Charity Big Buddy is among the first organisation to benefit from the professional assistance offered by the recently launched collaboration platform Creators Aotearoa.
This is just what founder, Jane King, intended – she founded Creators Aotearoa in June with the vision to link marketers keen to give back with charities seeking creative expertise.
Big Buddy is an organisation that matches good men, Big Buddies, with boys aged 7 to 14 who are growing up without a father in their lives. The team needed help with their latest marketing campaign, designed to roll out in three waves: the first focused on fundraising, followed by two of recruiting men to volunteer.
Within hours of signing up for Creators Aotearoa, Big Buddy received the help it needed, quickly met with offers from design agency SixOneNine, led by husband-and-wife team Phila Lagaluga and Carmen Sutton; and Megan Raynor, an award-winning copywriter.
Not long later, this newly formed team was collaborating to bring the Big Buddy campaign to life.
Generous contributions
Josie Sutherland, Marketing Manager at Big Buddy says, “We’re incredibly thankful to Creators Aotearoa for connecting us with such a skilled team of professionals. Their generous contribution has enabled us to execute an impactful multi layered campaign.
“Unfortunately, we always have a list of Little Buddies waiting to be matched with a good man—right now, 130 boys are hoping for a Big Buddy. Standing out in a competitive charity landscape is crucial to making a real difference in their lives.”
The campaign led with real stories of real Big–Little Buddy pairings, utilising the heartwarming impact these have, while making the most of the charity-sized budget.
Sutherland also acknowledged long-term media partners Lumo Digital and Val Morgan Outdoor, who donated media space for the campaign.
The campaign has also benefited from expertise found within the Big Buddy community. Carl Sarney, Head of Strategy at TRA and a dedicated Big Buddy himself, along with his wife Alice Sarney, Marketing Automation Analyst at ANZ Bank, who both used their organisations’ charity days to run a strategic workshop that proved invaluable in shaping Big Buddy’s future direction.
Benefits on both sides
Thanks to the collective generosity and expertise of these professionals, Big Buddy’s latest campaign is already well-positioned to drive real impact, ensuring more boys get the guidance and support they need from positive male role models.
Raynor says there were benefits both ways. “As a creative, it’s not every day you get the opportunity to use your skills for good. Being able to work with Big Buddy via Creators Aotearoa was incredibly rewarding – knowing something as simple as the right words can help make a difference in the lives of young boys.”
