HARRISBURG, Pa. (Nov. 23, 2021) – The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Central PA Chapter presented Goodwill Keystone Area with a top award for its successful campaign promoting a historic bid on the shopgoodwill.com auction site.
Goodwill earned a Keystone Award, which recognizes public relations projects marked by excellent results, thorough planning, game-changing ideas and creativity. Central PA PRSA received a record number of entries for 2020-2021, and Goodwill’s project was one of two to score highest in the media relations/media placement category.
This summer, a donation of vintage Nintendo cartridges sold on shopgoodwill.com netted Goodwill a record-breaking amount of $30,002. A well-crafted news release helped Goodwill gain widespread media coverage and successfully execute on its main objectives to boost awareness of and traffic to its e-commerce site, promote its mission and feature how working at Goodwill can really make a difference.
Positive local, regional and national coverage included: stories aired on three TV stations during their early and late newscasts; online and print articles in 12 daily newspapers; mentions on radio stations during their news breaks, and articles posted on four gaming industry blogs. Additionally, traffic to Goodwill Keystone Area’s e-commerce site jumped 32 percent in the weeks following the extensive media publicity.
Volunteers from the Southern Arizona PRSA Chapter judged this year’s entries and considered research, planning, execution and results of each project. As one judge noted in their evaluation of Goodwill’s campaign, “Seeing the increase in traffic to the website was a good indicator of the story's regional and national coverage. Good work in seizing on an opportunity and using it to the organization's advantage.”
About Central PA PRSA
The Central PA PRSA Chapter was formed in 1959 and is one of the oldest chapters in the country. Its membership represents a diverse group of professionals at all stages of their careers, including practitioners in corporate, government, nonprofit, education, health care and association industries with a common desire for professional public relations practice and to continue education and the advancement of the profession. For more information, visit www.prsacp.org.
About Goodwill Keystone Area
Goodwill Keystone Area serves 22 counties in central and southeastern Pennsylvania. As a nonprofit, 75 percent of revenue is generated from the sale of donated goods in its retail stores and online auction site. This revenue directly supports Goodwill’s mission to help people with barriers to employment build skills, find jobs and grow careers.