Improving Urban Health Equity with the Arthur Ashe Institute
$125,000
Raised
UNSDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
UNSDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
“The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. ” – United Nations
The Cause
The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH) is a New York City-based nonprofit founded by the history-making professional tennis player Arthur Ashe in 1992.
Arthur Ashe founded the Institute in response to what he perceived as the alarming levels of illness, and death, in urban communities from preventable diseases. Though Ashe tragically died shortly after creating the Institute, the organization has continued to focus on improving health equity, and education, in urban communities across the United States.
Our Partnership
Faced with the challenge of bringing its 26th annual fundraising gala, SportsBall, online for the first time due to local social distancing restrictions, AAIUH began exploring ways to raise awareness. Typically funded by a mixture of grants, and donations, the “black tie and sneakers” event is a crucial way to provide unrestricted support for the organization’s ongoing mission.
After connecting to VidMob Gives in early 2020, Arthur Ashe settled on a plan to drive attendance for SportsBall by showcasing key initiatives, like the Health Science Academy, and community advocacy programs, using a new brand video that would perform well on social media.
The Result
Using pictures of the Arthur Ashe Science Academy as their starting point, and following a few rounds of optimization in Agile Creative Studio, the team from Arthur Ashe produced a 60-second video about the nonprofit’s work with the Academy and with community engagement efforts across urban communities.
The new marketing asset was shared across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as the organization’s website, on a dedicated landing page for Sportsball 2020.
As a result of the successful marketing campaign, 200 households from across the Arthur Ashe community were able to attend Sportball from home for the first time. In addition to the success of the event itself, Sportsball also helped the Arthur Ashe Institute to surpass its fundraising goal of $100,000 by over $25,000.
For the team at Arthur Ashe, their positive experience with the creative for Sportsball motivated them to release a new, more general, brand video for broader circulation shortly after the event.
Next up, the Institute plans to launch a marketing campaign to raise awareness for — and to increase people’s access to — critical mental health services in 2021.
“The process was seamless…and the short clip [gave] an excellent overview of the importance of the Institute’s work.”
Marilyn Fraser
MD, Chief Executive Officer, Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
The Creator Network
The VidMob Foundation is fueled by the active engagement of incredible freelance creative professionals on the VidMob platform. They’re some of the world’s most talented creators, and, time and again, have willingly dived in to offer their time and skills for charities around the world. No matter the size of the ask, or the significance of the cause, these creators believe in using creativity as a force for good, just as we do.
Tom Fagan
Editor