Namaste India!

A month since my last post, I've kicked this charity benefit into gear. I'm documenting the process here since we're on an ambitious timeline and this is my first side project that I have fully implemented a thorough marketing plan from start to finish. It's great to know that at the end of the day, I am still an advertiser at heart and I will always approach things with a marketing eye. For the next two weeks, I'll be tracking progress and learnings.

The Situation
....was nil. I was tasked as new program chair to lay the groundwork for an up and coming global yoga day event with my only source of information a world away in Zurich, Switzerland, and only accessible on a blogspot blog. In a nutshell, the event is a one day, worldwide benefit in which studios across the world donate time, space, and teachers to offer up yoga sessions on a donation basis. All proceeds go to Room to Read's Girl's Education Program with the aim of raising $37,500 US dollars to place 150 girls in India in school. This is our first year launching something of this scale, and quite frankly, a bit of free for all.

It being a global event, the Switzerland chapter has let us run free with ideas and ways in which we can tailor the event to our own likings and needs. Customizable is great, but initial structure is necessary. Switzerland did a great job launching initial forms and ideas, but here's where I decided to get nitty gritty.

Keep in mind the below has been revised since the first go-round, due to the sudden realization that a week or two has gone by and suddenly I've lost time and am looking at the final two weeks before the event is launched.

Abbreviated Marketing plan:

NY Launch

• Announce availability
• Claim credibility
• Generate awareness, interest and buzz
• Sustain excitement and branding beyond launch

 Overall goal: Announce local availability of global event while creating excitement and surrounding conversation, and securing big players to establish credibility and wider participant base

Global Financial goal: $37,500
Local Financial goal: $1000 min.
Studio Financial goals: set individually

For the next two weeks, I plan to utilize our broad social media mix to deploy 5 key phases:

• Fast Start - Phase 1 and Phase 2 (week of 5/28)
• Strong Sustain - Phase 3 and Phase 4 (Weeks of 5/28-6/4)
• Last Chance - Phase 5 (Week of 6/11)

 Phase 1: Finalize Participating Studios
After a month of brushing up on my cold calling and figuring out different language approaches to bring in prospective sponsors, I went from straight sell, service speak, and finally landed on exclusive invitation. It seemed that studios responded best to teaser emails, a testament to simple and straight to the point advertising instead of infomercials. Which is a challenge to translate to an effort like Namaste India, when you not only have to build credibility for an event that has never been launched, while educating your prospective sponsor about the brand of the charity as a whole.

I'm happy to say that we've finalized five wonderful studios who are dedicating their time and efforts to our cause.

This week, we need to finalize studio information--class times, instructors, registration systems, styles, teacher bios and any other additional fundraising opportunities.