Businesses donate homepages to youth homelessness charity
Melanie May | 10 October 2016 | News
Businesses across the West Midlands joined forces to donate their company homepages to local charity St Basils last month.
Visitors to the websites on 30th September saw a St Basils branded ‘overlay’ explaining that the company in question had donated its HOMEpage to help end youth homelessness in the Midlands. This then gave them the option of continuing to view their intended domain or being diverted to learn about the work of St Basil’s by visiting its website. Visitors were also invited to sign up to the charity’s e-newsletter.
The campaign was conceived by agency One Black Bear, with the date chosen as the closest working day to St Basil’s 44th birthday on 1st October to increase its impact.
Twenty-six companies in the West Midlands, including One Black Bear, took part with some donating their homepage and others donating homepage advertising space or supporting the event through their social media channels.
This is why we're supporting @StBasilsCharity in reducing youth homelessness https://t.co/fkLo0f7iTM #DonateYourHOMEpage
— Birmingham Civic Society (@BirminghamCivic) September 30, 2016
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Participants included: HSF, Dixons, IDEX Consulting, Tuckers Solicitors, Fira, BPN Architects, Shire Insurance, Birmingham Civic Society, Argent LLP in conjunction with Paradise Circus Limited Partnership, The Space Studio and Trinity Mirror Midlands.
While this is potentially a first for a charity, companies have previously changed or added links to their homepages in response to major appeals such as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and 9/11, while many other campaigns have placed ads on other sites, such as Make Poverty History, which got sites to include its triangular advert on their pages.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.