Non-profit Advertising on a Budget

&vertisinginc used clips from the pilot episode of The Beverly Hillbillies to rebrand “Christmas in April” as “Rebuilding Together.”


HGTV’s new series Home Town Takeover spotlights renovations by HGTV superstars Ben and Erin Napier in a small town in Alabama. Their goal is to make an impact that’ll ripple through the community for generations to come.

Just one ad man’s opinion but it sounds a lot like an idea pioneered by a nonprofit that’s been doing exactly that for almost half a century.

In 1973, a small group of volunteers began fixing the run-down homes of people who couldn’t do it themselves. They called their selfless initiative “Christmas in April” to symbolize the unexpected joy their repair work brought to those who needed it most.

As the need for their services grew, so did the need for donations.

Unfortunately, the nonprofit’s cute and clever name was a stumbling block. Some potential donors assumed they only worked one month a year.

So they changed their name to Rebuilding Together – to more clearly communicate their year-round commitment to repair homes, rebuild lives, and revitalize communities.

Almost immediately, a new problem surfaced . . . now potential donors thought they were a Habitat for Humanity wannabe.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

You see, Habitat BUILDS BRAND NEW HOMES for low income families. Rebuilding Together FIXES OLD HOMES for low income families.

Think NEW is better than OLD? Not always. A lot of people don’t like change. Especially seniors.

Click the play button to see how we reminded potential donors of this human truth.

PRODUCTION NOTE: REBUILDING TOGETHER’S LITTLE AD AGENCY (ANDVERTISINGINC) CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO USE GRANNY, UNCLE JED, ELLIE MAY AND JETHRO. RT’S BIG PR AGENCY (PEPPERCOMM) HAD THE RESOURCES TO GET THE O.K. TO USE THEM. WHICH ILLUSTRATES THE WISDOM OF HELEN KELLER’S MOST FAMOUS QUOTE, “ALONE WE CAN DO SO LITTLE. TOGETHER WE CAN DO SO MUCH.”

About David Wojdyla

In 1999, he founded “and WOJDYLA,” the first ad agency to put clients first. Building on its success, Mr. Wojdyla co-founded “ANDvertising inc,” a digital marketing & advertising agency with a proven track record of success
This entry was posted in (and)vertisinginc, Public Service Announcement (PSA) and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to Non-profit Advertising on a Budget

  1. Anonymous says:

    I have always thought this was brilliant. It still IS brilliant!

    Liked by 1 person

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