Portland Nursery used an innovative Photo Contest App to branch out into social media & deepen its community roots - growing its fanbase by 30% in just 15 days.

1. 1
SUPPORTING
SUSTAINABLE FARMING:
A Local Business Deepens Community
Roots & Branches Out into Social Media

2. 2
The Portland Nursery has been a pillar in its community for over a century

Portland Nursery is a plant nursery and garden supplier that’s served
Portland, Oregon for over a century. As both a retailer and home for
plant life, the Nursery is a major pillar in its community, providing supplies
and classes for individuals, as well as financial and volunteer support for
its neighborhood organizations and neighboring farms.
We are especially proud of the young, new
gardeners; happy to be able to assist them in their
accomplishments and looking forward to being a
part of their future discoveries.
— Peggy Acott, Community Outreach Director
Portland Nursery donates or partners in some way with over 400 schools
and groups annually. This relationship can take the form of a gift card for
a fundraising event, in-kind donation of materials for a garden or other
plant-related project, and/or membership in a discount program.
Provides supplies,
classes, financial &
volunteer support
Donates/partners
with 400+ schools
& groups
The Client


3. 3
Portland Nursery’s Apple Tasting is an autumn tradition.
Every year, the plant nursery gathers local farms, garden
suppliers, and members of the community together to enjoy the
bounty of the season.
The event, which takes place over two weekends in
October, draws in tens of thousands of attendees,
and only grows bigger each year as more people
join in supporting regional sustainable farming.
The apples are provided courtesy of small, family orchards in the
Hood River (and sometimes Willamette Valley) regions.
Portland Nursery needed a strategic marketing
plan to leverage its substantial email list
The Challenge

4. 4
The Apple Tasting is more than a fun family outing.
Proceeds benefit local charities and community
organizations like Elders in Action, a nonprofit that
works to improve quality of life for older adults.
Vendors and regional farms get in on the action
too, making connections and building community
relationships with special exhibitions, live music,
and more.
But Portland Nursery’s leadership knew it wasn’t
taking full advantage of the fundraising and
community engagement opportunities the Apple
Tasting had to offer. Additionally, the garden supply
retailer struggled to convert its thousands of event
attendees into Facebook fans, missing out on the
advantages of an engaged social media following.
And though it had assembled a substantial email
list, Portland Nursery lacked a strategic marketing
plan to use that list to its full advantage.
The Challenge
(continued)
More than a fun family outing:
Proceeds benefit local charities and
community organizations.

5. 5
In 2011, Whitney Farms—one of Portland Nursery’s
organic suppliers—proposed a partnership on a
project that could be fun, involve customers, do good in
the community, and generate more PR buzz.
The Nursery approached CafeGive Social for
a solution. Working together, we developed a
campaign that would bring the Apple Tasting
to the digital space, driving awareness
among its online audience, and converting
email subscribers into social media fans.
CafeGive helped the Nursery bring the Apple Tasting to the digital space
The Campaign

6. 6
Portland Nursery chose to use the Photo Contest
app as a dual-purpose promotional and fundraising
component of the Apple Tasting. Local gardening
and photography enthusiasts could submit their
photos to Portland Nursery’s Facebook page, where
fans would vote for their favorites. The Nursery
would award the entrants who received the most
votes $100 each.
    
The campaign included another crucial ingredient
to get everyone involved in giving back. In addition to
the $100 reward, Portland Nursery tapped Whitney
The Campaign
(continued)
Farms to donate $600 in each of the winners’ names’
to charities of their choosing. (While the Nursery
suggested charities, the winning photographers
could pick their own). This would further incentivize
fans to enter and vote in the contest, increasing the
campaign’s reach and, ultimately, its impact.

7. 7
Over 100 photographers responded to the initial call for
entries, submitting their photos in four different categories. A
small committee of judges selected 12 photos—three in each
category—to compete in the online contest. The CafeGive
platform allowed for easy uploading, branding, and monitoring.
The campaign was up and running almost instantly.
Portland Nursery promoted the campaign through its email
newsletter, website, and Facebook page. Friends of the
photographers and Nursery supporters gave the campaign an
additional boost through the Facebook sharing capability built
directly into the app.
The Campaign
(continued)
URBAN
LANDSCAPE
NATURAL
WORLD
HARVEST
MINIATURE
GARDENS
Email newsletter
Website
Facebook page
Social media shares
Promotional
Channels:

8. 8
The first year Portland Nursery used the app, its Facebook fan base increased by 500 (over 30% total)
in less than 15 days. Since then, the contest has become a yearly tradition, another powerful way the
Nursery interacts with and gives back to its community during Apple Tasting season.
After submitting a
photo, users could use
Facebook and Twitter
to encourage friends and
family members to vote
for their favorite entries
The campaign sowed the seeds for a long-lasting commitment to local farms
and vendors, as well as valued community organizations
The Results

9. 9
Most important, the campaign has sowed the seeds for a
long-lasting commitment to local farms and vendors, as
well as organizations like Portland Youth Builders, Village
Gardens, and the Oregon Humane Society. Large-scale
suppliers like Whitney Farms can make a localized
impact in the Portland community by giving individuals
the means to make their own heartfelt donations.
In terms of exposure, suppliers benefited from the tens
of thousands of people who saw the co-sponsors’
names and thank-yous at the event and on Portland
Nursery’s Facebook page.
Fromcorporationstofarmstolocalphotographers,
everyone is participating in the same cycle of
giving. Everyone benefits—except for the apples,
that is.
30% 
increase in FaceBook Fans
in less than 15 days
100+entries
4categories
12selections
EXPOSURE:
Suppliers benefited from the tens of
thousands of people who saw their
names at the event and online.
The Results
(continued)

10. 10

Congrats to our Winners!
Four winning photographers walked away with a $100 reward,
in addition to Whitney Farms’ pledge to donate $600 in each
of the winners’ names’ to charities of their choosing.

11. The best part? The Portland Nursery was able to plan,
create, and launch its photo contest on its own timeline and
with full, in­house control, using CafeGive Social’s intuitive
campaign­building apps.
For more information about our apps and to create your
own social media campaign, simply contact us.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////