Fletcher Place Community Center + Pence Media Group

Fletcher Place Community Center (FPCC) was founded in 1872 as a center for outreach on the southside of downtown Indianapolis where it began by serving meals to immigrants arriving to Indianapolis by train. Since then, it has continued to serve millions of Hoosiers through its mission to break the cycle of poverty and evolved its services to fit the community’s needs, including the development of an early learning pre-K program. 

The year 2022 marks 150 years of FPCC’s service to the community and this milestone achievement is one that warranted being celebrated with an event and commemorated through bold funding initiatives. 

With a vision for the future of FPCC and event ideas in mind, FPCC leadership connected with PMG in spring 2022 to create a strategic plan that involved:

• Strategic event planning and execution
• Sponsorship and fundraising strategy and outreach
• Marketing asset creation (invitations, sponsorship materials, digital graphics, etc.)
• Storytelling through video and photo production
• Public relations strategy, outreach and on-site media support

With these efforts working in tandem towards the September 30, 2022 event, the PMG and FPCC teams were able to move towards a successful event and fundraising initiative.

Leading the charge for this project was PMG’s Lead Communications Strategist, Andrea Kleymeyer. From ideation to creation and implementation, our team of experts and FPCC leadership began to plan the 150 year anniversary.

Event Strategy + Planning

When our team first met with the FPCC team, the idea of a celebratory event was on the table but aspects like format, thoughtful details and run of show were all yet to be determined. The organization’s strong brand and deep community impact, provided great roots from which this concept could grow.

PMG’s first step was to understand the goals of the event from guest experience to how much money needed to be raised through ticket sales, sponsorships, in-kind donations and elements like live and silent auctions. From the information gathered, our team was able to set them up for success with a roadmap and tools to achieve the 150 year anniversary goals.

“CELEBRATE 150 was a huge undertaking and vision for Fletcher Place Community Center and we actually thought we had a sense of direction and objectives we hoped to accomplish. Until PMG built upon that and added a plan to it. Then, our vision was clarified and a very focused plan was attached to it. PMG, and specifically Nicole and Andrea, were able to provide extreme focus to our vision and strongly / gently guide us in the right direction while providing very specific measurables / vision / guidance.” – Randy Sorrell, FPCC board member

Marketing Asset Creation

Humans, by nature, are more inclined to donate towards a cause when they can see the “who” behind the ”why”. Therefore, our team knew that professional photo and video assets were necessary for highlighting FPCC to the public before, during, and after the event. 

PMG is a Telly Award-winning team that takes brands to the next level and we applied our experience and expertise to visually tell the FPCC story. The first step was to create a production shoot document that carefully outlined the necessary details and deliverables for the shoot so all parties (client, vendor & PMG) were aligned. Once the FPCC team approved this document, PMG completed a bidding process among select preferred vendors and enlisted the Siners for photography and Raya Lawson Massengill for videography.

This single day production shoot had several moving parts as assets needed to be secured for FPCC’s preschool, community garden, food pantry and thrift store, in addition to board member headshots. Video interviews were also conducted with FPCC’s executive director, Melissa Drew, and board member, Randy Sorrell. PMG reviewed all assets and provided vendor feedback prior to presenting drafts for client review and approval. These efforts and coordination ensured the visual-storytelling of the brand hit the mark.

“The media, video, photos and production assets will live with us for years and help leverage the success of the event. It’s hard to imagine the story captured in “simple” photos and video and how it told our story. Our volunteers, contributors, donors and staff were all completely emotional over the content. And, the calls and accolades continue.” – Randy Sorrell, FPCC board member

Public Relations + On-site Media Support

The PMG consultancy model can operate as a company’s own internal communications and PR department to get a business the coverage it needs to grow. In the case of Fletcher Place Community Center, our PR experts pitched the local media regarding the FPCC’s 150 year milestone and the celebration that was planned to support its fundraising efforts.

Given the rich history and impact of the FPCC story, FPCC was featured across multiple media outlets including WTHR, WFYI and Fox59’s Indy Now. To aid in the content development of these stories and call for donations to support the event’s mission, PMG developed segment sheets for the client and media contact while also supporting coverage on-site. 

Event Execution + Wins

The event strategy and preparation paid off when it came time for the big day at the Indiana State Museum. The run of show document clearly pinpointed scripting and when each action item would take place, leading to the playbook being executed just as we had outlined months prior. Three of PMG’s team members attended the event and PMG’s own Nicole Pence Becker served as emcee. Nicole led the flow of the event from the podium, introduced special guests and acted as auctioneer for the live auction and “raise the paddle” activities. The live auction item of the night was an original painting by Heather Ward Miles that was created with the help of the FPCC preschool students. 

The event also featured a silent auction, seated dinner, live music and VIP reception in the Major Taylor exhibit. Handcrafted centerpieces adorned the tables and reflected elements of the preschool like creatively displayed art supplies that could be purchased and donated back to the school. Individuals laughed, cheered, and shared their fondest moments from being a part of the organization. 

“Of note is the “run of show” for the evening and how PMG handled it all with style, elegance and a firm hand when needed. Nicole was absolutely the best emcee I have seen in the hundreds of non profit fundraisers attended.” – Randy Sorrell, FPCC board member

After the event took place and media coverage aired, the Fletcher Place Community Center team raised a total of $225,000 to support preK scholarships and feed the hungry programs.

PMG was honored to help FPCC celebrate 150 years of service to the Indianapolis community as it raised funds to further its mission.

#Consideritdone with PMG in 2023 

Planning an event? PMG can help. The Pence Media Group team uses its skills to strategize the most logical steps needed to run an event and meet your fundraising goals. From ideation to creation and implementation, our experts have you covered for your next big milestone. Consider it done.