September 14, 2021 – SANTA ROSA, CA – Canine Companions, the largest provider of service dogs, received the 4th annual Raise Award for excellence in storytelling. The 2021 Storyteller of the Year was selected for its excellence in communicating their purpose through branding, narrative, and promotion that informs the mind and moves the heart.
In 2020, Canine Companions featured stories of real clients, puppy raisers, and volunteers with a powerful message – “Disability doesn’t disappear during a crisis. Neither do we.” This has helped to propel their online engagement to 4.7 million impressions and acquire thousands of new donors.
“We are humbled to receive this award,” says Jeanine Konopelski, VP marketing and advocacy at nonprofit Canine Companions. “Our community of clients, staff, donors and volunteers have such unique stories and perspectives. During the height of the pandemic, it was clear that these stories needed to be shared. Canine Companions was there to support the disability community through it all.”
As the pandemic caused shutdowns across the country, Canine Companions warmed hearts with a live “puppy cam,” livestreaming puppies that were born in the home of a Canine Companions staff member. Puppies were just what the world needed – the livestream was picked up by major national television stations including CNN, NBC, businesses and more. The live puppy cam gave folks at home a furry pastime, with over 67,500 cumulative hours of sleeping and playing puppies viewed.
OneCause*, a leader in online and event fundraising, recognized fundraising innovation and excellence at its annual Raise Awards ceremony during the Raise 2021 Conference*. Winners were selected by a committee of fundraising experts, OneCause customer advisory board members, and a panel of past Raise Award winners. In addition to the award recognition, winners receive a cash donation to support their mission on behalf of OneCause.
“Storytelling is essential for any nonprofit that is actively building and successfully engaging its donor base,” remarked Karrie Wozniak, chief marketing officer of OneCause. “Given their results over the course of the last year, Canine Companions has made this art of storytelling look easy. Because of this, we are thrilled to name them as the 2021 Storyteller of the Year.”
To read more Canine Companions stories, visit canine.org/stories today.
*Please be aware that by clicking this link — you are visiting sites that are not managed by Canine Companions. Website security, accessibility and privacy policies may be different than Canine Companions policies. Please read their policies closely.