Children's Miracle Network Radiothon
Tucson Medical Center
$225,019 Raised in Two Days
Helped lead Tucson's highest-fundraising radiothon at the time through integrated community storytelling, authentic relationship building and multi-platform marketing.
Role
• Campaign Strategy
• Storytelling • Partnerships
• Community Engagement
Channels
• Broadcast • Digital
• Social • Outdoor • Live
At a Glance
Scope
Two consecutive annual Radiothon campaigns
Impact
$225,019 raised in two days
• Tucson record at the time
Overview
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and Tucson Medical Center partnered with 94.9 MIXfm to build awareness, community engagement and fundraising around their annual Radiothon. Over two consecutive years, I helped develop and execute an integrated campaign combining live broadcast, social media, community partnerships, interviews, outdoor promotion and local storytelling. The second campaign raised $225,019 in two days, the highest Tucson Radiothon total at the time.
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Audience Insight
People rarely become invested in an event simply because they saw an advertisement. They become invested when they feel connected to the people, purpose and experience behind it. The strongest community campaigns build anticipation before an event, create meaningful moments while it is happening, and give audiences stories worth remembering afterward. Our strategy extended the Radiothon beyond two days of fundraising and built emotional connection across broadcast, digital, social and live experiences.
Strategy
Integrated Multi-Channel Storytelling
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Family storytelling and interviews
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Live broadcast programming
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Community partnerships and activation
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Outdoor advertising
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Social and digital storytelling
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Consistent campaign messaging across broadcast, digital and live experiences
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Every touchpoint worked together to build anticipation, emotional connection and community participation leading into the two-day event.
Execution
Some of the most meaningful work happened long before the microphones went live.
To better understand the hospital's mission, I completed volunteer training and spent time each week inside Tucson Medical Center with children, families and staff. Seeing their experiences firsthand changed the way I approached the campaign.
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Instead of telling people about Children's Miracle Network, I could help families and caregivers tell their own stories. Those relationships shaped interviews, promotional segments, social content and on-air conversations throughout the campaign.
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Results
$225,019 Raised in Two Days
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Achieved the highest Tucson Radiothon fundraising total at the time
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Strengthened awareness and community engagement for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and Tucson Medical Center
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Built a coordinated campaign spanning broadcast, digital, social media, live events and community outreach
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Developed relationships with patients, families and staff that created more authentic campaign storytelling
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Increased fundraising significantly during the second year's event following deeper involvement with the hospital community
Key Takeaway
This project reinforced one of the most important lessons of my career: people support causes when they feel personally connected to them.
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The strongest marketing begins with empathy. By taking time to understand the people, the mission and the community firsthand, every story became more authentic, every message became more meaningful and the campaign became more effective.
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That principle continues to shape how I approach marketing today.