LaunchING A $2M Small Business Emergency Fund

Challenge

Greater Topeka Partnership creates economic growth for the Kansas state capital, a community of 178,915 people located just an hour from downtown Kansas City. Topeka enlisted Violet PR to raise awareness for its ‘HOST Relief Program,’ an emergency fund for small businesses and displaced workers impacted by COVID-19.

Violet PR was tasked with generating national attention for the $1.7 million initiative, which included $500,000 in donations from the private sector.

Violet PR also aimed to highlight the Greater Topeka Partnership and the Mayor’s role in helping businesses and the public during the pandemic.

Solution

Through a series of press releases and pitches, Violet PR secured media interviews with key reporters for Topeka spokespeople Matt Pivarnik, CEO of the Greater Topeka Partnership; Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla; and Scott Hunsicker, President of Kansas Financial Resources.

In just two weeks, our team secured media coverage in 12 national news outlets, including Next City, Inc. magazine, Axios Cities, Financial Times and more. The news coverage generated 85,600,000 million online impressions and was shared 3,760 times.