Tread Lightly!’s Second Annual Charity Auction on eBay
Overview
Last year Tread Lightly! held its first-ever charity auction on eBay to raise money to educate and motivate good stewards of recreation, as a means of protecting recreation access and opportunities in the great outdoors. The inaugural program was extremely successful with product donors receiving at least 1.8 million impressions of positive publicity and $34,000 worth of advertising in some of the nation’s most popular outdoor enthusiast’s publications.
In the end, Tread Lightly! netted nearly $20,000 to support its education and outreach initiatives promoting responsible outdoor recreation. On the heels of success, we’ve begun preparing for Tread Lightly!’s 2nd Annual Charity Auction on eBay to be held June 1-11, 2009. Your company might like to be involved by donating product of your choice towards this win/win charitable promotion.
We expect to provide participating partners an even greater return on investment in 2009 by exposing your product while aligned with Tread Lightly!’s cause – a cause that resonates in the hearts and minds of consumers critically important to sustaining your market.
Why Give to the Tread Lightly! eBay Charity Auction?
· Your company will get excellent promotion of its product to genuine outdoor enthusiasts, while also building on your brand’s green and socially responsible image.
· Your company will be giving to an important cause that helps ensure the sustainability of the outdoor recreation portion of your market.
· During this uneasy economic time, Tread Lightly!’s Charity Auction is a smart alternative to a traditional media buy because no cash is required, and the ROI is high.
The auction will be held June 1-11, 2009. For maximum promotion, companies should submit a donation form before February 27, 2009. Products can be shipped directly to Tread Lightly! headquarters anytime before May 1.
Promotional Benefits
· Inclusion in special advertisements about the auction in some of the nation’s most popular motorized enthusiast and outdoor enthusiast magazines, worth an estimated $30,000.
· Promotion through a press release that is expected to run in several enthusiast magazines, generating 50,000 to 1 million impressions.
· Detailed descriptions and photos of your product with your logo and web link on Tread Lightly!’s website, which gets an average of 1,500+ unique visitors per day.
· Two emails listing your product and company will be sent to 7,000 Tread Lightly! members, friends, and contacts including manufacturers, dealers, retailers, clubs, corporations, nonprofits, and individuals.
· Inclusion in a targeted campaign pushing each product on at least 50 popular powersports, four wheel drive, hunting, geocaching, and hiking forums and blogs.
· Several other promotions including newsletter articles, e-newsletter articles, a press release, and detailed product descriptions on eBay, adding at least 15,000 more impressions.
· The value of your donation can also act as cash to help move you up to a higher partner level in Tread Lightly!, which carries its own set of valuable benefits.
What Tread Lightly! is Raising Money For
The problems associated with outdoor recreation in America have reached critical mass and we are at a pivotal crossroads. In 2008, we experienced closures from coast to coast and we expected closures only to escalate in 2009. The two main reasons for loss of recreation access and opportunities are because of 1) damage caused by irresponsible (or un-informed) recreationists and 2) a tremendous lack of government resources to maintain infrastructure like roads, trails and recreation facilities (due to severe budget cuts, chronic backlog, natural disasters, and new policies without funding).
Tread Lightly! is trying to urgently provide proactive solutions to these problems, and will do so through:
· Education: Tread Lightly! is pushing its myriad of educational pieces, online resources, and training opportunities to educate as many recreationists as possible to tread lightly in the outdoors. This proactive approach can help protect thousands of miles of trails and campsites from potential damage and closure.
· Communication: Recreationists must be inspired, motivated and have their perceptions changed in order to affect their behavior. Tread Lightly! will be developing new public service campaigns as well as pushing existing successful campaigns to advance the good behavior and reputation of motorized recreation. Tread Lightly! will also be working this year to secure funds to help the Forest Service provide maps, signage and information kiosks to effectively implement the Travel Management Rule and help recreationists find designated motorized trails and protect the environment.
· Restoration/Stewardship: Money raised will help Tread Lightly! manage and find funding for Restoration for Recreation – a program designed to help restore and enhance recreation sites across the country with the help of grassroots volunteers and corporate involvement.
To donate product to the Tread Lightly!’s Annual Charity Auction on eBay, download a Product Donation Form, or contact us at 1-800-966-9900 or treadlightly@treadlightly.org.
You can make a major difference this year for the environment, the recreation industry, and your bottom line!
