Arizona Family Florist, co-owned by Cheryl Denham, right, donated 150 tulip arrangements for kids at the UMOM temporary housing site to give to all the mothers there.
Raising funds for a local charity and generating goodwill for the shop: these two worthy goals go hand-in-hand. Making the most of that synergy, however, means first getting the word out — a challenge that Arizona Family Florist in Phoenix, Arizona, understands well.
Case in point: for Mother’s Day 2019, the shop not only raised $2,000 for UMOM, a local provider of shelter and supportive services for homeless families, but also raised the profile of this effective and innovative local charity.
The week of Mother’s Day, Arizona Family Florist sold almost 700 ten-stem bunches of tulips for $6 each; 50 percent of the proceeds were donated to UMOM. In addition, the shop donated 150 tulip arrangements for kids at the UMOM temporary housing site to give to all the mothers there.
The news about the fundraiser gave a heartwarming lift to two segments featuring Arizona Family Florist that ran Mother’s Day week on Fox 10 Phoenix, which hosts the top-rated local morning TV show. The spots themselves resulted from a relationship the shop has cultivated over the years, said Eileen Watters, director of marketing and public relations for Arizona Family Florist.
Reporter Cory McCloskey of Fox 10 and Denham prep for an on-site interview.
A reporter from the morning show comes out for all the major holidays, said Watters, as well as for events such as the Society of American Florists’ Petal It Forward — knowing there will always be a community-oriented story angle to play up, like a food drive before Thanksgiving, a toy drive in December, or a free flower giveaway for Women’s Day.
Far from leading to compassion fatigue, the regularity of these events builds a sense of tradition among the shop’s loyal customers. “I know some people come to the food drive every year,” said Watters. “Petal It Forward has really taken off and gained traction. People start watching for it.”
Key to that success is a consistent social media strategy. For a charitable effort like the UMOM donation drive, Watters creates an “event” on Facebook, where the shop has 43,000 fans. “That gets a lot of coverage, usually a lot more than a regular post. It’s out there for people to see and comment on.”
Then she creates posts leading up to the day of the event. She may pay Facebook to “boost” some of the posts. More important, though, is simply asking customers who see the post to share it or tag someone in it. “We do see a lot of that,” said Watters. “And that’s how a post goes viral.”
Watters is quick to give credit to the shop’s customers for the success of both social media and community campaigns: “We have very loyal customers who are really our brand ambassadors,” she said.
Denham (right) presents a check to a representative of UMOM, a local provider of shelter and supportive services for homeless families.
A television spot is great, but it’s in social media that the relationship with customers becomes interactive — along with, of course, real live interaction, which the shop fosters with fun events like a free Halloween open house, complete with costumed characters, face painting, pumpkin decorating, and a vinyl backdrop with bales of hay for photo ops. Wine and Design classes bring customers in to socialize year-round.
Is social media time-consuming? Yes, but Watters believes the time is well spent. She has also found ways to make the time investment more efficient, using a feature of Facebook that allows her to write and schedule posts in advance. She’ll replicate those posts on Instagram, since she finds there’s very little overlap between the two platforms — Facebook skewing older, Instagram younger. She uses a third-party app, Planoly, to schedule posts on Instagram.
“Generating content is my biggest challenge,” said Watters. In that regard, she appreciates floral holidays and the shop’s tradition of community involvement. Both just naturally provide opportunities for telling stories — stories that in turn feed the success of the events. It’s a positive feedback loop that repeats and builds, with just a little nurturing, social media savvy, and a generous helping of compassion for those in need.
Bruce Wright is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.