News Archive
Orphan Foundation of America- Creating Synergies
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Watch an excerpt from a program that thanks Casey Family Programs for providing college scholarships to OFA students.
Imagine that you’ve been living in foster care homes as far back as you can remember. Not the best way to grow up. But you had a roof over your head, enough to eat, and you were part of a family.
Then you hit 18.
Automatically, you “age out” of the foster care system. You’re on the street, unemployed, stripped of the support you’ve depended on all your life.
“Suddenly you’re on your own,” says Doug Sprei, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA). “You have to juggle independent living, working, getting an education. You have no health insurance, of course. So just at the time when you’re transitioning into adulthood, you lose the support you need to take your life to the next step.”
Of course, this doesn’t happen in every case. But it happens a lot.
The Orphan Foundation of America was founded to help these at-risk young people through this difficult transition. It provides college scholarships, helps them connect with mentors and internships, and does its best to replace the lost support system.
“Our goal is not only to get kids into college, but to help them stay there, graduate, and succeed,” says Doug.
An unfamiliar story, simply told.
“Not enough is known about these teens and young adults,” says Doug. “They’re a population at risk.” To help get the word out, OFA teamed up with POV-Rose Films. To date, they’ve produced four videos, each with a different theme.
“We found we could really collaborate with POV-Rose,” says Doug. “We work seamlessly together because we’re both interested in telling our story naturally, through the students voices. There’s no need to spin our story or try to manipulate our audience.”
David H. Rose agrees. “OFA is a really good fit for us. They like to create the kind of work that we’re proudest of. It’s not about putting words in people’s mouths. It’s solid, sophisticated work that makes a difference. Real people, real stories.”
Creating synergies
David says the OFA not only knows how to produce good communications, but also understands how to leverage their power.
OFA distributes its videos through traditional direct marketing channels, posts them on its website, shows them to groups of all sizes, and even creates special “thank you videos” for organizations that provide funding and support for OFA’s programs.
As a result, the OFA story reaches a larger audience, and it builds strong bonds between the organization, its corporate sponsors and their employees. “I have tremendous respect for OFA so it’s gratifying to see the work used so effectively,” says David.
“There’s a whole lot of shelf life and extended value to these videos,” says Doug. “Thanks to POV-Rose’s intuitive and collaborative approach, not to mention their accommodating work processes, we’re able to maximize the communications value of the work.”
For more information about OFA, please go to: www.orphan.org