2018 Food & Wine Experience Return on Investment

Transcription

1 2018 Food & Wine Experience Return on Investment From: Deanna James, Executive Director St. Croix Foundation for Community Development Market Street, Christiansted, VI Tel: Your sponsorship matters! Each year, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development works diligently to reduce expenses, increase charitable income, and provide a solid Return on Investment for our generous sponsors. This year, we are proud to report that despite challenges faced in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, we raised critical funding, let the world know St. Croix was open for business, and provided a wide range of media acknowledgement to those corporate and individual philanthropists who supported the Foundation's core operations and a dynamite event series. And, we once again reduced expenses by over 40%. Cuisine Noir Magazine Covers the Experience The following document provides a proof of performance for the 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, the annual benefit of St. Croix Foundation. Note: sponsors who joined us after March 30, 2018 may not have received all benefits due to printing timelines, etc. ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 1

2 2018 MEDIA The Foundation s significant partnerships allow us to showcase St. Croix as a special community to residents and visitors alike. The Foundation takes great care to ensure diverse mediums are present at all events. Increased exposure for the Experience drives audiences to our event website and social media to ensure sponsors receive acknowledgement for their support and serves as an economic stimulas for St. Croix as a culinary destination! By incorporating advertisements, You Tube videos, blogs, newspaper articles and advertisements, drive time radio ads, specialty magazines, and even event calendars, we definitely got the word out! USVI DEPT. OF TOURISM DAILY NEWS TRAVEL + LEISURE MAGAZINE CUISINE NOIR MAGAZINE COASTAL LIVING THE SOURCE TRAVELLIST ST. CROIX AVIS VI CONSORTIUM GOTOSTCROIX STCROIXTOURISM VISIT STCROIX ST. CROIX THIS WEEK A. HIROKO MY-STCROIX VI NEWS MOKO LUTION MARKETING FETEBOOKIT THE SQUISHY MONSTER WTJX DOCUMENTARY WSTX FM WSTX AM 970 ISLE 95 MONGOOSE SUNNY 99.5 LATINO 98.3 CBS and CNN HEADLINE NEWS CARIBEAN FOOD NETWORK ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 2

3 CAMPAIGN AND LOGO LINKS In 2018, the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience's campaign reached more than 2,700 subscribers with a 21.9 open rate on target with the industry average and represents a slight increase from 2017, despite the hurricanes. All s featured sponsor logos and included a click-through to the Food & Wine Experience's website sponsor page where logos were linked to sponsor websites. Our subscribers come from far and wide: 44% come from the Virgin Islands 56% come from the US mainland St. Croix Foundation s campaign began in February due to recovery efforts from the hurricanes. A targeted campaign was executed for two months which showcased St. Croix, the events, and St. Croix Foundation s recovery work. A few samples of the campaigns are as follows: 02/19/2018 Resiliency in Action: Save the Date 03/12/2018 Reef Responsible Fish Fry 03/15/2018 Raise a Glass to Resiliency: Wine in the Warehouse 04/01/2018 FWE is Almost Here! 04/04/ Events, 4 All Star Chefs 04/26/2018 Thank You: Resilient Together! CELEBRITY CHEFS OVER 30 ALL-STAR CELEBRITY CHEFS REPRESENTING OVER 20 CITIES From New York to San Francisco and Anguilla to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, over the past decade our celebrity chefs continue to draw guests with their impressive roster of accomplishments and keep St. Croix firmly on the map as a culinary destination. Our chefs are James Beard Winners, internationally renowned restaurateurs, and hold coveted awards from national television shows such as CHOPPED. But their work is also aligned with the Foundations: they are all philanthropic, committed to sustainability and most of all, community building. ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 3

4 OUR ATTENDEES = VISIBILITY, NETWORKING, ECONOMIC STIMULUS Every year, St. Croix Foundation s reach extends for its annual benefit, adding new cities and states to our guest list. The Experience increases visibility for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and St. Croix in particular, as a culinary destination, boosting our tourism product. In addition, our local businesses, including countless restaurants, hotels, and dress shops benefit. But the networking power of the Experience for our venue partners and sponsors such as Bohlke International Airways, and even our distributer Southern Glazer s Wines & Spirits receive unprecedented exposure, strengthening the Virgin Islands private sector. And because it s a benefit for St. Croix s only community foundation, who supports upwards of 100 nonprofits at any given time, this is a benefit that nurtures collaboration, awareness, and brings in critical dollars to the public, private, and civic sectors of the Virgin Islands. GUESTS FROM OVER 200 CITIES THROUGHOUT THE NATION ATTEND ST. CROIX FOOD & WINE EXPERIENCE In just four years, from , St. Croix Foundation s annual benefit has attracted guests from over 200 cities on the U.S. mainland, Canada, Puerto Rico, and of course St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix. The Experience is the perfect blend of local, regional, and national. With 38% of guests drawn from the mainland and 62% from the St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, sponsors receive an incredible amount of exposure just from attendees ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 4

5 SOCIAL MEDIA St. Croix Foundation works to ensure our social media outreach for the Food & Wine Experience continues to increase exposure for the event series and our valued sponsors through organic and paid reach on Facebook. For higher level sponsors, customized and individual posts are designed. And we do this throughout the year, showcasing and sharing the incredibly tasty work of our culinary community to keep our momentum building! FACEBOOK IN 2018 With over 4,500 likes (and growing) on Facebook, we have over 4,400 people following the Experience s Facebook page. We keep our artwork and messaging relevant and refreshed every single year, and the results speak for themselves: Over 300 more people liked us and joined our Facebook family for Our actual reach on Facebook exceeds 2,270 users and is growing. ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 5

6 SPONSORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & EVENT GROWTH The Foundation continues to analyze the data at the close of each Experience to ensure our events are growing, while always decreasing expenses. This is an accountability measure that we utilize to assure our partners, sponsors, and community stakeholders that every dollar possible is directed toward the issues that affect every aspect of life in the Virgin Islands. Events by the Numbers! In 2018, we increased the number of paying guests at every event, with a total of over 1100 guests across all events, and cultivated community through deeper relationships with our sponsors, media, chefs, and community partners. The final tallies tell the story and allow the Foundation s work to continue and for our sponsors, this means greater exposure for their generosity: 50 incredible philanthropists Showcased community philanthropy at balter attendees celebrated and raised awareness through the Reef Responsible Fish Fry guests Showcased Resiliency in Action at Wine in the Warehouse 40 + longtime family and new friends joined us at the Giving Table ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 6

7 BALTER, COLLATERAL & RADIO ACKOWLEDGEMENT 500 programs were distributed to guests throughout the event series. Logos of sponsors who pledged by the print date were positioned in the program and for Silver Sponsors and above, advertisement space was offered. Sponsor boards were also placed prominently at each event s entrance/exit. (Images of the sponsor board were also posted on St. Croix Food & Wine Experience's Facebook page and in photo albums.) In addition, all sponsors receive public acknowledgement throughout each event and receive further exposure by placing collateral in the 20-plus gift bags we distribute to incoming national media, chefs, vintners, and VIPs. It s just one more way we make sure our guests get a true St. Croix Experience while providing sponsors with more opportunities for visibility. BALTER Sponsors also all receive the opportunity to attend the exclusive, invitation only balter, a reception for the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience. A communitycentric event, balter brings together St. Croix Foundation s sponsors, top donors and partners, chefs, and national and local media together to introduce and update the community on the work of the Foundation. In 2018, over 40 community-minded partners convened over delectable appetizers, fine spirits from Southern Glazer s Wine & Spirits, and prepared for a weekend of food, fun, and philanthropy. An excellent networking opportunity, balter has a way of setting the stage for immersing oneself in that almost indefinable feeling of St. Croix RADIO St. Croix Foundation also spreads the word about the Experience through radio. Although slightly scaled back due to the hurricanes and timing, our radio spots continued to highlight every sponsor with higher level sponsors appearing in every advertisement. In 2018, St. Croix Foundation ran three content different radio advertisements on five stations 10 times a day for four weeks. All spots listed higher level sponsors with lower level sponsors staggered once throughout the three ads. Advertisements were updated on a weekly basis to ensure sponsors received acknowledgement for their contribution as of their commitment. ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 7

8 2019 Event Line-Up All Our Favorites Are Returning! Get ready to join us for 2019, because after the hurricanes, we re bringing back all of our much-loved events for the perfect weekend of indulgence. Thursday, April 4 balter Celebrity chefs, exclusive spirits, and delectable appetizers at balter restaurant create the perfect ambiance for active, passionate philanthropists to meet and mingle. Invitation only. Please call for information on how to join us. Friday, April 5 SUNSET BBQ Our much-loved Sunset BBQ is back! Bring the family out for the perfect Crucian sunset and finger-licking BBQ treats from some of St. Croix s finest restaurants and eateries. With live music, a raffle, and plenty of room to roam, there s something for everyone! Frederiksted Pier. 6pm. $50 per adult, Children, $25 each Cork & Fork The cosmopolitan Cork & Fork Dinner returns for 2019! Always with a renowned chef. Always in a stunning private home. Always the height of elegance and intimacy. Call for location. 5:30pm. $1000 per person Saturday, April 6 Wine in the Warehouse Let your cup overflow with the spirit of philanthropy and raise a glass (or several!) to community. Enjoy Southern Glazer s Wine & Spirits fine wines, appetizers, and live music. Wine sales available. Bohlke International Airways. 6pm. $125pp Sunday, April 7 Gourmet Vintner Dinner This lively and community-centric dining experience pairs fabulous wines with a 5-course meal and includes a live auction. This event is not to be missed! Braata, Frederiksted (shuttle available). 6pm. $250pp ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 8

9 BEYOND EXPOSURE, SPONSORSHIP SUPPORTS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT At the heart of any sustainable hurricane rebuilding effort is holistic community development, and over the course of the past year and since Hurricanes Irma and Maria, St. Croix Foundation has learned that our approach to community development and the projects we were blueprinting prior to the storms are more important than ever before. To achieve true resilience and ensure sustainable community development in the face of changing economics, policy, or natural disasters, St. Croix Foundation is grounding our work in equity, data, and community collaboration. Today, your support of the Experience directly supports our work in the following priority areas. Data Collection for Strategic Recovery The Foundation will continue to collect data through surveys, focus groups, national and regional reports, and our own grantmaking and programming. Data collected will inform the Foundation s programmatic services and will be distributed widely to 1) assist in framing community-wide dialogues about next steps in the recovery process, 2) identify strategies to more effectively respond to future natural disasters, and 3) assist in the Foundation s advocacy for support of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Grantmaking and Direct Support for Local Nonprofit Organizations Leveraging data collection and our work with over 60 organizations through our Nonprofit Consortium and sponsored projects, St. Croix Foundation s grantmaking is based on stewarding philanthropic resources to help nonprofits rebuild and strengthen organizational capacity. In turn, the Foundation will nurture a civic sector resilient enough to provide critical services in the face of any crisis. Economic Development through Resiliency and Preparedness Planning The Foundation is working with private and public sector partners to develop and institute comprehensive resiliency strategies for St. Croix and the territory with programs that can be activated during times of emergency and disaster. The following projects will centralize the critical role of the nonprofit sector in preparedness and immediate response planning: Farming for Food Security & Small Business Development The initiative awards eco-friendly container stores/community hubs to local farms as a vehicle for bringing these businesses back on-line following Hurricanes Irma and Maria and to assist local neighborhoods if a disaster were to impact the territory again. In partnership with the Coca Cola Company, the Foundation is identifying local farms to receive Pop Farms - steel containers that are outfitted to serve as community hubs if another disaster were to strike, providing a place with power through solar panels and/or generators), Wi-Fi and potable water. Community Solar Project Now in its final development phase, our Solar-Supported Community Demonstration Program will serve as a replicable model of sustainable community development directly supported by resilient, affordable, energy cost-reducing, solar-pv systems. The Foundation is identifying neighborhood community centers and spaces that will be provided with energy independence and resiliency in the aftermath of a disaster. This project also has a comprehensive Workforce Development On-the-Job-Training component as well and is projected to serve up to 4 community centers and 40 students. Place-Keeping: Healing through the Humanities As our community creates a vision for full recovery, place-keeping and preserving the unique DNA of our community is integral to the sustainability of all our efforts. As such we are seeking funding to develop the Square into a diverse public space for local small businesses, low income housing, and nonprofits as well as house after school and summer programs, community forums, and life-long learning programs that are grounded in Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean culture. As a part of this project, the Alexander Theater is also slated to become the only indoor, state of the art performing arts center on St. Croix and modern community disaster shelter that can house up to 400 people. ROI: 2018 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, page 9