The Salvation Army of North Texas
Influencers Give in Style To Break Donation Record for Nonprofit
Forest Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to community revitalization in South Dallas through equitable development and economic mobility, faced a potential lull in coverage and conversation after a successful groundbreaking event in April for their restoration of the 75-year-old Forest Theater. With visible progress on the project expected to take close to a year, Genuine Article was tasked with driving awareness to engage potential donors and inspire local community members who would benefit from the Theater’s opening in 2026. Recognizing the power of digital media, which the average adult spends more than seven hours a day consuming, Genuine Article crafted a strategy to leverage social platforms to amplify the organization’s narrative and create its own moment of attention.
Ahead of the Theater’s 75th anniversary, Genuine Article developed a plan to raise awareness and drive engagement for Forest Forward by showcasing the Theater’s past, present, and future. We focused on creating memorable, authentic content with a distinct visual identity, including a commemorative logo. With no media budget, our plan relied on social media, advocacy endorsements, and earned media to amplify the message across digital platforms and ensure broad reach and engagement. A branded lightbox, landing page, and donation form were launched a week ahead of the 75th anniversary, and social content was deployed throughout the week to count down to the anniversary and recognize community members’ stories and hopes for the future. A targeted list of community influencers was given unique assets with a call to action to share on their platforms, and a constituent-wide email informed supporters of the milestone and how to celebrate.
The campaign successfully reignited public interest in Forest Forward, generating 4,720 engagements across owned social media channels and extending reach through four community leaders creating unique content on their feeds. The campaign raised $12,160 and garnered five local news articles, resulting in more than 821,000 impressions.
