Turning Crisis Into Community
Ever wonder what happens when an organization loses half its budget overnight? Foster Care Closet (FCC) faced this exact nightmare in July 2025 when the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services unexpectedly decided not to renew its 12-year contract. Just like that, they were faced with a $364,000 funding gap.
Foster Care Closet provides brand-new, dignified wardrobes to 2,100 foster youth, and to maintain that, they needed to completely pivot away from government funding.
Instead of treating the situation like a bureaucratic failure, the team decided to humanize the whole thing. They reminded everyone of the stark contrast between carting belongings around in a garbage bag and the joy and confidence of FCC’s boutique shopping experience.
Multi-Channel Storytelling Campaign
To pull this off, they rolled out a multi-channel storytelling funnel:
Starting at the top: They used powerful professional photography, videos, brochures, flyers, and a deep-dive impact story from a former foster youth and a foster mom to pull at the community’s heartstrings.
Moving to the middle: A steady 10-part social media series paired with a heavy media pitch blitz kept FCC right at the front of people’s minds during the busy year-end giving season.
Driving it home: High-touch emails and handwritten, hand-addressed cards and thank-you notes were sent, all with an ask and a relatable price point ($350 for a full wardrobe). Everyday people suddenly felt like they could make a real difference.
Look What Happens When You Market with Dignity
Surpassed Their Goal: This campaign absolutely smashed their $280,000 goal, bringing in $313,000, an 111.8% return on investment.
New Faces: They welcomed 131 brand-new donors to the cause.
Big Time Awareness: They didn’t just raise money; they raised eyebrows across four major regional media outlets, scoring features in the Lincoln Journal Star, on KZUM radio’s Our Street, and through independent digital and marketing podcasts like the Dan Parsons Show and Agency or Change.
Political Backup: Even U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts caught wind of the story, shared it on X, and gave the mission a huge boost with more than 544 organic views.
Thanks to a solid strategy, incredible creative partners, and a caring community, Foster Care Closet dodged those devastating cuts and secured a sustainable future for over 2,000 foster youth.
Compounded Results
Stingray won the 2026 AMA Lincoln Prism Award for CONSUMER MARKETING CAMPAIGN and DEI - PRINT for this campaign. Here’s the team at the awards ceremony in May!
In this photo: Leigh Esau (Executive Director of Foster Care Closet) with me at the Prism Award Ceremony, along with the Grindstone Media team (two on the left, video production), Jordan Snader (AMA Lincoln Board President, the one who presented the award), and Rebecca Marie Photo (far right, who took the photos for our campaign). Mandy Peterson of SevnSpero designed this campaign and is missing from the photo.
What an incredible end to a campaign that took monumental effort on behalf of so many people.
If your brand could benefit from impact-driven storytelling, especially during fundraising season, reach out. I’d love to chat. Check out our packages for nonprofits.
