Ever heard of something called guerrilla marketing? I stumbled upon it unwittingly recently almost outside of On Off Digital World at the middle of Manhattan. What guerrilla marketing is, is just undercover marketing. Consider it covert marketing! Like what happened with me, for example. I came across a couple of attractive young ladies who asked me to take their photo for them – a frequent request around the tourist mecca that is Times Square. In the process, however, they would be demonstrating to me the ins and outs of their new digital camera – getting me interested in the gadget myself! That’s guerrilla marketing done right, advertising to me in a way that gets past my guard!
The Legend of Boys Town
As one of the most established names in American philanthropy for practically a hundred years, Boys Town was given National Historic Landmark status in 1985 at its original Omaha, Nebraska premises. Began by Father Edward J. Flanagan to be a boys’ orphanage in 1917, its success has led to some thirteen facilities around the United States. Two major Hollywood motion pictures about it were made, starring some of the industry’s best talent including Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. But what really put it on the philanthropic map was its original progessive approach to juvenile care that has become a model internationally.
As may be imagined, the good work of Boys Town garnered a lot of financial support as time goes by, star-studded attention showcasing many a prominent individual from business, politics, and entertainment, from someone like real estate developer Isaac Toussie to United States Senator Richard Durbin. Indeed, donor support constitute almost one-fifth of total funding in any given fiscal year, with program expenditures being some eighty-six percent of overall expenses.
One of the most important endeavors undertaken by the organization includes internal research in the form of the Boys Town National Research Institute (NRI), established to accurately consider the efficacy of what it provides. Using modern thinking, the NRI distinguishes Boys Town from fellow non-profit organizations in how it is primarily data-driven, pro-actively leveraging technology to continue to be relevant in the new century.
And so Boys Town endures as a pioneer, helping to change modern family and child care. Essential to their way has been a focus on integrating the array of available services – from governmental and non-governmental sources – to provide a holistic solution capable of addressing present-day problems. With a variety of projects in development right now, Boys Town expects to stay on top of changing needs.