The Chicago Marathon is one of the most prominent athletic events in the world, and it dovetails perfectly with the mission of Special Olympics Chicago/Special Children's Charities. We have maintained a charity team for the marathon for many years. From 2021–2023, we have targeted ambitious growth and used a robust integrated marketing plan to successfully meet and exceed our goals each year.
The main challenge of this campaign is the relatively narrow audience segment being targeted. To effectively target people who are looking for a race entry, or who have a tie to the organization's mission, we focus our resources on Google search ads, paid social ads, and organic social and email promotions to our already engaged audiences.
I manage the creative for static ads, which use photography to focus on the main benefits of joining the team–supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and our premium race headquarters and cheering section.
We also created a mini-documentary in 2021 to highlight what drives our runners, and the incredible experience provided when they join the team.
Since 2021, we have seen growth in team member acquisition, retention, and fundraising.