On a cold day in February, two volunteers strapped a banner across the pedestrian overpass on the Lloyd Expressway near Harrison High School. Printed in a bold font, the sign’s words told drivers about a Feb. 20 event — the Literacy Center’s biggest fundraiser, the Letters for Literacy Scrabble Tournament.
The banner was one of four donated by AmeriStamp Sign-A-Rama, a local sign and rubber stamp manufacturer. The donation comes from Signs of Support, an inaugural program boosting the marketing efforts for nonprofit organizations in 2010. For the Literacy Center, the initiative has meant an additional 25 promotional yard signs spread throughout the city and 50 posters distributed by volunteers at local businesses. The advertising campaign promoted not only the event but also the Literacy Center’s mission to improve adult literacy.
The marketing materials worked, says Jennifer Wigginton, the center’s executive director: “We received more press than any years I’ve known it.” Of the 78 participants in the 2010 tournament, half were new to the seven-year-old event. “That’s more than it’s ever been in the past,” says Wigginton. Increased participation equated to more than $4,500 earned at the tournament and auction.
The Literacy Center’s success shows what AmeriStamp’s Signs of Support program can do. “In today’s economy, we recognize that supporting charitable organizations is more important than ever, and for that reason, Signs of Support is an exciting venture for us,” says Debbie Valiant, AmeriStamp’s owner.
In the program’s first year, AmeriStamp has donated or reduced the costs on hundreds of banners, posters, window graphics, vehicle wraps, and building signs to dozens of local nonprofits, including Adam’s Food Pantry, the American Red Cross of Southwestern Indiana, Keep Evansville Beautiful, and the Parenting Time Center.
Wigginton says: “The publicity just helps our mission.”
For more on AmeriStamp Sign-A-Rama, visit www.signsoveramerica.com.
