Results
Friends of Douglas County K-9
This scrappy veterinarian-founded non-profit had a dream: Engage the community to help pay for dogs, training and supplies for the local sheriff’s department K-9 Unit. They just needed a way to tell their story and gain the public’s trust.
The Challenge
With the exception of deputy salaries and vehicles, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) K-9 Unit in
Colorado is funded almost entirely by donations. With each of these specifically bred and trained K-9s costing as much as $30k each over their lifetimes, the non-profit’s ultimate goal of expanding the K-9 Unit from two dogs to six was daunting at best.
An unknown newcomer to the world of non-profit organizations, Friends of
Douglas County K-9 (or “K-9 Friends” as they’re known by all) asked Modus Persona for help crafting a credible and recognizable brand, raising awareness in the community, and executing a strategy to raise the money to fulfill its vision and mission.
We repaid that request by naming K-9 Friends as our main pro-bono client, which they’ve been since their inception in 2011. Then we went to work.
Douglas County K-9
The Strategy
It’s always exciting to get in on the ground floor to help build a brand – and one as exciting and interesting to work with as K-9 Friends is even moreso. We got to work, building the brand, building the brand identity, defining our strategies, and articulating the story of this heroic team, which gave us a solid platform to build upon, year over year. This included:
- Comprehensive brand development
- Marketing and creative strategy
- Website development
- In-house video production and photography (see below)
- Creative collateral to support sponsorship and events
- Content development including blogs and articles
- Social media management
The Gala
Since its inaugural event in 2011, the annual K-9 Friends Howling Good Time Gala has become a centerpiece of the fundraising efforts for the K-9 Friends organization. Every year (with the exception of the COVID-19-cancelled event in 2020), the greater community of supporters and benefactors of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Dept. K-9 Unit come together to meet the next year’s fundraising goals. The Gala features both silent and live auctions, a catered dinner, fundraising video, and live celebrations of the K-9 Unit’s accomplishments in the Douglas County community.
Modus Persona has partnered with K-9 Friends since the first Gala in 2011, providing print collateral and signage, digital marketing and video production for the event, which has helped raise more than $1 million for the unit.
The Results
With Modus Persona’s help, K-9 Friends has purchased 11 new dogs for the DCSO K-9 Unit (10 K-9 Officers and one dual-purpose therapy and service dog), custom-fit Kevlar vests for each K-9, world-class training, and an array of specialized equipment and supplies. K-9 Friends even provides healthcare for the dogs in their well-deserved retirement.
$1.3mRaised through the Gala
and other initiatives See how these funds have been applied
10New K-9 officers
1New therapy/service dog
