CONNECT#FeedtheDolphins
Tiny Rebellion will use the $100,000 dollar grant to create a campaign around four unrecognized dolphin statues located in the Santa Monica area that serve as donation points for the cities homeless service agencies. The #FeedtheDolphins campaign will include lead up promotions to a one-day experiential event that will raise awareness for the existing donation program, and show how the local community can use their spare change to make a big difference.
In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Westside
How do you plan to use these resources to make change?
Engage residents and stakeholders
Expand a pilot or a program
Mobilize for systems change
How will your proposal improve the following CONNECT metrics?
Rates of volunteerism
Adults getting sufficient social & emotional support
Participation in neighborhood councils
Percentage of Angelenos that volunteer informally (Dream Metric)
Government responsiveness to residents’ needs (Dream Metric)
Attendance at public/open streets gatherings (Dream Metric)
Describe in greater detail how you will make LA the best place to CONNECT.
In an effort to create positive change in the local community, Tiny Rebellion devoted a summer to solving the homeless problem in Santa Monica. After conducting research on both the Santa Monica resident and homeless population, the agency realized a connection needed to be made between the local community and vagrant society.
City data states downtown Santa Monica attracts 40,000 visitors a day, many of whom come for the purpose of shopping. On average, locals spend $43 dollars per trip, which if you take just a quarter of the daily visitors, still adds up to $430,000 dollars spent per day.
Scattered throughout the commercial district of Santa Monica are four dolphin statues built by the city to solicit donations to local homeless service agencies. The installations are large -bronze- structures placed in various social hubs, but while the resources are in place to support this program, the dolphins only bring in $10,000 dollars a year because they are not advertised to the public.
Tiny Rebellion wants to change this. The #FeedtheDolphins campaign will connect the Santa Monica community to an existing city program that empowers residents to fight homelessness in their daily routine. The dolphin statues are a great way to turn shoppers spare change into positive change, but they need an agency behind them to kick-start their success. Tiny Rebellion will put it’s advertising know how to create a one-day experiential event to raise awareness for the dolphin donation statues.
The agency will build a large cardboard structure around one dolphin that is animated by LED projections. Brand ambassadors will show curious passerby’s how to donate, and each time a person contributes a digital block will appear showing the price of a basic necessity (toiletries, clean clothes, access to internet, ect.). Over the course of the day these small purchases -donations- will build up like bricks showing how small change can help someone move from homeless to housed. At the end of the event the completed home will contain information on local NGO’s allowing visitors to further connect with homeless service agencies in their area.
By advertising an existing program, the #FeedtheDolphins campaign will connect Santa Monica residents to a solution for homelessness shifting the mindset of the community from passive concern to active problem solving.
Please explain how you will evaluate your work.
We understand that metrics are essential to evaluate the success of the LA2050 goals. Through communication with the city government, Tiny Rebellion found that on average, the dolphin statues bring in $10,000 dollars a year for local homeless service agencies. Tiny Rebellion will measure the success of the campaign by evaluating how much donations increase from previous years. By creating a splash page and social media network around #FeedtheDolphins, the agency will also be able to gauge the lasting impression of the pop-up installation, and community engagement with fighting homelessness.
How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed
Money (financial capital)
Publicity/awareness (social capital)
Community outreach
Network/relationship support