Dolly’s Dream won the 2024 FIA award for Best Strategic Partnership. We go behind the scenes with Sally Sweeney, Head of Dolly’s Dream, to unpack the secrets behind the successful partnership with EssenceMediacom.
Dolly’s Dream is a national not-for-profit that works to change the culture of bullying and support young people and families experiencing bullying, anxiety and depression. EssenceMediacom is an innovative agency creating marketing breakthroughs for brands.
Stellar: How did the partnership with EssenceMediacom start?
Sally: EssenceMediacom, a partner of UnLtd – a social purpose organisation connecting the media, marketing and creative industries with charities helping children and young people at risk, was seeking a charity to collaborate with. Dolly’s Dream caught their attention and our message and cause aligned with the values of their organisation and team.
From the start EssenceMediacom has fully supported us. The organisation was seeking a cause that they could truly believe in. Collectively, they committed to making Dolly’s Dream that cause and it has become their principle pro bono partner, giving it 100% of their attention and support.
We had an initial meeting involving UnLtd, EssenceMediacom, and ourselves. We presented our existing Do It For Dolly Day campaign, which aimed to capitalise on our strong community support. The campaign, held after Dolly’s birthday, asked people to wear blue (Dolly’s favourite colour), be kind and fundraise.
In the campaign’s first year in 2019, we raised $70,000 from 82 community activities. By the fourth year, we wanted to significantly grow the campaign and expand our reach into new audiences so we could continue to support young people and families. EssenceMediacom’s influence was crucial due to its extensive media connections, including partners like Foxtel, Seven and oOh!
The partnership’s success hinges on key advocates within both organisations. Their exec team and our CEO were aligned from the start. EssenceMediacom’s Group Marketplace Director, K.P., has been instrumental in driving the partnership forward.
EssenceMediacom secured pro-bono media for our campaign. They presented to their media partners, including major names like Channel Nine and Nova. The result? Over $8 million in pro-bono support in 2022, with our campaign visible across Australia.
EssenceMediacom didn’t stop there; they also fundraised for us. Their entire organisation participated, with one team even doing a 5km Charity Chicken Crawl, walking to the three CBD KFCs in Sydney to support the cause. They fully embraced our campaign’s message of kindness and anti-bullying, raising over $85,000 in house for Do It For Dolly Day.
From day one, we were in sync. EssenceMediacom was fully committed and played a vital role in amplifying our message.
Stellar: What was the impact of the partnership?
Sally: In 2019, we held 82 activities and raised $70,000, 2020 was affected by COVID-19, in 2021 we had 545 registrations and raised $220,000.
When EssenceMediacom joined us in 2022, our registrations went up to 812, and our fundraising increased substantially to $615,000—a boost of almost $400,000.
In 2023, our momentum continued with over 1,070 community fundraisers registering and $802,000 raised. EssenceMediacom’s support has been instrumental in these achievements. Additionally, their contribution has driven increased website visits and media mentions, enhancing our partnership’s overall impact.
Stellar: How much of the growth of your whole organisation do you attribute to the $8 million pro-bono support from EssenceMediacom for Do It For Dolly Day?
Sally: Last year the pro-bono value they provided was a staggering $15.5 million. At the beginning of 2022 we had three dedicated Dolly’s Dream team members. This year we’ve hired our eighth team member. Everything is growing. The demand has surged, and this growth is largely due to our increased visibility through EssenceMediacom. It’s not just about financial support; it’s about expanding our reach. For instance, a parent reached out to us recently through social media, wanting their child’s kindergarten involved in Dolly’s Dream due to their child experiencing bullying. They learned about us through our cinema ads which were placed thanks to EssenceMediacom. This partnership has directly led to more people accessing our support services, which is what Dolly’s Dream is about.
Stellar: What has been the value to EssenceMediacom of the partnership? What has it done for their business?
Sally: I recently asked them to be a referee for another partnership that we are hoping to extend so I have a wonderful testimonial from them.
“For us the benefits are multi-layered. Not only does the partnership strengthen our commitment to CSR, showcasing a commitment to addressing social issues and contributing to the wellbeing of the community, but the cause of Dolly’s Dream was personally selected by our people as sadly many of our staff have been impacted by bullying or have young kids.
We’ve found our employees feel a real sense of pride and fulfillment through our involvement with Dolly’s Dream. This has led to increased employee engagement, improved morale and higher retention rates. All staff who participated in the media campaign in 2023 have been retained in 2024.
Our employees see the partnership and Do It For Dolly Day as a highlight of the year. The support and camaraderie of getting behind Dolly’s Dream is a regular talking point, not only in Australia, but held up as a beacon of excellence for community engagement globally.
For EssenceMediacom, it’s a no-brainer to support Dolly’s Dream every year. We’re now in our third year of partnership and each year the impact our support makes increases the morale of our people making the time and the financial investment worth it.
We’ve seen increased retention, credibility in the industry as a best-in-case example of CSR engagement and high satisfaction for our people involved in the partnership.”
Stellar: Wow, how many staff do they have?
Sally: 500+ and they retained 100% of their Do It For Dolly Day project team (13).
Stellar: Did you measure the media impressions that you got as a result of the partnership?
Sally: Here is the year-on-year increase from 2022 to 2023. Our earned media value was up 32%. Earned media value is when EssenceMediacom introduces us to influential media networks such as the Nine Network and Network 10, through to Woman’s Day and New Idea. Then our media manager picks those up and gets stories placed with their editorial teams.
The pro bono media value that EssenceMediacom achieved was 80% on the previous year. We had an Australian reach of 85% who either saw, read, knew or learned about us.
Earned media mentions were up 522%. So that’s anywhere where they’ve picked up our story and ran with it. The media reach was 145 million views, which again was up on the previous year.
We ran a kindness workshop the week before which over 5,000 students attended and we sold nearly 11,000 pieces of merchandise, which is crazy. Plus, we also got 60 light-up structures turning blue across Australia, such as the Big Banana and Bolte Bridge.
Stellar: Any challenges in the partnership?
Sally: We have had feedback from people in the community who have said, “I want to support Dolly’s Dream but you’re obviously big enough, so I don’t need to because I see you everywhere.” This year we will do some social posts and put information on our website to explain that seeing us everywhere is pro bono! We need to let our supporters know that their donations don’t fund the roll out of this creative, and that this exposure is all done for free through our partnership with the hard working and dedicated team at EssenceMediacom and their media partners.
Stellar: Anything you’d do differently?
Sally: Overall, it’s a fairly well-oiled machine. One challenge is resizing assets for the numerous media outlets, requiring about 150 different specs. Sometimes managing the multitude of elements can be overwhelming. But what a good problem to have! We have improved this on last year and will be exploring more efficient management methods to improve it further next year.
As for EssenceMediacom’s concerns about achieving that same amazing level of support from their partners, they have pretty much retained that same amount! Partners like News Limited are even offering more, including pro bono support and internal fundraising on Do It For Dolly Day. We are continually blown away by the incredible support we receive!
Stellar: What do you think is working so well?
Sally: This year we did the media partner presentation in person as well as virtual, rather than solely online. It always makes a difference when you’re talking in person. At the end of last year, we also put together an origin video about Kate and Tick (Dolly’s parents) and Meg (Dolly’s sister) and how Dolly’s Dream came to be, which we showed at the presentation. You can’t watch it without crying. We played that and it gave the media partners an even greater understanding of what we do and why.
Stellar: What next for the partnership?
Sally: We’re continually exploring ways to deepen our partnership and give back. We’ve hosted online webinars on parenting in the digital age for the EssenceMediacom team. We’re also involving their staff directly; offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane will assist in writing donor thank-you cards. We’re adding a personal touch with handwritten notes, and some staff will even make thank-you calls. To ensure these calls are handled sensitively, staff will be properly inducted and will be mental health first aid trained.
Additionally, we’re brainstorming some ideas about our “bullying in sport” campaign to further our impact and reach.
Stellar: What has been the impact of this high profile campaign on your other partnerships?
Sally: It’s definitely raised our awareness. We have unsolicited partnership approaches. It has had no negative effects because all of our corporate partners are so distinctly different from one another. We don’t have partnership tiers; it is more about what we are offering and what they are offering. EssenceMediacom is our only metro partner. We do have Smiggle but they have very different audiences.
Stellar: What advice would you give to other smaller charities out there?
Sally: The big thing that made it so successful is that they have a service they can provide to us pro-bono. That service is a vehicle to bring in more income and awareness. It wasn’t a straight up financial donation but what they provide to us brings in funding. You can see the huge jump that we’ve had in income for Do It For Dolly Day. There is no way we would have had such significant growth in that campaign without them. They have 24 people in their Do It For Dolly Day project team this year. That is a huge investment from them.
You don’t need to go after ASX-listed companies, just find ones that have something they can provide to help elevate your charity, and that also provide benefits to their organisation. A successful partnership is a two-way street. Look at the synergies and what the alignment is.
Stellar: When is Do it for Dolly Day and how do people sign up?
Sally: Friday 10th May www.doitfordollyday.org.au
Good luck for a successful campaign and thank you for sharing this wonderful partnership with us and helping to inspire others.