Ploughshares Fund
Give Peace a Vote
The Peace Primary
Challenge: In 2007, the Ploughshares Fund, the largest foundation in the country focused exclusively on peace and security issues, wanted to celebrate its 25th anniversary by positioning peace as a top-of-mind priority and attracting new supporters to the cause.
Our Approach: Fenton created an online contest we called the “Peace Primary” to capitalize on the 2008 election. Here’s how the contest worked: Ploughshares grantees developed their own “peace platforms” on everything from ending the Iraq War to the genocide in Darfur. A special panel, chaired by actor Martin Sheen, selected 12 finalists. The public was then invited to vote online, donating dollars with their vote for the group they wanted to take home the $100,000 prize.
Fenton executed the contest from soup to nuts including building a micro-site, a Flash animation promo, and driving traffic with the help of traditional and new media outreach. We also created buttons and banners for voters to promote their favorite groups among their own social media networks.
Progress, Accelerated: The Peace Primary raised more than $327,000, with TrueMajority winning the grand prize. Ploughshares Fund and the contest finalists each gained new prospect lists for future fundraising and advocacy drives. In 2008, Convio, a software and service provider for nonprofits, honored the campaign with its annual Innovator Award for Online Fundraising.
