding pool. 

This target market cares about the ocean – whether that’s from a standpoint of conservation, recreation or localization – and seeing influencers share information about the nonprofit with a similar mindframe, Reef Check can tap into this demographic's values and attitudes, and motivate them to participate in the event. 

Channels for Reaching Primary Target Market

The best channel for reaching this primary target market is through social media because posts are easily shared between friends or to a larger audience. That is why the secondary channels would include peers, friends, family, co-workers, community leaders – but likely through social media sharing.

Alternative Channels for Reaching Primary Target Market

Another channel for reaching the primary target market is for Reef Check to attend festivals closely tied to Reef Check’s mission; for example, the San Diego Seaweed Festival, which runs from Nov. 3-4. This would be a great opportunity to share information with the target key public about the mission and to inform them of the fundraiser occurring at that very moment.

List Tactics for Reaching Primary Target Market

• Have social media influencers promote the event.
  • Leverage social media influencers in the conservation/marine/SCUBA niche to promote awareness and support with more potential target market audiences not currently within Reef Check’s reach. 
  • Pitch influencers to volunteer/donate posts to promote the event for a good cause.

• Have opinion leaders within partners or similar-minded nonprofit organizations promote the event.
  • Seek out partnerships with opinion leaders and other similar-minded nonprofit organizations to publicize the event. Pitch “quid pro quo” publicity.

• Ask current employees, board members, divers and other volunteers to share news of the event on social media, email, and other personal communications.

Segmented Target Market Strategy, Channels and Tactics

Segmented Market: Most Important Strategies

• Contacts of Employees, Board Members and Divers: These individuals will want to support their family, friends, neighbors, etc., with the organization they care about. They are also motivated by self-interest in supporting coral-reef and kelp-forest conservation, and they would be interested in bidding on items that relate to their passion for diving, kelp, reefs, etc. Finally, the campaign can appeal to their bargain-deal hunting.
• Marine Conservationists: These individuals care passionately about the health of ocean ecosystems, likely including coral reefs and kelp forests. Conservation scientists and foresters typically have a bachelor’s degree and earn on average $63,750 per year. They are motivated to support coral-reef and kelp-forest conservation, as well as bid on items that relate to their passion for diving, kelp, reefs, etc. Finally, the campaign can appeal to their bargain-deal hunting.
• People Who Live Near Kelp Restoration / Monitoring Sites: Residents of areas near restoration and monitoring sites will often feel a strong connection to their area and pride in protecting it. If they learn how Reef Check is helping their community, there is an increased chance of them wanting to support the organization. The campaign can appeal to their bargain-deal hunting.
• Ocean Enthusiasts: These individuals frequently engage with the marine environment in ways such as beach-going, swimming, surfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, SUPing, kayaking, boating, etc. They would want to support coral-reef and kelp-forest conservation, as well as bid on items that relate to their passion for diving, kelp, reefs, etc. Finally, the campaign can appeal to their bargain-deal hunting.

Channels for Reaching Segmented Target Market

• Contacts of Employees, Board Members and Divers: Channels: Social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc), email, other personal communications.
• Marine Conservationists: Media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn), social media, live events
• People Who Live Near Kelp Restoration / Monitoring Sites: Media, social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, NextDoor), communications from community leaders.

• Ocean Enthusiasts: Media, social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn), live events.

The reason that social media would be the primary channel for the target market is that the event’s communication strategy relies on many frequent reminders about the event – first to generate interest, then to get people to bid, then to remind people to place their final bids. Social media is the ideal platform for this strategy as it allows opinion leaders (influencers, community leaders, friends, family, peers, etc) to share the news with their circles.

However, there could be differences between segmented target markets. For example, because the strategy with people who live near kelp restoration/monitoring sites is community, focusing on community-based social media platforms (like Facebook and NextDoor) would be the best way to share news. Meanwhile, marine conservationists might be best reached on more professional platforms (like LinkedIn or Twitter/X) or visually appealing platforms (Instagram, YouTube).

Internal Key Publics

Reef Check Employees and Board Members

In 2022, 14 of the 91 bidders (15%) were Reef Check employees or board members. 

• Self-interest: Support their organization and mission; support coral-reef and kelp-forest conservation; bid on items that relate to their passion for diving, kelp, reefs, etc.; bargain-deal hunting.
• Relationship: Well-aware of the auction fundraiser, but might not be fully clear on the intended use of the funds raised. They are highly aware of the threats posed to coral reefs and kelp forests, as well as other crises affecting the ocean (climate change, biodiversity loss, unsustainable waste).
• Opinion leaders: Reef Check leadership (Jan Freiwald, executive director; Perry Roshan-Zamir, Co-Chair; Linden Wolbert, Co-Chair); peers; co-workers; family; friends
• Channels: Newsletter, social media, email communication.

Reef Check Divers

In 2022, Reef Check divers made up the largest bidding group, with 41 bidders (45%). Reef Check divers are largely based on the West Coast, but chapters exist around the world. 

• Self-interest: Support their organization and mission; support coral-reef and kelp-forest conservation; bid on items that relate to their passion for diving, kelp, reefs, etc.; bargain-deal hunting.
• Relationship: Might remember the fundraiser from last year, but will need reminding about this year’s event. Likely will not be fully clear on the intended use of the funds raised. They will be highly aware of the threats posed to coral reefs and kelp forests, and likely other crises affecting the ocean (climate change, biodiversity loss, unsustainable waste).
• Opinion leaders: Peers; co-workers; family; friends; Reef Check dive leadership (Jan Freiwald, executive director; Dan Abbott, Director of Kelp Forest Program; Annie Bauer-Civiello, Director of Restoration Program; Dillon Dolinar, Southern California Regional Manager; Maxwell Seale, Central Coast Regional Manager; Ian Norton, Northern California Survey Coordinator; Diana Hollingshead, Oregon Volunteer Coordinator; Jackie Selbitschka, Washington Regional Manager).
• Channels: Newsletter, social media, email communication.

Primary and Secondary Messages

Primary Message 1

Help amplify Reef Check’s voice. The funds raised will support our communication efforts, spreading awareness and scientific data to the public and policy makers.

Secondary (Supportive) Messages:

• “89% of nonprofits say digital communications are critical to achieving their organization's mission” (State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report 2022, n.d.).
• “75% of nonprofits say their program participants would like them to provide more digital communications options” (State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report 2022, n.d.).

Primary Message 2

Reef Check supports your local ocean community by monitoring kelp forest health and leading restoration efforts. If you support Reef Check and Bid for the Ocean, you’re supporting your local community.

Secondary (Supportive) Messages:

• Kelp forests contain more variety and density of plants and animals – including seals, sea lions, sea otters, invertebrates, fish, whales, birds and more – than almost any other ocean community (National Marine Sanctuaries, 2020).
• Kelp forests can offer protection against storms, including shelter to organisms and some protection against coastal erosion (National Marine Sanctuaries, 2020).
• “Kelp forests also provide a variety of ecosystem services to humans and serve as habitat for a number of commercially important fishery species such as kelp bass and black rockfish” (National Marine Sanctuaries, 2020).
• Coastal ecosystems, like kelp forests, are important for blue-carbon storage, as they “can sequester up to 20 times more carbon per acre than land forests” (Clifton-Ross, 2021).

Primary Message 3

If you want to be a savvy shopper, get a head start on holiday gifts while supporting a great nonprofit focused on conserving at-risk kelp forests and coral reefs.

Secondary (Supportive) Messages:

• Approximately “35.6 million adults have participated in an online auction of some type” (Why Online Auctions Have Become Trends among People?, 2022).
• Sales for “online auctions are estimated to grow by $1.90 billion from 2021 to 2026” (Why Online Auctions Have Become Trends among People?, 2022).
• The largest source of charitable giving in 2017 came from individuals at $281.86 billion (72% of total giving); “followed by foundations ($58.28 billion/15%), bequests ($30.36 billion/8%), and corporations ($18.55 billion/5%)” (proppec, 2020)

Evaluation Criteria

Objective 1: Increase the number of bidders for the 2023 event by 2x by focusing on untapped key markets.

Criteria: The 2022 auction had 91 bidders (with 60% being employees, board members or divers) so doubling it would result in a total of 182 bidders.

Tool: Use the online portal 32auctions to track the number of bidders and their affiliation with Reef Check. 

Objective 2: Increase the number of auction items by 2x from 2022, from 63 to 126 items.

Criteria: By crafting communication messages for “cold call” item requests from local organizations, in addition to donations from existing stakeholders.

Tool: Craft communications for stakeholders to use in reaching out to outside organizations to request donations.

Objective 3: Utilize social media to generate buzz prior to the auction.

Criteria: Last year did not fully utilize social media because they did not have someone with that responsibility. Post every 3-4 days in the 2 weeks prior to the event; post every day during the event. 

Tools: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube

Objective 4: Leverage opinion leaders and influencers to generate more awareness and bidding of the event.

Criteria: Reach out to 5-10 micro-influencers (10,000-100,000) focused on ocean conservation to request the “donation” of their time to support the auction.

Tool: Use “collabstr” and similar platforms to find influencers and connect with them.

Objective 5: Increase awareness of the fundraisers via other events, such as the Seaweed Festival in San Diego on Nov. 3-4.

Criteria: Track the number of bidders or visitors who access if due to the live event.

Tool: Use trackable links or QR codes to see who visits the auction from the event.

Objective 6: Celebrate the successes of the event, no matter the amount raised.

Criteria: Foster a sense of team success by celebrating the funds raised, making sure participants feel appreciated.

Tool: Social media, email, newsletter

Timeline

Conclusions and Recommendations

Reef Check has an exciting opportunity for the 2023 auction fundraiser to leverage internal and external communications strategies to increase the funds raised for the auction, to increase the number of bidders, and to increase the number of items up for auction. The organization has the resources via social media to publicize the event and generate buzz, as well as to send reminders to key publics about the auction. Additionally, “cold call” communications could be used to reach out to more local organizations to request donations for the auction, which could lead to more funds raised. Reef Check could also leverage in-person events targeting key publics to engage them in the auction. Finally, to foster a sense of team success, Reef Check should publicize and celebrate the successes of the event, whether or not internal goals are met.

Sources

• Bid for the Oceans Online Auction. (n.d.). Reef Check. Retrieved August 4, 2023, from https://www.reefcheck.org/bidfortheoceans/
• Clifton-Ross, J. (2021, February 19). How kelp forests enhance biodiversity and fight climate change. National Environmental Treasure. https://www.oursafetynet.org/2021/02/19/how-kelp-forests-enhance-biodiversity-and-fight-climate-change/
• Conservation Scientists and Foresters : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018, April 30). Bls.gov. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/conservation-scientists.htm
• Laurie Wilson & Joseph Ogden (2015). Strategic communications planning : for effective public relations and marketing. Kendall/Hunt Pub.
• Lindsay, D. (2022, October 17). “Collapse” in Small Gifts Poses Threat for Nonprofits as Recession Looms, Report Says. The Chronicle of Philanthropy. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/collapse-in-small-gifts-poses-threat-for-nonprofits-as-recession-looms-report-says
• Müller, S., & Rau, H. A. (2019). Too cold for warm glow? Christmas-season effects in charitable giving. PLOS ONE, 14(5), e0215844. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215844
• National Marine Sanctuaries. (2020). Kelp Forests - A Description | Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Noaa.gov. https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/visit/ecosystems/kelpdesc.html
• NonProfit source. (2019). Nonprofits Source. Nonprofits Source. https://nonprofitssource.com/online-giving-statistics/
• proppec. (2020, October 29). The Ultimate List Of Charitable Giving Statistics. Propper Fundraising. https://propper-fundraising.com/2020/10/29/the-ultimate-list-of-charitable-giving-statistics/
• Staff | Reef Check Foundation | Sustainable Reef Communities. (n.d.). Reef Check. https://www.reefcheck.org/about-reef-check/staff/
• Twilio.org State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report 2022. (n.d.). Www.twilio.org. Retrieved August 14, 2023, from https://www.twilio.org/reports/sonder-2022
• Why Online Auctions Have Become Trends Among People? (2022, September 14). Kieferauctions.com. https://kieferauctions.com/why-online-auctions-have-become-trends-among-people/